Bio – Jacob Mills

Jacob Mills is a professional actor, physical comedian and educator.

Jacob began his career in kindergarten, staring as the billy goat that knocked the Gruff off the bridge. He was urged to finish his education by his mother,and so he retired.

Jacob studied theater at Cabrillo College in California, the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute in Chicago, and is a graduate of the Hayes-Marshall School of Theatre in Portland, Oregon. He has studied Lecoq technique with Norman Taylor of L’Ecole Jacques Lecoq, and has taken workshops with Avner Eisenberg. In Santa Cruz, California in the mid 70’s, he founded ‘THE’ ,Theatre Harmony Ensemble, with actress Laurie Kat Hawkins and actor Michael Pappalardo. They performed on the street, in theaters and festivals in California, Oregon and Washington. In the late 70’s he co-founded the Chicago-based ‘Last Chance Circuz’ Mask Clown and Commedia theater.

He is a past Artist-In-Residence for the City of Chicago, and the state of Wisconsin. His performances have been featured in a wide array of venues in the US and Europe, including schools, theaters, festivals, cruise ships and corporate events. He can be seen and heard on local and regional TV and radio spots. Locally he has performed with Cycropia Aerial Dance, Cherry Pop Burlesque and Chicago’s Zyngara New World Circus.

He has been a featured instructor at the Rhinelander School of the Arts, offering week-long residencies for the UW Madison.

In 2001, he teamed up with dancer, aerialist and stilt walker Marcia Miquelon to create the first Wild Rumpus Circus day camps in Mazomanie, Wisconsin. Since then, hundreds of kids have clowned, stilt walked, trapezed, juggled and tumbled their way through their program, gaining agility, focus and self esteem by mastering new skills. In 2009, they began touring shows and workshops in the Middle East and Germany as the Wild Rumpus World Circus.

Jacob is also a singer song writer and enjoys paddling his kayak whenever possible. Jacob still occasionally enjoys knocking The Gruff off the bridge…