Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Wilcox.
Hi Jamie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I didn’t start my theatre journey until I was in college. I signed up for an acting class at Salt Lake Community College when I was twenty and have been doing theatre ever since! My first acting teacher, Dr. Suzanne McKenna, should have been teaching at an incredible acting school somewhere, I was so very lucky to have her knowledge and instruction.
We are so lucky to have such a wonderful community college option in Salt Lake. Dr. McKenna convinced me to audition for the Actor Training Program at the University of Utah, I was accepted and was there from 2000 to 2004. My time at SLCC and at the U of U is really why I am where I am today. Both introduced me not only to acting and productions but also to theatre education. While in the ATP, I started teaching for the Youth Theatre at the U summer program.
I taught there for eight incredible years before moving myself and my 5-year-old daughter to London to pursue my MA in Applied Theatre at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Living in London while pursuing a degree in theatre was amazing, to say the least, and we made friendships and professional connections there that are incredibly strong.
Upon coming back to the states, I didn’t think I’d be able to find the type of job I wanted in Utah, but almost immediately a job opened at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City for Director of YouTheatre. I celebrated my ten-year anniversary as Artistic & Managing Director of YouTheatre in December and could not be happier. The pandemic hit the arts sector so hard and the entire Egyptian staff was furloughed for seven months for a part of 2020-2021.
During that forced downtime, I started my own creative arts company, Play is the Thing, providing virtual and outdoor classes and productions. I’m very happily back at the Egyptian YouTheatre but Play is the Thing is still going strong doing workshops at schools, after-school and day-time home school classes, and producing new work!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think most people think that being a single parent would be my biggest hurdle, but I think the hurdle of that lies more in other people’s perception of what that means as opposed to my actual lived experience being one. My daughter, Aidan now 17, has been an incredible teammate, travel partner, and teacher.
She has taught me so much about myself and what’s really important. Being her parent has made me want to model a life filled with healthy relationships, love, laughter, and perseverance. In my experience, the biggest hurdles to jump are ones we create for ourselves.
Caring too much about what people think or thinking that because we do things differently means we’re not doing it right, holding ourselves back out of fear of failure. But no one’s path is the same as anyone else’s, and using society’s or other people’s definitions of success will never lead to happiness.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I create theatre and connection. I love theatre so much- I love creating it and using it as a teaching tool. My jobs allow me to use theatre in the most classic way- producing and directing live productions. But I’m a huge believer in education through theatre.
Taking a theatre class helps people connect with their peers, and explore lived experiences different from their own which in turn can lead to more compassion for their fellow human beings, and is a form of growth through positive risk-taking. Applying theatre practice to any given subject allows that subject to be explored more fully, and the learning to be deeper.
Play is the Thing offers classes in the theatre arts to all ages, but we also run workshops custom-built around any theme or subject. Our clients give us a theme, book, STEM subject, or anything else, and we create workshops using theatre practice to bring that subject to life. In our workshops, the participants explore an idea through teamwork, imagination, and the use of their voices and bodies.
I’ve always known theatre practice is hugely beneficial for the body and mind. But starting as we did during the pandemic, I saw the proof and benefit of that really when it was needed most. So much human connection was lost during the last two years. Through socially distanced outdoor and virtual classes, workshops, and productions, we were able to help keep people creating and connecting.
Play is the thing has now created virtual productions, participant-written and performed puppet shows, two-day workshops around Shakespeare, classical literature, and STEM, a radio play, new play workshops, and we’re currently producing an original new play that explores the effects of mental health challenges on people and relationships that will premiere this summer at the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival and the ticket sales will be donated to the Utah Pride Center.
I really am living my best creative life, and I am so grateful.
What do you think about luck?
Luck has played a huge role in my personal success story.
While I never underplay the role of hard work and perseverance in realizing dreams and overcoming obstacles, it is very important to me that I acknowledge the incredible privilege I have as a white person, born in America, with access to good education, and a very strong support system.
Drive and determination are part of my personality and have been modeled to me by my parents and grandparents.
I consider my journey and success as a combination of those things, my personal goals, AND the luck of meeting certain people along the way who were willing to mentor and share their knowledge with me and give me opportunities I wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@playisthething.org
- Website: www.playisthething.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playisthething/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playisthethingutah
Image Credits:
Amy Livingston Photography
