My newest chat is with Jennifer Phinney, who has been acting since she was in elementary school and loves it along with directing. She’s devoted to her family and her community here in Dalton.
We talk about the joys and challenges of directing, and I also wanted to know which one she prefers: acting or directing. I will not spill the tea here on that in my opening to the interview, so you must read on. She also shares with me three fun facts about herself, which is a favorite of mine with each interview.
Introducing Jennifer…
What do you love about your life right now?
I am thoroughly enjoying this chapter in my life. We have a new granddaughter and that is just an amazing thing! She is the most wonderful. Watching my three girls move into adulthood with successful careers and families of their own is so special. Wes and I are just really blessed!
I’ve seen you perform in theatre for years at ACT in Dalton, and I always enjoy seeing you on stage. One of my favorite performances you were in is the Book of Will, directed by Chase Parker. I also love your performance you did with your husband Wes in Love Letters, directed by Susan Ridley at DLT a couple of years back. It was so sweet. What do you love about acting?
Thank you! I love performing for lots of reasons. With a role like Rebecca in Book of Will, you just revel in getting to play such an interesting and complex character. Lauren Gunderson’s words were so beautiful, I could hardly believe I got to say them. In other roles, like Ms. Scarlet in Clue, it is just so much fun to ride the wave! If I could play Morticia Addams and Ms. Scarlet in rotation for the rest of my life, I would absolutely do that. So fun! Acting keeps you young – you use a whole lot of your brain when you are performing!
Was there a particular actor, film, or play that inspired you to become an actor?
My first role was as Mary Poppins when I was in the 3rd grade at Westwood Elementary. I watched the movie starring Julie Andrews and was pretty well hooked after that. When I was in high school, I saw local actress Carolyn Sparks play Emily Dickinson in The Belle of Amherst, and she was so wonderful. I really wanted to be like her!
Besides acting, you’re also a director. The Merry Wives of Windsor is the next play on stage at ACT, and you’re directing it. Share with me what you love about this Shakespeare comedy.
So, first of all, directing any Shakespeare is always such a joy. He never disappoints – the language and characters are always there. As a director, it is so rewarding because you can cut it however you want, move it around in time, use some sort of motif, or just take what the text gives you and leave it at that. Merry Wives is unique because it is really Shakespeare’s only play that was set in contemporary Elizabethan England in an actual English town. Windsor was really like a suburb of London at the time, and it is just hilarious! This is also his only play that is really about the middle class of the time. The Mistresses Ford and Page are the “Real Housewives of Windsor”. They aren’t aristocrats or royalty. It is one of the few comedies, like Midsummer Night’s Dream and Taming of the Shrew, that are truly laugh out loud funny.
How fun it was it picking the cast for this show? Or was it difficult?
Casting is always fun – fitting the right person in the right role is very rewarding. ACT is fortunate to have a pretty deep pool of talent, many of whom you will see in this production. We also have several brand new folks in this show, which is even more exciting. One of the best things about theater is that every play becomes its own community. It is always the opportunity to spend time with old friends and to welcome new friends into your life. Merry Wives has been an excellent example of that in my own life. Some of my oldest and dearest friends are in it, but I have made new friends that will be a part of my life forever.
What are the joys and challenges of directing?
I love directing. I truly do. Since I only take on plays that I’m truly passionate about—a director watches the play for 6–8 weeks, so you’d better enjoy it! I tend to approach directing cinematically. I really like for the show to flow from one scene to another without changing sets or stopping the action with a blackout. My goal is to only put the audience in the dark at the end of Act I and at the end of the show. (I achieve that goal in Merry Wives, by the way). The aesthetic, movement, tempo and effect of any production are always down to the director. You control that. How a play feels, the experience the audience has is what the director has to keep in mind at all times. In community theater, helping your actors create that experience is the fun part. We can all do more than we think we can – giving people the opportunity to push themselves and do things they haven’t done before is also the role of the director. This is both a joy and a challenge.
Which do you prefer, acting or directing?
That is a hard question to answer. It really depends on the play and what I have going on in the rest of my life. Directing takes a lot of mental energy and time. Acting is a different kind of energy. I only have to worry about what I am doing. I love both – there are some roles that I really want to play and some plays that I really want to direct, so it depends on the situation.
The last French actor, Jeanne Moreau, said this about acting: “Acting is not putting up a mask. Each time an actor acts, he does not hide: he exposes himself.” What are your thoughts on that quote and do you agree?
I absolutely agree. An actor finds the truth in the role—in the language and character arc—to achieve the best performances. I am not a believer in method acting, per se, but the choices that an actor makes reveals as much about the actor as it does the character they are portraying.
If you change one thing in the world, what would that be?
If everyone tried to leave the world (their community, their country, the world as a whole) a better place, what couldn’t we accomplish?
We could accomplish so much. Now to a question about failure. We all have experienced failure and from what I’ve learned about it, that it leads to success or a great lesson in life. Do you have a favorite one?
I have certainly had my fair share of attempts and failures. What I have learned over time is that things work out the way they are supposed to. Those things that seem like failures or closed doors are really holding space for the opportunities that will come and are right for you. That is a hard lesson when you are young, but now I don’t even really see things as failures – just the wrong opportunity.
If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it, what message would you want to convey to millions? What would it say and why?
Words matter. Be kind.
Somehow – I guess with the advent of social media, the human race seems to have become much crueler.
Describe yourself in one word.
Blessed. That’s kind of a cop out (although really true). I would also say curious.
That’s exactly what my late Mother would say too. Jennifer, this is one of my favorite parts of the interview. Tell me three fun facts about you or fun secrets or whatever you would like to share.
- I worked at Disney World when I was in college. I was a Backstage Studio Tour Guide at the Disney/MGM Studios right after it opened. Best. Job. Ever.
- I really love British mystery novels, particularly Agatha Christie. It was a sad day in my life when I realized I had read all of them.
- My husband, Wes and I met in 1990 in the DLT production of The Sound of Music. He played the Captain, and I was Maria.
The Sound of Music is one of my favorites, and what a sweet story of how you met Wes. Who are your biggest supporters?
Certainly my husband and my girls. My parents have always supported anything I do and made me believe I could accomplish whatever I wanted to. I lost my mother in September, and I feel that loss every day. She would have loved The Merry Wives of Windsor and would have loved helping me costume it!
I love ending the chat with a quote. Do you have a favorite quote or saying that has inspired and motivated you in your life that you can share with my readers?
I have a lot of favorite quotes, but one that comes to mind is this:
“Never confuse what is urgent with what is important.” I try very hard to apply this to my everyday life, both professionally and personally.
Thank you for reading my chat with Jennifer. I love sharing the story of creatives from all over the world and she’s one of the best in Dalton.
I know she would love to see you on opening night for The Merry Wives of Windsor at ACT. Show dates are January 24- 26th, and January 30-February 1st. Link to buy tickets is here.