Jenny Greeman
Jenny Greeman is a NYC based actress, director and arts administrator. She recently directed ScreenPlay at 59E59 Theatres after a successful initial run at The Midtown International Theatre Festival. She is Resident Director for Dark Lady Players. Her performance credits include Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth for New Perspectives Theatre Company, Power at Metropolitan Playhouse and Bettinger’s Luggage at Workshop Theatre Company. She has performed on Ellis Island as part of their Living Theatre. Jenny is now working at an organization called The Leadership Program which provides enrichment programs to schools and communities. I first met Jenny when I was Stage Managing Bettinger’s Luggage and we have remained great friends ever since. This is one talented lady and for those of you in the DC area looking for a director or actress – I suggest you look her up
This should be an easy answer, but defining “professional” in the arts is a sticky task. Does professional mean getting paid for your art? Does professional mean you have a degree in your chosen field? Or is a professional artist someone who dedicates his or her intellectual and spiritual energy to creating art? It’s taken a long time for me to decide and I’m going with the final option. Final answer. Which makes my first professional performing job playing a pregnant protestant in St. Brendan’s written by Fred Pezzulli, directed by Michael Mislove and produced by the 42nd Street WorkShop (now the Workshop Theater Company).
Do you find directing and performing equally as rewarding, or do you prefer one over the other?
I love to perform, but I do find directing more rewarding, particularly as I get older. Directing is a big picture endeavor; I am attracted to the myriad opportunities for investigation that directing presents. A director must have a handle on each character as well as the themes and tone of the piece. At the same time, a director’s job is to bring the best out of her collaborators and it is that process of pushing, cheerleading, editing, and setting boundaries that I love. I’ve spent a lot of time in classrooms and directing and teaching are closely linked in my mind. In both cases you must create a safe space with clear boundaries in which you encourage play. At its best, it is a gift to give and a pleasure to behold.
You have performed on Ellis Island as part of its Living Theatre, are there any challenges in performing a show at that big of a tourist attraction?
Jenny as Emma Lazarus in ‘Sing a Song of Freedom: The Story of Emma Lazarus and the Statue of Liberty,’ at Ellis Island Living Theatre.
What’s interesting about performing on Ellis Island is that hundreds of thousands of tourists come through the museum each year, but the theatre only seats sixty so it’s an intimate space in the middle of a crowd. Certainly language and cultural issues do arise with such a diverse audience pool; I experienced a lot of “simulcast” translation in the audience! Another common question was whether or not there would be singing in the performance as certain cultural groups can participate in drama, but have a restriction on experiencing singing by members of the opposite sex.
Another challenge for the actors is to keep the performance fresh when you’ve reached show number 476 out of 1100! We certainly get a little punchy after a while and there is a temptation to rush or give a superficial performance. I tried to remember that the experience is new for the audience and my job was incredibly important. I was honored to work in such a beautiful space with a such a rich history. My own grandmother emigrated through Ellis Island in 1923 and I focused on keeping her spirit alive through my performances.
The plays always include beautiful historical photographs and stories adapted from the oral history project. In my experience, everyone in the audience found an image, a character, a place, or a story to connect with.
You have performed in everything from musicals to Shakespeare, what are some of your favorite productions?
Last year I made my off-Broadway debut as director and producer of ScreenPlay by Scott Brooks. This was a piece I developed with Scott and the actors through a successful production at the 2010 Midtown International Theatre Festival, which awarded us “Outstanding Production of a Play” and “Outstanding Playwriting of a New Script.” Our transfer to 59E59 Theaters was an enormous undertaking and pushed me in every way possible. The experience was at once exhilarating and exhausting and I never stopped making discoveries about myself and the world. To me, the purest pleasure of theatre making if found in the process of discovery and reflection.
I’ve also had wonderful performing experiences with theatre for young audiences. I love performing for young people because they’re so present and interactive. You always know where you stand with them! Highlights include playing MaryAnne, the steam shovel, in Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and the Little Prince in The Little Prince in two National Tours. My absolute favorite, of course, was playing Juliet in a NYC school tour of Rome & Juliet with the New Perspectives Theatre Company.
Having worked on the administration side of things what advice do you have for smaller companies that are trying to get established?
This is a great question! There is incredible competition for funding and audiences in the theatre world so my best advice is to collaborate. Most people enter the theatre world because they have an urge to create and it is very frustrating in large markets like NYC and LA to realize there aren’t enough creative opportunities for everyone. This frustration leads many artists to self-produce or found small companies. It is important to remember that running a theatre company is a full-time job and artistic directors are engaged at every administrative level from writing grants to mopping the floor.
My advice to young artists is to identify established companies they’d like to work with and get their foot in the door however possible. Theatres always need volunteers from set building to ushering and if you’ve got some real administrative and/or producing skills you will always work. Once you’ve established a relationship, pitch something! Offer to curate a reading series; bring a fabulous new script to the attention of the artistic leadership (with contracts protecting yourself!); bring in a little extra money by filling late night slots. Just make sure that your project fits with the mission of the company and that you can deliver on your promises. Lower their risks and make it impossible for them to turn you down!
