JAY PAUL SKELTON most recently directed Lee Blessing's Fortinbras for the Department of Film, Television and Theatre at the University of Notre Dame. Ravel's opera The Bewitched Child for the Chicago Cultural Center, the world premiere musical Camp Nimrod for Girls for Live Bait Theatre, the Midwest premiere of The Last Sunday in June for Bailiwick Repertory and the world premiere of How 'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?' Happened for Hell in a Handbag Productions. Other recent credits Leonard Bernstein's Candide for the Chicago Cultural Center, The Marriage of Figaro and The Romeo and Juliet Story for Opera Theatre Highland Park, the Jeff Recommended production of Death on a Pink Carpet for Live Bait Theater and the Reader "Critic's Choice " sketch comedy revue Coyote Pretty at Improv Olympic. He also directed the world premiere of Clearing Hedges for the 2002 Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland and the 2003 San Francisco Fringe Festival where it was named Best Female Solo Dramatic Production. Jay received the 2001 Achievement Award Scholarship for Young Directors from the National Theatre Conference and was named a Finalist/First Alternate for the 2000-2002 NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Directors. He also adapted and directed To Live as Variously as Possible about the life and work of poet Frank O'Hara for TimeLine Theatre for which he received a 2000 After Dark Award for Outstanding New Play Adaptation. In addition, Jay received a 1994 After Dark Award for his direction of Porcelain at Eclipse Theatre and is a two-year veteran of the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Other Chicago credits include working with such theatres as Pegasus, Goodman, Lifeline, Silk Road, Mary-Arrchie, Next, About Face, Organic, CollaborAction, Circle, Chicago Dramatists and Theatre on the Lake. A native of Massachusetts, Jay received his M.F.A. from The Theatre School at DePaul University and is on the teaching staff of the Actors' Center of Chicago and Act One.