Jessica Hughes
Theatre Practitioner
LATEST PROJECTS
Indiana Repertory Theatre
The production of A Christmas Carol has been restaged at the IRT for the past 28 years. Although it is the same set, costume, light, and sound design, every year is a little bit different. Many members of the cast and crew have been a part of the show before, while others are experiencing this gorgeous snowfield for the first time. This year was my second year in a row as the Youth Actor Liaison and despite having a run of the show under my belt, I was kept on my toes!
Year two as the "kid wrangler," did not decrease the level of adventure to be found when working with 10 young actors. However, their passion, playfulness, comedic mischief, and dedication was the best part of my holiday season! This position challenged me immensely, and gave me these valuable take aways:
1. When working with youth actors, being an advocate for them, encouraging them to actively engage with the production, and helping youth actors to find their own voice, are difficult tasks that require daily work.
2. If you are in need of a silly or goofy youtube video that will get stuck in your head, ask a youth actor for guidance!
Dance has always been a passion of mine, and it was a privilege to be able to work as the Production Assistant for Dance Kaleidoscope during their spring show. This production featured choreography from Nicolas A. Owens and David Hochoy as well as choreography from the company dancers.
Take away: There is nothing more powerful than watching choreographers in the wings watch their pieces be performed for the first time, especially when those pieces were inspired by times of trail in their own lives.
The Town Mouse and The Country Mouse
As the Production Assistant/ Youth Actor Liaison for this show, Jessica helped "William Boot" fight off Cats and Owls, while exploring the big city in this lovely Theatre for Young Audience's show. She loved getting the opportunity to work with such a great cast, and helping create a fun introduction to theatre for all of the young audience members.
Take aways:
1. Working with young artists and young audiences never fails to remind adults of the true meaning of comedy.
2. Young minds have a lot of powerful messages to share if they are given the opportunity to speak.