Today we’d like to introduce you to Jillian Vitko

Hi Jillian, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

Almost eleven years ago, I moved to New York City. I had been living in Pittsburgh, PA, where I went to college at the University of Pittsburgh. There, I’d been getting my feet wet as a theatre professional. I did dozens of musicals and plays, including some dream roles like Sweet Charity (Charity), Aida (Amneris), Crimes of the Heart (Babe), Winnifred (Once Upon a Mattress), plus lots of new works, such as the immersive production STRATA (Best Play of the Year 2012). I also jumped into the film world, working on my first short film as well as creating my first recurring character on a web series (The Baristas). I decided to move to New York to expand my career, like many do, so in the Spring of 2014, I left a theatre community I knew to hopefully discover a new one.

I hit the ground running and booked my first show about three months after moving to NYC: Grey Street: the Rock Opera at the historic 13th Street Repertory. I began taking classes at all the comedy theatres: UCB, The Annoyance, The Magnet. This would become very important to my career, as I soon got cast on a house team at The Magnet on their coveted weekly Musical Megawatt show, and went on to create my own musical improv show True Crime the Musical and get cast on one of the longest running comedy shows Off-Broadway, On the Spot, two shows I’m still performing to this day.

I’m also a big believer in creating your own work. I wrote my first solo show, Synesthesia the Musical, and premiered it at Edinburgh Fringe Fest in 2019 (Stand Out Show, PopDust) and then brought it back to New York for its US premiere at New York Theatre Festival. When COVID hit a few months later, I had to stop performing the show live and instead turned to adapting the script into a screenplay. Synesthesia Story has since won various screenwriting awards (Best Feature – Robinson FF, Best Drama- Brno FF, Gold Award- WWRPN Women’s Int’l FF, Award of Excellence- Beyond the Curve FF). I also put out the first single for the musical film, Color Me Crazy, and shot the accompanying music video.

I had done a lot of film work as an actor since moving to New York, but the pandemic really gave me the chance to focus on my work as a filmmaker. I wrote several short scripts, and even filmed a few during the pandemic: 14 Days (Best Lockdown Film- Global Monthly Film Competition) and Twinstrumental (Golden Audience Award- American Golden Picture FF). Once lockdown was lifted, I was able to shoot and star in a film I’d written that involved more production. HoneyDough went on to have a great run on the festival circuit, winning awards like Best Dark Comedy (Hollywood Blood Horror Fest, Imaginary Mind FF, Couch FF) and Best Actress (NJ Film Awards, Robinson FF, American Golden Picture FF), among others.

While working on pre-production for my feature, I put out some more original music, Glimmers (EP), along with a music video for one of the songs, Old Flame. I’m working next on releasing the album that accompanies Synesthesia Story while raising money to shoot the film. I’ve been continuing to perform in the musical improv shows True Crime the Musical and On the Spot while also originating roles in written works like Scar Tissue (play), Hunger (short play), and Serving Time (musical). I’ve also been working on TV/Film, including: Law & Order (NBC), The Perfect Murder (ID Channel), UnArmed Man (Tubi, Prime). In addition to all the work I put in, I’m thankful for my manager, Dreammaker Talent, and my agent, Glitter Talent Agency, who help me reach new goals in my career.

I also work as a career counselor for the non-profit Off The Lane, through the BOOST Program. I’m able to help people starting out in the business in NYC navigate the twists and turns of what it means to be successful as an artist. It been really beneficial to examine my journey in order to help others, and, in turn, help myself.

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?

When I first moved to NYC, the ties I had to my old life in PA were pulling at me. I was in a long distance relationship with my partner of three years, as he was finishing school in PA. My father, who I had a complicated relationship with, was diagnosed with brain cancer. I was traveling between PA and NY frequently those first few months. Rehearsing, going to class, working random jobs, then driving straight to PA to be with my boyfriend, or to visit my dad. It was exhausting, but the real turning point was about six months after the move. My relationship ended and my father died, all within the span of a few weeks. After the funeral, I went back to New York single, alone, and feeling extremely defeated. It was hard enough adjusting to a new city, even harder when you’re trying to create a career as an actor, but everything else just made it seem impossible to go on. But nevertheless, I persisted! Something that really helped me during this grief process was musical improv. Once I began taking classes at Magnet Theatre, I was hooked on making up musicals in front of audiences. During classes, I could turn off my grief, not think, and just dive into making up musical comedy, which gave me a few hours of solace each week. I still find performing musical improv a great way to turn off my brain and set myself free onstage for a while.

Another thing that helped me during this period was therapy, which was helpful for all the obvious reasons, but I uncovered something unexpected: I had synesthesia. Synesthesia is essentially when someone’s senses are blended; they might associate colors with numbers, or shapes with music. My synesthesia came through with music, but more prominently, with people. I had always sensed colors in people, kind of like an aura, but I never really understood why. Now I had a name for it! I’d never heard of this phenomenon before, and I jumped right into researching more about it. Through this, I realized synesthesia was a bigger part of my story than I knew, even from an early age. I decided to write a musical about it. I’d been writing songs since I was a teenager, but had never done anything big with them. I used synesthesia as the thread to weave these songs together into my solo show, Synesthesia the Musical, which told a lot of the story of the struggle of my first year in New York.

Even though that first year was incredibly difficult, I pushed through on my own terms. That’s not to say I haven’t encountered other obstacles since; it’s rare for an actor (or a human!) to have a “smooth road,” but a lot of what I learned along the way has only made me a better artist and person. So much of what happened my first year here, and how I reacted to it, led me to places in my career I never could have imagined. Over time, I found a community in NYC and found who I am as an artist. Although the road continues to have its ups and downs, I have better footing now in order to hold tight to my dreams and continue to grow.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

I’m a multi-hyphenate artist, or as I like to say, a Jill of All Trades! The key is to master one at a time (instead of none!) As an artist in NYC, you really can’t put all your eggs in one basket. I believe it’s so important for artists to create their own work, and sometimes that means wearing many different hats. Throughout my last ten years in NYC, I’ve accumulated several hyphens: actor-singer-writer-musician-songwriter-comedian-improviser-filmmaker-producer-teacher-career counselor. I think flexibility is imperative, and something in my career that I’m proud of. Being able to turn on a dime and adapt to your surroundings is so helpful, and can even be fun! This career isn’t always linear, and you can’t know what to expect next. Being able to roll with the punches has been a huge part of my success.

What do you like and dislike about the city?

I love that I’m able to work so much in both theatre and film in NYC. There’s so much I love about both, and there’s a plethora of projects here in the city that give me the opportunity to grow in both disciplines. I do have a car here, but parking is probably my least favorite aspect. However, it’s so easy to get around without a car, and I’m lucky to have mine when I want to get out of the city for a bit. It’s also helpful for when you book those gigs in Jersey or Connecticut!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jillianvitko.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/jillianvitko
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/jillianvitkoactor
• Other: https://spotify.link/MNM2oTJJnDb

Image Credits

Lea Pfandler, Nathan Chancer