Ms. Jill Balch-Coon part-time faculty, theatre Contact 1310 Ben Graves DriveMorton HallRoom 277Huntsville, AL 35899 Campus Map jb1367@uah.edu Biography Jill Balch-Coon is a dynamic theatre artist, educator, and director with over 25 years of experience inspiring students and audiences through the power of performance. Since 2021, she has served as Assistant Professor of Performance at Alabama A&M University and Director of the Johnson Little Theatre, where she launched Bulldog Players Productions and brought to life a wide range of productions and creative projects on campus. Her directing credits also include Twelfth Night and Much Ado About Nothing for The Orion Amphitheatre’s Bard in the Yard series, and she leads The Bulldog Beat, AAMU’s musical theatre recruitment and touring group. Jill now brings her artistry and teaching to The University of Alabama in Huntsville as a theatre adjunct. Known for her warmth and energy in the classroom, Jill creates spaces where students feel supported, challenged, and part of a thriving artistic community. She has a particular passion for voice and dialects, empowering performers to unlock new levels of authenticity and versatility in their work. Before AAMU, Jill directed an impressive range of productions at Brooklyn High School of the Arts and worked as an actor on stage and screen, with roles including To Kill a Mockingbird, Twelfth Night, and television work on As the World Turns. A proud Huntsville native, Jill holds a BA in English and Theatre from Birmingham-Southern College and an MFA in Acting from the University of Florida. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Education with a concentration in Curriculum and Instruction. Jill is a member of SAG-AFTRA, Actors’ Equity, and the American Federation of Teachers, and is also a registered yoga teacher Education M.F.A. in Acting from University of Florida B.A. in English, B.A. in Theatre from Birmingham-Southern College Honors & Awards Faculty Award for “Excellence in Service to the University Community”, Alabama A&M University, April 2022. United Way of New York City “Best Practices” Panelist for Attendance Improvement Dropout Prevention programming – January 2006 and February 2007. Class Speaker for Columbia Graduate School Middle Management Program for Youth Service Organizations, Institute for Not-For-Profit Management Graduation – June 2004 (elected by peers). Actress in over 60 productions on stage, television and film in Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Louisiana, New York, and Russia. Irene Ryan Acting Competition Nominee 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992. Top Forty Semi-Finalist 1995. American College Theatre Festival: The Immigrant – selected from over 90 productions to represent the southeastern region. (Performed the role of Ima) 1993. American College Theatre Festival: The Immigrant – one of six over 850 college and university productions to receive National Honorable Mention. Acting ensemble also received a National Honorable Mention 1993. Sara Blue Cathey Leadership Award (Nominated by peers at Birmingham-Southern College) 1992. Homecoming Queen, Birmingham-Southern College 1992. Fine Arts Council Scholarship for Achievement of Excellence in Artistic and Academic Endeavors, Birmingham-Southern College 1992. Affiliations Leadership Greater Huntsville L-37 – Graduated spring 2024 Educational Theatre Alliance Member since Fall 2023 New York City Department of Education New Teacher Mentor 2013-2018 City College Educational Theater Mentor Teacher - hosted student teachers from City College at Brooklyn High School of the Arts Since 2011-2016 Actor’s Equity Association (AEA) Member since January 2001 New York State Theatre Education Association Member September 2000-2001 New York City Arts Education Roundtable Member since February 1999-2010 Screen Actor’s Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) Member since January 1999 Speech Arts Club – Birmingham Member since 1998 Kappa Delta Sorority – Alpha Upsilon Chapter, President Birmingham-Southern College-Member 1988 –present Expertise Acting, Voice and Diction, International Phonetic Alphabet, Producing, Directing, Theatre Education, Teaching Artist Training