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

Jennifer, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

My family moved from Putnam County NY to Brooklyn NY when I had just turned 16 years old. It was a real culture shock at the time and life changing. I had to leave my friends I grew up with to start a new life in a big city I knew nothing about other than the stories from my Mom who grew up in Brooklyn or from what I watched on TV or in films.

Before the move, I was working toward a field hockey scholarship at my old high school. Field hockey was my passion, a sport that I excelled in. Playing sports was my thing. When I moved to Brooklyn, field hockey was completely pulled off the table along with any chance of winning a scholarship to college. Field hockey did not exist in my now new life in Brooklyn. Especially not at the all girls catholic high school I was enrolled in.

While attending St. Edmunds high school in Brooklyn, I met a friend by the name of Deidre who was taking acting classes at HB Studio in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. I thought that sounded interesting and I was looking for something new to do in my now new normal. I consider myself a person who is not afraid of trying new things. I went home and told my Mom I wanted to try acting classes. My Mom being the most amazing supportive Mom ever said “Ok.” She drove me down to my first acting class on Sunday morning. Being new to the city and never taking a subway, she waited for me in the car for two hours until my class was over. After class I came running out with such excitement because I instantly knew this is what I wanted to do. I caught the acting bug and found my new passion in my now new home. I never turned back. Acting along with city life became my two new loves. I would not change a moment of my journey. I could not image doing anything else. Performing is my passion. It’s in my blood. When one door closes another always opens. Trust the change.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am an Italian American, NYC Manhattan based actress & voice-over artist. I am also the Co-founder/Executive Director/Producer of Manhattan Repertory Theatre. I am a proud member of AEA & SAG-AFTRA unions.

At the age of 16 years old I started study acting at the prestigious HB Studio School in Greenwich Village, under the guidance of Broadway veteran Jeanne Kaplan. I have a funny story to share about my first acting class. I signed up for the beginner class since I was new to the art of acting. I didn’t realize this class had an age requirement of 18 years old and no one questioned me. I was and still am an extremely hard worker and very disciplined at whatever I set out to do. My acting teacher Jeanne did not realize how old I really was until a few years later when I actually turned 18. She said I was so professional, hard working and disciplined that she did not realize or even think to question my age or she would have given me the boot. We laughed hard and she informed me going forward she would lower the age requirement in her beginner classes. I feel like I helped pave the way in that department.

I was raised on the stage and theatre is my passion, but I have also performed on TV and film. My first small break was in the soap opera All My Children. There really is no part too small. Just getting in the door is a win!

I most recently performed in the Off-Broadway premiere of the play Powerhouse by David Harms as Meena Cizinski. I received the best acting accolade in a review by Mari S. Gold from T and B On The Aisle. Currently, I am starting rehearsal for my new solo comedy show, MEN by Ken Wolf. I am slated to go on tour in 2024. I am also scheduled in the fall of 2024 to reprise my role as Dana in the new play Rawshock by Rita Lewis. I performed in the original developmental production last June that received rave reviews and got picked up for a larger production in 2024.

I am the Co-founder/Executive Director/Producer at Manhattan Repertory Theatre since 2005 along with my partner and Artistic Director Ken Wolf. We have produced over 1.000 full-length plays and 6,000 short plays. We produced our first Off-Broadway play Powerhouse in 2023. It was years in the making, but with hard work and determination we leveled up to Off-Broadway producers, received our first playbill and got a billboard in Times Square. We are so proud of this major accomplishment.

I am also the co-author & voice of a children’s book called Roma’s New York City Adventures. It is multi touch interactive children’s book about the adventures of my dog Roma. It is available now on Apple Books.

My short film SWITCH that I co-wrote and co-directed received numerous nominations and awards in film festivals around the country.

I completed my first NYC marathon in 2022 and it was life changing.

As I always say “Head Up Wings Out!” I am so grateful for all that I have accomplished thus far and looking forward to what’s ahead.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

As an actress, I love being able to entertain people. Making people feel something, whether it be through laughter, tears or both. Just having the ability to take the audience on a journey to escape the reality of everyday life even just for a few hours of time is what I love. Making an impact. Leaving the audience feeling something.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Opening up my first theatre space in Times Square. I got a call from my partner who was looking for theatre space. He said he found a space, but it was a disaster. I decided to check it out, and of course, I saw past the mess and told him that this space would be a great theatre to take over and make our own. He looked at me like I was crazy. Long story short, we signed the lease and had to figure out how to renovate this horrendous dirty space. I learned how to rip out walls, put down floors, put up walls, build a dressing room, deal with electrical issues, hang curtains and the list goes on. Basically, we had to do a whole theatre renovation before opening in a month’s time while working other jobs and rehearsing our opening show. I had no real renovation skills. My parents helped immensely. We worked day and night learning new skills, to be able to open our show on time. We did it. Resiliency at its finest.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jenniferpierro.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferpierro/