Today we’d like to introduce you to Jillian Jones.
Hi Jillian, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It started when I was a little kid. It’s fairly safe to say I have two wonderful parents who are both on the side labeled: introvert. Imagine their surprise when I came strutting down the catwalk of life, waiving hello to every stranger on the street, singing every song on the radio, and acting out scenes from every Disney movie I could get my hands on. I believed I was born to perform and the best filter I could find was through theatre. I went to a performing arts elementary school, helped create the drama club at my middle school, and was president of my theatre club in high school.
College hit me like a ton of bricks. My wonderfully introverted parents convinced me that it might be time to look for a “real” career. I can’t blame them for that. I went to Grossmont Community college to forge my path into monotony when Acting 1 called my name back again. All it took was for my professor to say, “Auditions for the next play…” and before I knew it, I was asking, “Wherefore art thou Romeo?” in my first college-level role. I had made it. I took every course they offered – Acting 1, 2, and 3, Voice and Movement, Stage Makeup, Costume Construction, Modern Dance, History of Theatre and acted in over 10 productions.
One production was extra special. We had a guest director from Cygnet Theatre named Rob Lutfy come to direct Blood Wedding, an English translation of Federico García Lorca’s Bodas de Sangre. I was working two jobs at the time, but when he asked us before rehearsal one night, “Does anyone need a job???” I was all over it. I got hired in the box office, and six years later, here I am. I’ve held many jobs at Cygnet. After working in the box office for nearly three years while continuing to put myself through Grossmont, then transferring to SDSU to graduate, I was promoted to the Patron Services Manager.
It was at SDSU that I realized my love for directing, better yet, leading. I loved being the person with the answer. I loved helping others and making people feel heard. I think that made me a pretty good manager.
And then… well you know. When Covid hit, I was one of the lucky ones. I didn’t lose my job, but I became a one-woman box office. I spent hours on the phone with patrons wondering what the heck was going to happen. I definitely didn’t have the answer to that one.
We had a lot of downtime, so along with my good friend Kian Kline Chilton, we started Patchwork Theatre Company. We did so many plays over Zoom, I literally lost count, produced a full-length audio play which you can still listen to on Spotify, and started a Podcast called Revolving Doors. It’s amazing what you can do with a little extra time on your hands.
Another nice thing that came out of the downtime was that our artistic team at Cygnet grew – and I got to be a part of it. I was invited to be a part of planning the season that would happen when we reopened again. I was the only woman in the room and I’m proud to say that when we were able to reopen, the season included not only two female playwrights but two female directors as well. Even better, I got to assist one of them in directing her show.
Simultaneously during the day, I built a new team and got the Front of House back up and running. I was then promoted into our development department as a Donor Relations Associate. Theatres don’t make a lot of money. I got to be a part of helping to solve that problem.
Eventually, they needed me back in Front of House. So, I got to do my development job and my management job at the same time! I even found ways to combine them for everyone so out Front of House could be more dynamic.
Today, I’m finding myself being pulled into our marketing department. I’ve also taken over helping to organize our events. I love to be someone that others look to in order to get things done. I’ve directed a reading at Cygnet of a show called I Wanna F*cking Tear You Apart. Then I got to act in a reading called You Will Get Used To It. I guess I’m going for the record for how many ways I can be involved with this theatre.
And that leads me to the next steps. I’ve decided that maybe performing on stage isn’t going to be my life all the time. But making sure that theatre happens, no matter what – now that sounds more like my mantra. They say that theatre has been a dying art form for hundreds of years. Well, we are still here, getting it done, no matter what.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I believe all good things worth doing are going to be difficult. There’s always been a lot of self-doubt. I haven’t seen a lot of women in positions of leadership throughout my journey in theatre. When I did meet them, I was always mesmerized and tried to learn everything I could from them.
The arts can be predatory. Many people want to be involved, no matter what, so the institutions tend to take advantage of that fact. We are underpaid and overworked, and that’s a sacrifice most people in the arts are willing to make. I want to be a part of changing this norm.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a theatre artist so ultimately; I’m a collaborator.
Working with others towards a common goal is one of the most incredible ways to build community. Once, I overheard a seasoned actor say, “There’s nothing that builds family faster than theatre.”
I’m trained as a performer, but my passion is involving others in the theatrical space. I’ve found the best way to that is through directing. I’ve spent my time learning the ins and outs of what it takes to run a theatre company by being involved in nearly every department – Front of House, Production, the Artistic Team, Marketing, Development and the EDI Committee. I don’t believe anyone else in my company has had a hand in all of these departments besides the Artistic Director.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I would love to go to Grad school for Directing. I’m a San Diego native, and besides studying abroad in Edinburgh and Peru, I’ve lived here my entire life, so I would like to explore the world a bit more.
Traveling is one of the things about life that makes me feel truly alive. I would like to go see and participate in theatre all over the world to gain perspective to understand how we are going to keep producing theatre in this crazy world we’re living in.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.patchworktheatreco.com/
- Instagram: @thechinjilla
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-jones-80446a125/
Image Credits
Rich Soublet Photography
Big Mike Photography
Karli Cadel Photography
Rachel Esther Tate
