Scholar. Artist. Cultural Critic.

Jordan Ealey (they/she) is a multidisciplinary Black feminist artist-scholar based in upstate New York, but will always and forever be a Georgia peach. Currently, Jordan is an Assistant Professor of Black Feminist Studies in the Department of Black Studies at the University of Rochester. Their manuscript-in-progress investigates the politics, forms, and aesthetics of Black women-authored music theatre from the nineteenth-century to the present. Rather than examining these works as a part of the musical theatre canon, they, instead, argue for them as a legitimate form of Black feminist intellectual production.

Jordan’s scholarly writing is published or forthcoming in The Black Scholar, Girlhood Studies, Studies in Musical Theatre, Theatre Topics, and Theatre History Studies. They previously worked as an Assistant Editor for Dr. Laura Edmondson at Theatre Journal. A cultural critic on arts, media, and expressive culture, Jordan is the co-host and co-producer of Daughters of Lorraine, a podcast on Black theatre through a Black feminist lens, which is supported by HowlRound Theatre Commons. Additionally, Jordan is a recurring co-host on On TAP: A Theatre and Performance Studies Podcast. They have also published works in public outlets such as Bitch Media, 3Views, DC Metro Arts, and more. Jordan earned a B.A. in Theatre and English from Wesleyan College and an M.A. and PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Additionally, Jordan is a playwright, librettist, and dramaturg. Their plays and musicals sit at the intersection of art, activism, and community engagement through exploring little known and/or explored feminist and queer history and politics. And sometimes, they’re just about complicated relationships and huge feelings. Maybe both. They are currently the bookwriter on two musicals in development: JEANNETTE (co-bookwriter with Lauren Gunderson, music and lyrics by Ari Afsar) and SILHOUETTES (bookwriter, music and lyrics by Ari Afsar). Their plays include: WOMEN WITHOUT VIRTUE (Single Carrot Theatre Company); SELF PORTRAIT WITH DIRTY HAIR (Womxn On Fire Festival, The Keegan Theatre); I’VE BEEN A WOMAN (University of Maryland); and LIFT EVERY VOICE (Out of Hand Theatre). A dramaturg specializing in new play and musical development, Jordan has worked with organizations such as the Latiné Musical Theatre Lab, Mosaic Theatre Company, Round House Theatre Company, Theatrical Outfit, among others.

Learn more about Jordan through profiles with University of Maryland’s School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, Maryland Center for the Humanities and American Theatre’s Role Call.

Proud member of the Dramatists Guild, MAESTRA, and Ring of Keys.