Jonas Jurašas was born on 19 June 1936. In 1964, he graduated from the Lunacharsky State Institute for Theatre Arts (GITIS, currently the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts ) in Moscow. He directed plays in the Lithuanian Russian Drama Theatre, Šiauliai Drama Theatre and the Lithuanian Drama Theatre. From 1967 to 1972 he was the senior director of Kaunas Drama Theatre (ruled out because of political motives). The majority of plays, directed in Lithuania, were banned or shown after censorship. In 1974, Jurašas emigrated and lived in Austria, Germany and later in the USA. He directed plays in theatres in the USA, Japan, Belgium, Germany and Canada. From 1990 to 1992 he directed plays in Kaunas Drama Theatre. The director is also the visiting professor in higher education schools in the USA and Canada.