Women's Theater in Chicago Doing It For Themselves 
“' [ An interviewer from Time Out ] once asked me if I thought that the Chicago theater scene was a 'boys club',' shrugs Biskup, 'but LIFE is a boys' club. Supply and demand dictate that this is a tough business for actresses.

THE EMPLOYEES, 2024
“A fascinating, formidable production… You won’t receive a salary for seeing The Employees, but the experience is payment enough.”
–Thinking Theatre NYC

“Both fascinating and frightening. Director Jaclyn Biskup is glad to leave us in a plaintive wonder, rather ąthan create a playing field of explanations to make the elusive obvious.
–The Theatre Times

“Seamlessly directed by Biskup (Venus, The Private of Lives of Eskimos [Or 16 Words for Snow]), The Employees is an intimate and intriguing look at where we might be heading a hundred years from now; whether escape will be possible has yet to be decided.”
– This Week In New York

“While The Employees echoes common and timely, fears about AI’s rising sentience and encroachment on human-dominated fields, the play makes deeper points about the fundamental nature of “humanity,” particularly in environments that seek to undermine or squelch it.”
– Theatre Is Easy

WORSE THAN TIGERS, 2018
Worse Than Tigers Nominated for 5 New York Innovative Theatre Awards

“Worse Than Tigers is a bone-chilling, panic-attack inducing, primal, bloody, life resuscitator…and it's funny. Director Jaclyn Biskup has crafted a tightly wound bobbin of tension.”
— Stage Biz

“Herold, Sullivan, and Wegner form a fierce ensemble...Biskup’s directing is sparse and to the point”
— New York Theatre Review

“Funny, absorbing, prolific and powerful...this is a must (see)”
— Times Square Chronicles

“The performance (directed by Jaclyn Biskup) is as gripping as a tiger’s claws, and the simply beautiful and metaphorical set (Matt Carlin, Caspin Jones, and Kate Ducey) and coordinated costumes (Kristy Hall) are the best we’ve seen at the New Ohio Theatre.”
— Opplaud

NICHOLAS MAEVE MARIANNE
“…director Jaclyn Bishop [sic] keeps the action moving with creative staging and a lively pace.”
--Aimee Todoroff, NYTheatre.com

HOT STEAMS
“Strong chemistry among the actors, directed by Jaclyn Biskup, lets the audience dive into their world as the plot steams ahead.”
--Alexandra Early, Time Out NY

“The performances and Jaclyn Biskup’s direction were all quite good…’
--Greg Solomon, Theatre is Easy

“The writing (by Zachary Wegner) and direction (by Jaclyn Biskup) work hand in hand to create a well-timed play that keeps you spellbound throughout.”
--STEPHEN TORTORA-LEE, The Happiest Medium

THE YELLOW WALLPAPER
“The Mill Theatre's inspired production of this iconic story, adapted for the stage by Sturm, avoids any potential melodrama; Jaclyn Biskup's direction heightens its gothic and surreal elements”
--Suzanne Scanlon, The Chicago Reader

THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ESKIMOS OR 16 WORDS FOR SNOW
“Jaclyn Biskup's staging is stylish and energetic…”
--Kerry Reid, The Chicago Reader

“Director Biskup’s staging is resourceful and deft, the action moving fluidly between Marvin’s daily life and his hallucinations.”
--Zac Thompson, Time Out Chicago

"...The Private Lives of Eskimos," with its high energy cast and edgy direction is a look into the sagging spirit of a man who has lost his way and gets dragged further and further into the vortex when opportunists decide to cash in on his misfortune.”
--Ruth Smerling, Chicago Stage Standard 

VENUS
"Working with a fine team of young performers and designers, director Jaclyn Biskup has winningly tapped into the highly theatrical "presentational"  elements of the play, but most crucially she also managed to find its heart. " 
-- Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times 

“The Mill’s Venus certainly makes for an entertaining show thanks to Biskup’s energetic staging. Venus constantly engages you to critically think and emphasize with Baartman, and it does so without predictably tugging at obvious emotional heart strings.”
--Scott C. Morgan, Windy City Times

"Director Jaclyn Biskup and the Mill bring a charming carnival quality to the show" 
--Jenn Goddu, The Chicago Reader

"The cast here is engrossing...Darci Nalepa's Mother-Showman is the quintessential slithery prick, worthy of Dickens..." 
--Nina Metz, New City

BIG LOVE
New City's #1 Show to  see the week of June 9, 2005
“Big Love proves to be an interesting production of this clever script and an intriguing glimpse into the process of developing remarkable theatre.”

"…laughs, undeniable social arguments, strong performances and admirable creative risks taken…"
--Venus Zarris, Gay Chicago Magazine

"…this production marks a high point for Experimental Theatre Chicago."
--John Beer, New City

"…the cast handles Mee's absurd situations with lightness and delicacy.”
--Jennifer Vannasco, Chicago Reader

THE BALD SOPRANO & OFF
"...multiple flashes of magic... "
  -- Web Behrens, The Free Press

"...solid production...excellent and impressive direction of this complicated, surreal, and eccentric material."
--Venus Zarris, Gay Chicago Magazine

"...nicely done...a pleasant anachronism."
-- Tony Adler, The Chicago Reader

"pleasurably ludicrous... deliciously over the top ... chaotic and terribly funny."
-- Ed Rutherford, Centerstage.Net

THE MADMAN AND THE NUN
Chicago Reader's Critics Choice, Highly Recommended
"Jaclyn Biskup's careful, beautiful, ingeniously styled The Madman and the Nun earns the company its place on the Chicago fringe.
--Justin Hayford, The Chicago Reader

"…it would be hard to find a smarter play currently running… (or) to find a more visually stunning low-budget production."
--Jack Helbig, Daily Herald

AN UNENCHANTED EVENING
"…bracingly honest and original…”
--Jack Helbig, The Chicago Reader 

DESDEMONA: A PLAY ABOUT A HANDKERCHIEF
Chicago Reader Highly Recommended
"Under Jaclyn Biskup's astute direction…they're so engaging we can't help regretting their characters' sorry fates."
--Mary Shen Barnidge, The Chicago Reader

“Under Jaclyn Biskup's direction, however, the “Mill Missies” ensemble sparkles with a sunny ebullience that renders its inevitable capitulation to the darkness all the more regrettable."
--Mary Shen Barnidge, Windy City Times

"...Despite the comfortable air-conditioning at the Stage Left, after witnessing "Desdemona: A Play About A Handkerchief", people leave a little clammy. The Mill’s "Desdemona" is an inventory of human values and a profound and engaging work."
--Ruth Smerling, Chicago Stage Standard

"...Jaclyn Biskup stages both parts with gusto…”
--Zac Thompson, The Chicago Reader