Jenna D'Angelo is thrilled
to be a part of Animals in FringeNYC. Since moving to NYC two years ago Jenna
has been working consistently in theatre and film. Theatre: As You Like It (Rosalind), Dracula (Lucy), Thrill of
the Chase (MadDog Theatre Co.), Still Jackie (Tiny Rhino), Almost, Maine 45th St. Western
Michigan University
- You’ll be performing in our upcoming production of Animals for the New York International Fringe Festival. Can you tell us some of your initial thoughts about the piece and your character? How are rehearsals going?
I feel incredibly
lucky to be working with Animals again. I was part of a
workshop / reading last year as the character Lisa. This go around I am
playing Megan, which has been a blast so far because I get a chance to be in the
skin of a different character and see the play in a new light through a new
person's eyes.
When I first read the play, I loved it. It has been
great to continually work on the play and see how the characters and the story
have developed and grown. Rehearsals have been fantastic. Kristin [Hoffmann]
and Sam [Byron] are so great to work with; they play really well off of one another in
the rehearsal room. This is a unique experience because we get to work with
the director AND the playwright, which is pretty rare.
- When did you know that you wanted to be an actor? How did you get started?
I have wanted to be an
actor ever since I was a little kid. I always loved being on stage,
telling stories and making people laugh. In elementary school, I started
doing school plays and musicals, and everything sort of took off from there.
I studied Theatre Performance in undergrad at Western Michigan University
- Who or what do you consider to have been your biggest creative influences to date? Why?
Wow. That is a tough
question. I guess at this point in my life, two years out of undergrad, I
would probably say that my professors are still some of the people who have
influenced me and shaped the artist I am today the most. I was really
lucky to have just unbelievably talented and passionate professors who helped me to push the limits creatively and keep striving and trying – if you don't
get there today, maybe you will get there tomorrow.
- What is your favorite part of the creative process before you perform for an audience? Do you have a particular pre-show ritual that you engage in before curtain? If so, can you share it with us?
I
love rehearsing. I love what you find when you get to put a scene up on
its feet once you are memorized, and really
find what is underneath these words that you are saying. There is
nothing more exciting than discovering a moment in a scene that you never knew
was there. In terms of pre-show ritual, it
changes from show to show. Each show you're in places different demands
on you and a different energy. For example, when I do Shakespeare, my
warm-ups tend to revolve more around vocals because you are dealing with some
really tricky language so you want to be ready for it. Other times, I'll listen
to music that helps me get in the right head space, stuff that pumps me up or
centers me, I'll do yoga. It all just depends. For this show? I'm
not 100% sure yet what will fall into place.
- I believe this is your first time working with Wide Eyed. We’d like to get to know you a little better. Could you tell us a little bit about your last project? Is there something cool that you like to do in your spare time?
My last project was a short film called Kin about a brother and sister who haven't spoken in years and are
forced together by the death of their father. The project was wonderful and
incredibly challenging – the sister is bi-polar and incredibly reclusive, and I
had a great time working to figure her out.
Cool things in my spare time?
I just bought a bike! And a really goofy helmet! So now I ride my
bike around in my spare time....is that cool? Oh! And I just hiked the
Inca Trail in Peru
- Are you working on any additional projects at the moment? Care to share with us?
I am in a web series called The Fastest that starts filming
right around when Animals opens, so I'll be shooting that on my off days.
I play this badass girl-next-door, so that will be fun. I get to use a knife to
protect myself from a bad guy. You can check out some info at http://thefastestseries.tumblr.com/. And I have to finish up some ADR stuff for a film I shot a few months
ago called Bruiser with director Mattson Tomlin, who is one of the
most talented guys I know. And then it's time to get back in the saddle again
and hit the ground running auditioning.
No comments:
Post a Comment