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Quitting Safe: How Jenna Jane Walked Away From Journalism To Build A Life In Theater
Tampa Bay Arts Passport Podcast
41 minutes
1 month ago
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.