Junnan “Julia” He
Stage & Production Manager
2026, she/her/hers MFA, Stage & Production Management
Julia is the recipient of the 2026 USITT Stage Management Award sponsored by Clear-Com and a presenter at the 2026 USITT National Conference, where she shared her research on stage management within immersive, game-based performance.
A cross-cultural theatre producer working between the U.S. and China, Julia creates work that is emotionally precise, visually intentional, and rooted in collaboration. Her practice is driven by a deep interest in translation across language, culture, and form, and how storytelling shifts in different contexts.
She is currently the creative producer of a new cross-cultural interpretation of Shakespeare’s R&J (May 2026, Pittsburgh City Theatre), a project she originated independently from securing grant funding and building a team of over 30 artists from the ground up. Her connection to the piece spans multiple roles, from audience member to Stage Manager in its 2024 Shanghai revival, and now culminates in a reimagining shaped by original music, symbolic staging, and a multinational design team.
At Carnegie Mellon University, she also produced and directed Brazil for the Playground Festival, a poetic multimedia adaptation of a Chinese-language play exploring memory, care, and inner worlds through hybrid performance.
Her work often lives at the intersection of theatre and immersive experience, informed by her thesis research on applying traditional stage management frameworks to interactive environments such as escape rooms. She is especially drawn to projects that reimagine classical texts, blend Eastern and Western aesthetics, and experiment with audience engagement.
Julia approaches producing and stage management as practices of care—building trust, shaping processes, and creating spaces where artists and stories can unfold with intention.
Work Samples
Shakespeare’s R&J
By Joe Calarco
Directed by J. Cody Spellman
Produced by Julia He
City Theatre Company – May 2026
The House of Bernarda Alba
By Federico García Lorca
Adapted by Chay Yew
Directed by Samantha Pazos
Production Management by Julia He
CMU School of Drama – Oct 2025
Hurricane Diane
By Madeleine George
Directed by Kaycee Swierc
Stage Management by Julia He
CMU School of Drama – Feb 2026