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Jeffrey Mosser

  • Lecturer, Theatre

Education

  • MFA, Directing, Northwestern University
  • BA, Theatre Arts, Winona State University
  • BA, Psychology, Winona State University

Biography

A champion of ensemble-based work, Jeffrey Mosser’s scholarship centers on the preservation and transmission of generative theatre practices. A director by training, he employs ensemble-based devising methodologies within iterative creative processes, drawing on extensive study with practitioners and institutions including Augusto Boal, Liz Lerman, Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre, Pig Iron School for Advanced Performance Training, the Center for Performance and Civic Practice, ImprovBoston, Dominique Serrand, Giovanni Fusetti, Double Edge Theatre, and Shakespeare Behind Bars. He holds an MFA in Directing from Northwestern University. These experiences coalesce in his pedagogy, where embodied approaches support students in developing a rigorous understanding of physical storytelling and collaborative authorship.

An expert in devising and ensemble creation, Mosser is deeply invested in the power of collective practice. He co-founded Project: Project Theatre Ensemble, leading the creation of immersive, site-specific performances that intentionally blurred the boundaries between performer and spectator. The company’s work interrogated form, aesthetics, and audience engagement, merging traditional techniques with innovative modes of theatrical experience.

His regional directing credits include Lookingglass Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, the O’Neill Theater Center, American Repertory Theater, The Goodman Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, collaborating with artists such as Anne Bogart, Michael Friedman, Lauren Gunderson, Mike Lew, Aaron Posner, and Mary Zimmerman. His background in puppetry, physical theatre, and devising informs an artistic practice grounded in collaboration, experimentation, and risk-taking.

Mosser is also a producer and host of HowlRound Theatre Commons’ From the Ground Up podcast, where he engages Tony Award winners, TED speakers, MacArthur Fellows, and internationally recognized ensemble companies in conversations about sustaining collaborative work artistically, financially, and socially. At Milwaukee Repertory Theater, he serves as Artistic Producer, overseeing up to six productions annually, and as Director of Training for the Emerging Professional Residency Program, mentoring early-career actors and directors in individualized career development. His recent scholarship includes a University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Research Assistance Fund grant to attend the National Endowment for the Humanities Pig Iron Physical and Devised Theater Conference.

Links

Recent & Selected Works

Ensemble cast performs on a theater stage with ocean-like floor projection, tree and framed backdrop, dancers and actors in varied poses.
Two people sit close on a bench on a stage, leaning in and kissing, with a stylized set and soft purple lighting in the background.
Two people seated at a table indoors, one wearing glasses and scarf, the other in a strapless dress with necklace, both facing the camera.
Performer stands on stage before a lit backdrop showing a shadow figure in motion and a profile outline, with purple and yellow stage lighting.
Person sits cross-legged on stage, looking at a phone, with a large projected social media feed displayed behind and screens on both sides.

Publications

  • Mosser, J. Host. “Studio Luna's Evolving Trajectory – Live at Theatre Communications Group with Alexandra Meda and Maya Malan-Gonzalez.” From the Ground Up Podcast. December 19, 2024. https://howlround.com/studio-lunas-evolving-trajectory
  • Mosser, J. Host. “Being an Ensemble Playwright on You On the Moors Now with Jaclyn Backhaus and UW-Milwaukee Students.” From the Ground Up Podcast. December 12, 2024. https://howlround.com/being-ensemble-playwright-you-moors-now
  • Mosser, J. Host. “Curating the University Festival Circuit with Sara Billman and Mary Roeder.” From the Ground Up Podcast. December 5, 2024. https://howlround.com/curating-university-festival-circuit
  • Mosser, J. Host. “The Rise and Fall of Theater X with John Schneider.” From the Ground Up Podcast. November 21, 2024. https://howlround.com/rise-and-fall-theatre-x
  • Mosser, J. Host. “Philanthropies, Foundations, and Boards (Oh, Wow) with Ben Cameron of the Jerome Foundation.” From the Ground Up Podcast. April 26, 2023. https://howlround.com/philanthropies-foundations-and-boards-oh-wow
  • Mosser, J. Host. “What Ensemble Touring Can Learn from Dance with Jawole Willa Jo Zollar of Urban Bush Women.” From the Ground Up Podcast. March 29, 2023. https://howlround.com/what-ensemble-touring-can-learn-dance