Encore intern Matthew Bloss-Baum is here to catch with up alum and friend, Jane Gerrard!
Since it’s been almost 10 years since we were Encore kids together, introduce yourself to the readers!
Hi! My name is Jane Gerrard (she/her). I am a recent graduate of James Madison University, and I am currently finishing up as the 2024/25 Multimedia Design Fellow at Arena Stage as a part of the Allen Lee Hughes Fellowship!
In regard to your fellowship at Arena, we want all the details! Can you share what it entails, how you got it, what you’re working on, and what excites you most about it?
This Fellowship is an incredible opportunity for emerging theatre professionals to gain hands-on experience at a landmark regional theater. The experience has been a dream come true for me to combine my love for the performing arts and graphic design with some of the best that DC theatre has to offer. In my last week, I am finishing up working on community engagement projects and social media/web advertisements for A Wrinkle In Time: A New Musical, which has been such a blast! It has been a wonderful journey working with so many creatives and theatre artists who are so passionate about what they do, and it has been a huge learning experience for me as a graphic designer.
Now, looking back on your days on the stage when you and I used to perform together! At what age did you get involved with theatre, and what sparked your love for the stage? How have you continued performing through the years?
I was in my first musical at 10 years old and have been performing ever since! I have always loved the energy of performing in front of a live audience, playing pretend, and immersing myself in a different world. I continued performing in plays and musicals through middle and high school. In college, I joined Note-oriety, JMU’s premier a cappella group, and got to perform with them for four years, which included competing, recording, and releasing an album, and so much more. Post-college, I am now a founding member of Quadrality, a new a cappella group in the DMV.
Tell us about your time at Encore, going back many years ago to when we performed in The Little Mermaid together, what shows did you perform in, and what were the roles and jobs you took on, and any favorite memories that still stick with you.
The Little Mermaid was my first Encore experience at Stage Door Camp, and I still consider it to be one of my favorite experiences from my days as a theatre kid. I got to play Ursula (which was my first ever named role in a musical) and made so many new friends that I still keep in touch with. I also worked as a Camp Aide for a few summers after that and performed in Newsies as Hannah, which was also one of my favorite shows I’ve been a part of.
For me personally, Encore has shaped so much of who I am. How did your experience at Encore help shape your college journey, career path, or who you are today?
The unfortunate reality is that being in the performing arts, especially as a performer, can be very difficult. I had a few experiences while growing up in the arts that weren’t great, but Encore was where I always felt like I was at home, accepted, and free to experiment/try new things, which is an invaluable experience and did a lot to shape who I am as an artist.
What advice would you give to current students who are more interested in arts administration, marketing, or graphic design rather than performing?
Always remember that whether you are on stage or on the administrative side, you are still a theatre artist, and the work you are doing is so valuable and necessary. There is so much important work we need to do to keep the doors open beyond what happens on stage. Remember why you’re in the arts and how important it is to help keep the arts alive, and know that representation is just as important behind the scenes as it is on stage!
How can people keep up with what you’re doing? Drop your socials!
Connect with me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/jane-gerrard or follow me on Instagram @jane.gerrard. Always happy to chat with any Encore friends!
Website Contributor: Matthew Bloss-Baum | Photos courtesy of Jane Gerrard | Newsies photo credit: Cindy Kane Photography