Jewel Schrader Orem is an award-winning Theatre Arts Director, actor, and educator whose career spans more than two decades across professional theatre, higher education, and K–12 arts instruction. She has been a part of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) since 2017, serving as Theatre Arts Director at Justice High School until 2024, when she joined South County High School to continue her work as a Theatre Arts educator and program leader.

Schrader has taught a wide range of courses—including Dual Enrollment Theatre, IB Theatre, Theatre Arts 1–4, Technical Theatre 1–4, ESOL Theatre, and IB Theory of Knowledge - and directs a diverse slate of theatrical productions, such as The Picture of Dorian Gray, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Much Ado About Nothing, Pippin, and The Mousetrap. Under her leadership, her programs have earned multiple VHSL honors, including the Occoquan District Championship (2018) and Regional and District Runner-Up awards.

In addition to her public school leadership, Schrader has been a member of the Senior Teaching Faculty at Imagination Stage in Bethesda, MD, since 1999. There, she teaches acting, Shakespeare, and conservatory courses for grades K–12, directs Musical Production Camps, and has served as Project Coordinator for the Imagination Quest program—overseeing teaching residencies, staff coordination, assessment implementation, and program budgeting across 11+ sites in the Washington, DC area.

Previously, Schrader chaired the Theatre Arts Department at The Jim Henson Academy (Prince George’s County Public Schools, MD), taught Drama and English for Fowler High School in California—where she was recognized as Fowler Teacher of the Year (2012)—and served as a drama and English instructor for Hanford High School. Her early career includes work as Acting Director of the drama program at Norwood School and as an adjunct professor and teaching assistant at American University, where she taught Fundamentals of Acting, Speech and Voice, and Scene Study.

A seasoned stage performer, Schrader’s acting career includes extensive work with Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre/Folger, Round House Theatre, Washington Stage Guild, Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, Scena Theatre, Theater J, Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis, and other notable venues. Her roles span classical and contemporary productions—from Emilia in Othello and Antonia in The Tempest to Mary in The Memory of Water and Gerte in Crumbs from the Table of Joy. She has also appeared in film, television, industrials, and commercial work, including collaborations with John Waters, Warner Brothers, Disney, and Time-Life.

Schrader holds a Master of Arts in Arts Management and Theatre Education from American University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from Boston University. She is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, Actors’ Equity Association, the International Thespian Society, and the Fairfax Education Association.

A passionate advocate for arts education, Schrader is known for cultivating rigorous, inclusive, and artistically daring theatre programs. Her work consistently empowers young artists to develop their voices, refine their craft, and engage deeply with the creative process—onstage, backstage, and beyond.