Jim Epstein has been involved in the Washington DC theatre community since the ‘80’s as an actor, producer and artistic staff as well as a Helen Hayes judge. As an actor he has been seen in productions with Arena Stage, Folger Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre, Studio Theatre, WSC/Avant Bard, Keegan Theater, MetroStage, Lean and Hungry, Capital Fringe Festival, Source Festival and DC Black Theatre Festival amongst others. Recent production includes The Intruders for Howard Reparatory Theatre. TV and commercial credits include HBO’s We Own This City, VEEP and Game Change, Hulu’s The Spook Who Sat By the Door, America’s Most Wanted, Netflix’s House of Cards, Cornelius Vanderbilt in Discovery’s American Titans, several ID Network shows and national commercials for GEICO and Consumer Cellular. Jim is a Board member for the Puppet Company at Glen Echo and the Founder/Convener for EMPATHeatre, a non-partisan platform convening artists, issue experts and resources to reduce polarization and find common ground. He is also the current Chair of the Wheaton Urban District Advisory Committee (WUDAC) and the President of Glenmont Forest Neighbors Civic Association (GFNCA). He was the original festival director for the Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival.