Title: Faculty Member for Mime, Movement, Acting and Directing (Retired)
Company: Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
Location: Dallas, Texas, United States
Jane A. Farris, Retired Faculty Member for Mime, Movement, Acting and Directing at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, has been recognized by Top Educators for dedication, achievements and leadership in education and the performing arts.
Ms. Farris’s exceptional career spans four decades, marked by a profound commitment to arts education and performance. From 1982 to 2020, she found success as a faculty member of the theater department at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas. Her tenure was characterized by her innovative integration of mime into acting instruction and her direction of at least ten major theater productions.
After retiring in 2020, Ms. Farris continued her involvement with the school by teaching a commedia dell’arte class for four years and conducting auditions for incoming students. She has also directed mime shows for several seasons at a downtown church, further contributing to the local arts community.
Prior to her long-standing role at the aforementioned school, Ms. Farris was active as the owner of Mime on Stage from 1978 to 1982. Through this company, she led community outreach initiatives that brought mime performances to diverse audiences and fostered artistic appreciation among young people. Her impressive work as head artist and city mime in Dallas in 1977 allowed her to perform in underserved neighborhoods, exposing children to the performing arts and nurturing their creative potential.
A highlight of Ms. Farris’s career was her participation in the CERNA Fellowship, which provided funding for mask-making projects with students. This initiative enabled her to expand mask work within the curriculum, enhancing students’ abilities to communicate through body language while masked. The classroom remains adorned with masks created under her guidance, a testament to her lasting influence on arts education.
Ms. Farris’s professional path is further distinguished by her experience at international festivals such as the Edinburgh Theater Festival in Scotland, where her company showcased a commedia dell’arte piece before enthusiastic global audiences. This achievement stands among her most rewarding experiences, reflecting both personal fulfillment and collective pride within her troupe and students.
Throughout her career, Ms. Farris has been recognized for her punctuality, gentle approach to direction and unwavering commitment to fostering positive experiences for all participants in her productions. She is known for maintaining a lighthearted perspective, valuing humor as a means of overcoming challenges and connecting with others. Moreover, Ms. Farris encourages those around her not to dwell on failure but rather find joy and growth through each endeavor.
To support her professional ambitions, Ms. Farris earned a Bachelor of Arts in theater from Texas State University in 1973. She ultimately graduated with a Master of Science in Arts in theater from Dallas Theater Center through Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, in 1977. These academic achievements laid the foundation for her expertise in performance and pedagogy, equipping her with both technical skill and creative vision.
Mentorship has played a pivotal role in Ms. Farris’s development as an artist and educator. Influenced by Robyn Flatt and John Steven during her graduate studies at Dallas Theater Center, she discovered a passion for mime that would shape her artistic sensibilities. Alongside her peers from the center, she formed the Dallas Theater Center Mime Troupe, an experience that included collaborative performances locally and internationally, including memorable engagements in Mexico. Ms. Farris likewise contributed as the director of several seasons of mime shows at a local church. Her dedication has been recognized through grants supporting her troupe’s outreach efforts.
Ms. Farris attributes her success to an enduring sense of humor and an ability to identify passion within herself and others. She believes that showing up, both physically and mentally, is essential to building meaningful relationships with colleagues and students alike. The gratitude expressed by former students who continue to reach out is among her greatest sources of pride. Looking toward the future, Ms. Farris aspires to travel more extensively in her retirement while cementing her legacy as someone who left an indelible mark on generations of artists who have passed through Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.
For more information, please visit:
Who’s Who of Professional Women
Contact Ms. Farris: