Jacob is in his fifth season as the artistic director of Third Avenue PlayWorks. He is a director and producer focused on the development of new work and community engagement with the arts.
Jacob has over a decade of professional producing experience at theatres such as Studio Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Mosaic Theater Company in Washington, DC. He is also a tireless advocate for the arts in our community. Jacob has served as the president of the Peninsula Arts and Humanities Alliance, an advocacy organization representing eighteen of the region’s cultural organizations.
In 2023, Jacob directed the world premiere of Jennifer Blackmer’s I Carry Your Heart With Me, which was recognized by the American Theater Critics Association as one of the three best new plays produced outside of New York City that year. He has led the development of work by established and emerging writers such as Alex Lin, Nina Segal, Julia Izumi, Tearrance Chisholm, Jesse Jae Hoon, Deepak Kumar, Alaudin Ullah, Ankita Raturi, Mallory Jane Weiss, and others.
Originally from Kiel, Wisconsin, Jacob holds a BFA in Acting from UW-Stevens Point and an MFA in Directing from DePaul University. His extended family have lived and worked in Door County for decades. Some of his earliest memories are of The Blue Iris in Egg Harbor, the restaurant his grandparents owned and operated. Jacob and his wife, Lisa, now live in Sturgeon Bay with their two children, Leo and August.
Jacob Janssen | Jackie & Steve Kane Artistic Director
Third Avenue PlayWorks | 239 N 3rd Ave | Sturgeon Bay, WI