Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jackie Diamond. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jackie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I have 3 that standout for me:

Co-Founding and Co-Artistic Directing my own theatre company in Los Angeles from 2014-2019. With a lot of hard work, we created something pretty special and produced many full-length plays, an annual summer reading series, an annual scholarship program for actors, writers, and theatre-makers, professional workshops for actors, an annual gala to celebrate and support our company, and along the way we supported and nurtured many emerging playwrights, directors, and actors, providing a space to explore new works and contribute to great theatre in Los Angeles.

In 2017, I took a chance and reached out to one of my favorite playwrights, John Patrick Shanley, about the possibility of us working together on an actor’s workshop for professional, working actors where they would have the opportunity to work on his material under his guidance. I flew to NYC and met with him over breakfast to talk about my ideas and to my delighted surprise, he said yes! My team and I produced the first workshop in Los Angeles in March of 2018, followed by one in NYC in October. The following year Shanley gave me the opportunity to direct a one-act play of his called ‘On the Terrace’. A couple of years after that, I co-produced the staged readings of three of his new full-length plays, one of which I directed, which at the time was called ‘Drop-Off’ and then finally became ‘Brooklyn Laundry’. BL had a great run Off-Broadway at Manhattan Theatre Club, directed by Shanley, before moving on to Chicago. It’s particularly meaningful to me knowing that this play was brought into our LA actor’s workshop as a one-act back in 2018 and then went on to become a successful full-length play in NYC and beyond. Seeing the full production on stage filled me with such an overwhelming flood of emotions. It was a very special, full-circle moment that I will never forget. Last year we again produced another Shanley actor’s workshop in LA with a group of incredible actors and a theatre full of auditors who came to see the work, and next year we have big plans to take our workshop to Europe. This collaboration has been, and continues to be, one of the greatest privileges of my life.

For a few years between 2019-2022 I headed up the Latine section of Short+Sweet Hollywood as Program Director for this International short-play festival. As the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, it was such a great opportunity for me to proudly oversee the growth, development and successful programming of our Latine artists. I met and worked with so many incredible people, some of whom went on to become dear friends and collaborators. The program was exciting and diverse, and throughout the run of the festival I enjoyed welcoming our audience into the theatre every night to celebrate our stories and the talented artists who shared them with us. It was truly amazing to be part of something that was so culturally significant to me.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am the founder of ‘For the Actor’, a company that provides services, training and mentorship for actors. As an acting teacher of almost 20 years, I have enjoyed working with students all around the world – currently I have students across the country as well as Australia, Mexico, Japan, Hong Kong, France, UK, Denmark, Germany, and Canada. Many of my students are currently working in film, television and theatre, including on Broadway. For years I have been teaching weekly scene-study classes at Ivana Chubbuck Studio in Hollywood, and I’ve loved every minute of it, but my own coaching work at FTA has grown so much and along with my independent production projects, I’ve made the decision to step away from teaching weekly classes at the studio and instead fully focus on the services I offer my 1:1 coaching clients via zoom which allows me to work with artists wherever they are in the world. As a theatre producer and director, I work on various projects including casting, developing and producing actor’s workshops and new projects. I also coach and mentor actors, essentially becoming an accountability partner that helps them map out plans for achieving what they want, see what’s possible, and guide them into taking the steps they need to achieve their goals.

I am most proud of the relationships that I’ve been able to build with my actors and clients over the years. Developing a great community of artists who are genuinely kind and aligned in their pursuit of excellence is essential because I believe that you become who you surround yourself with, so I’m always encouraging people to be intentional and build their circle thoughtfully. I love nurturing artists as they discover their full potential.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

My creative journey has deepened my curiosity about who we are as human beings and the importance of compassion and connection. Everything is about community and a place where you feel included. Telling stories is healing. Uniting through shared experiences, knowing that there are other people who can relate to your experiences and who welcome you, that’s an act of pure love. I believe that in gaining a deeper understanding of ourselves and others we can make this world a better place for each other. The greatest reward is always love.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Well, there are so many wonderful, incredible resources out there to take in, but here are just three books that have been very impactful for me, shifted my thinking, and opened up my world, and there is one video that has been so incredibly valuable to watch again and again, and I always recommend to anyone serious about the craft of acting. These resources have been defining for me.

Rilke’s ‘The Book of Hours’
Thich Nhat Hanh ‘The Miracle of Mindfulness’
Carl Jung ‘Man and his Symbols’
Uta Hagen’s Acting Class – video of her teaching classes

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fortheactor.net/
• Instagram: @for_the_actor

Image Credits
Suzanne Strong