Jessica Walker is a high school student from Maine who began her stage career at the age of seven, appearing as Gretel in a local production of "the Sound of Music." Since then she has been making appearances across Maine stages, most recently appearing in a regional production of Shakespeare's "Merry Wives of Windsor" at the Stonington Opera House in Stonington, Maine. In the future, she hopes to study musical theatre in college and work in New York City. In her spare time, Jessie enjoys writing for her school's literary magazine, jamming out to cast albums in her bedroom, and doing speech through the Maine Forensics Association, in which she has earned three state titles. She is SO excited to be part of the broadwayworld.com team, and can't wait to blog about both the shows she is a part of and the theatre community in general!
BWW Blog: Jessica Walker - Community Outreach and High School Theatre
May 17, 2016
May 17, 2016
In a tight-nit community like that which I am from, the members of the town are all very close. Adults and children alike collaborate during sporting events, stream clean-ups, and fun-runs. This dynamic within the community also means that the members of the town play an important role in our school's drama department. Schools with less money in the theatre budget are often prone to do-it-yourself projects and community outreach, telling a story with minimal financial input. Coming from a small, rural community, myself and my fellow actors are accustomed to assisting in most if not all aspects of the high school drama program. However, we would not be able to create our productions without the help of friends and family. Through experience, I have learned that making a production is often so deeply rooted in the community you have supporting you.
BWW Blog: Jessica Walker - Deciphering Diva
May 9, 2016
May 9, 2016
Divas are a classic theatre troupe that have appeared in productions for decades. So often divas come off as brazen, brash, and dramatic, having a shallow personality and the constant need to acquire attention. Earlier in April my peers and I began work on "Hay Fever" by Noel Coward, a play that puts a dramatic family under the microscope and examines the interactions between relatives that don't fit the standard definition of "normal." I was thrilled to have been cast as Judith Bliss, the matriarch of the Bliss family and an ex-starlet herself. Through the process of this show, and using Judith as a lens, I have found the "diva" to be so much more than the dramatic figure he or she is often portrayed to be, but rather a complex and insecure character that can be challenging to decipher.
BWW Blog: Jessica Walker - Young Women and the New Pop Musical
May 3, 2016
May 3, 2016
With Hamilton making a splash on the Great White Way, and shows like Waitress bringing a new sound to the theatre community, there is no denying that pop musicals are making their mark on Broadway. New productions combine daring storylines with catchy songs that are definitely not considered "traditional musical theatre." These productions feature a genre of music that reflects the changing world around us and a generation coming in to their own. Besides a fresh sound, these musicals offer one more element reflecting the progression of our modern world: empowering roles for women both on and off the stage, bringing progression out of storybooks and in to reality for a new generation of female thespians.
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