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Quitting Safe: How Jenna Jane Walked Away From Journalism To Build A Life In Theater
This episode is about the moment you stop asking permission to be an artist.
Playwright, actor, and voice actor Jenna Jane talks about walking away from full-time journalism, surviving in Florida as a working artist, and refusing to play roles that sexualize or stereotype young women. “I made a commitment to myself… I was no longer going to play any roles that perpetuate stereotypes or involve my clothes falling off.” That decision meant less stage work — and also, a new path.
We get into:
– That “it’s here” moment when an idea hits and everything else has to stop
– How her sci-fi play Bionic has evolved from a one-act to a full-length built for real-world production
– Why new work doesn’t get produced (and why “new work doesn’t sell” is usually just bad marketing)
– What theaters owe actors and audiences when it comes to safety, access, and not pre-casting the same five friends
– Why she left a “safe” field after her position was eliminated and said, “Why not do what I love?”
We also talk burnout, redefining success, and the radical, stubborn act of choosing joy in a politically hostile moment.
Follow Jenna Jane to catch upcoming staged readings of Bionic and her newest work across Tampa Bay — and sometimes internationally.
Programming notes:
– November Book Club: Night + guided tour at the Florida Holocaust Museum
– December Book Club: My Broken Language + Latin History for Morons at Stageworks
Tampa Bay Arts Passport: local arts journalism, but with teeth.
Like, follow, subscribe, and go see new work in your city.
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By Avery AndersonThis episode is about the moment you stop asking permission to be an artist.
Playwright, actor, and voice actor Jenna Jane talks about walking away from full-time journalism, surviving in Florida as a working artist, and refusing to play roles that sexualize or stereotype young women. “I made a commitment to myself… I was no longer going to play any roles that perpetuate stereotypes or involve my clothes falling off.” That decision meant less stage work — and also, a new path.
We get into:
– That “it’s here” moment when an idea hits and everything else has to stop
– How her sci-fi play Bionic has evolved from a one-act to a full-length built for real-world production
– Why new work doesn’t get produced (and why “new work doesn’t sell” is usually just bad marketing)
– What theaters owe actors and audiences when it comes to safety, access, and not pre-casting the same five friends
– Why she left a “safe” field after her position was eliminated and said, “Why not do what I love?”
We also talk burnout, redefining success, and the radical, stubborn act of choosing joy in a politically hostile moment.
Follow Jenna Jane to catch upcoming staged readings of Bionic and her newest work across Tampa Bay — and sometimes internationally.
Programming notes:
– November Book Club: Night + guided tour at the Florida Holocaust Museum
– December Book Club: My Broken Language + Latin History for Morons at Stageworks
Tampa Bay Arts Passport: local arts journalism, but with teeth.
Like, follow, subscribe, and go see new work in your city.