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

Kirsten, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I am currently playing Matilda Dembowski in Greer DuBois’ ‘The Year Without a Summer’ at the Loft Ensemble, running until July 21st.

Being a part of this show is incredibly meaningful to me because of its exploration, and celebration, of gender diversity and sexuality.

I was born and raised in George, South Africa and had a pretty sheltered childhood. When I was growing up being gay was not widely accepted and no one I knew talked about it. I didn’t even know that women could be gay until I moved to England when I was fifteen.

Things have somewhat progressed in South Africa since then but, because of this, it took me twenty-five years to discover I was bisexual. Finding a new side to myself felt odd and freeing and, most of all, relieving.

Being cast in ‘The Year Without a Summer’ is so important to me because it is the first play I’ve worked on that proudly represents people of all genders and sexualities. Moreover, the play is set in 1816 and beautifully normalizes trans and non-heterosexual stories in a historical context.

Every character in ‘The Year Without a Summer’ would be classified as a ‘misfit’ in 1816; my character, Matilda, being a fallen woman who has fled from her abusive husband. The play brings these misfits together and they create a chosen family in an alpine villa in the Italian alps. I think the story is wonderful and I am so proud to be a part of this production.

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 remember, at the age of four, standing on a fallen tree in my hometown of George, South Africa feeling frustrated. I knew I’d found my love in life, acting, and I wanted to start right away.

My mother enrolled me in acting classes and my desire expanded and strengthened. By fifteen, I moved myself to England to study performance full-time at Redroofs’ Theater School.

Following Redroofs, I finished my A-Levels at Ashbourne College, Kensington. Here I wrote and performed a play, Case Number, that was taken to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

I wanted to explore writing further so I got my BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia and promptly moved to San Francisco to do a Marketing internship.

This is when COVID happened. I realized how unhappy I was doing anything other than acting. So I got a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and graduated in May, 2o23.

I am now a working actor in Los Angeles and couldn’t be happier. I am currently playing Matilda Dembowski in ‘The Year Without a Summer’ at the Loft Ensemble, NoHo, running until July 21st.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I grew up in South Africa and there was never a plan for me to leave the country. When I realized I wanted to be an actor I knew I had to move in order to do the type of projects I wanted to do.

When I was fifteen I found an acting school near my dad’s house in the UK, Redroofs’ Theater School, and moved to study acting full-time. It was difficult leaving my hometown and my family, but still, I had my dad to support me and that was indispensable.

The second time I moved country was when I experienced the true test of resilience. After getting my BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia, I realized I wanted to focus on acting instead of writing. I knew the type of projects I wanted to work on were in Los Angeles.

When I told my family I was going to try to act in LA, they thought I was crazy. I have no family here, visas are very difficult to get and I didn’t have a job offer or prospects.

But I believed in myself, and in 2023 I graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts after receiving a scholarship to go there. I am now a working actor in Los Angeles and fight everyday to achieve my goals.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think something non-creatives don’t fully understand about creatives is that our journey is almost never linear but winding and full of surprises. We don’t do what we do for money; in fact, as a working actor the idea of pursuing acting for money is comical to me.

It is incredibly financially difficult to pursue acting. I perform regularly in plays but still I have, and need, two part-time jobs to pay my rent. All the actors I know work extremely hard to be able to afford to act. To me, acting is a privilege, and I fight hard to do it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/2152484-6034707
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirsten._.jones/
• Other: https://www.loftensemble.org/event-details/the-year-without-a-summer-by-greer-dubois-2024-07-05-20-00