Faculty & Staff

Jyl Hewston (Acting, Directing, Movement)

Jyl Hewston has been teaching and directing productions in HSU's theatre program for 24 years.  She also holds 3 degrees from HSU, a BA in Children's Theatre, an MA in Acting, and an MFA in Directing.  However, much of her education has come from intense summer study, through the years, in professional studios in San Francisco and the Midwest, as well as from touring the Western states with her mentor, James Donlon, as a performer and master class instructor in his company, Menagerie.  In fact, she began teaching as an undergraduate at HSU because her training in mime, mask and movement was more extensive than anyone else's on the faculty, at the time.

After completing her first master's degree, Jyl moved to the East Coast and co-founded Theatre Plexus, a mime, mask and New Vaudeville company, based in the Washington, DC area, which toured the US, Canada and Great Britain.  Plexus was regularly supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Maryland State Arts Council, as well as receiving a state fellowship award for excellence in choreography.

8 years later, Plexus was invited to become Company-in-Residence in HSU's theatre program.  Jyl returned to the faculty and became a member of the first class completing HSU's new MFA degree program in directing.

Throughout the years, Jyl has been a guest faculty member at the University of California at Santa Barbara,  North Carolina School of the Arts, Model Secondary School for the Deaf, The National Theatre of the Deaf, and the Dell 'Arte International School of Physical Theatre.  She is a member of the Society of American Fight Directors, and continues to make guest appearances as a fight choreographer, dance choreographer, actor and director at area professional and community theatres.