Kristen,Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
In 2019, I did my first TYA show. That’s Theater for Young Audiences. The show premiered at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, a play called Ghost by Idris Goodwin, adapted from the novel by Jason Reynolds. The story is about a Black middle schooler who starts acting out after his family is split up by domestic violence. He reluctantly joins a city track team that gives him the discipline, stability and community necessary for him to choose light at a time when it’s so easy for kids to fall through the cracks. That year, all the seventh graders in Fulton County had to read the novel before coming the see the play. Fulton County students are predominantly Black, and I could feel how excited they were to see themselves represented on stage. The main character, Ghost, breaks the 4th wall and addresses the audience throughout the show. The kids talked back to Ghost and rooted for him all along the way. They loved the show because it wasn’t a goofy fable or some corny, preachy after school special like most TYA shows are. This story was rooted in the complicated nature of reality. I learned then that kids live in the real world just like we do, they deserve art that helps them cope just like we do.
I really felt like our production was cultivating the next wave of theater goers. I believe there is generally a lack of exposure, access, and representation that separates the Black community from the Theatre community, but these students didn’t have those barriers. We provided them a theatre experience that was curated, relatable, and affordable. I had been performing for almost a decade, and I had never felt more of service as a storyteller. It was pretty special.
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Hi there, I’m Kristen Jeter. I’m an actor and singer working out of New York City and Atlanta. I got my love of performing growing up as kid in the Metro Atlanta area. I got my start in school choruses, I’ve worked as a theatre artist all over the U.S., internationaly, and now I’m an actress on Broadway in The Book of Mormon. There is a quote by Bette Davis that has guided me throughout my career. She said, “Without wonder and insight, acting is just a trade. With it, it becomes creation.” It speaks to the need to know why we as humans are the way we are, why we do the things we do. That “wonder and insight” breeds tolerance. Tolerance leads to understanding, and understanding makes a way for love and acceptance. That’s why I’m a storyteller, so I can help shed a light on humanity that can lead to more love and understanding for one another.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I wish the concept of having a “back up plan” had been re-framed as the “side hustle.” Having a back up plan made me feel like I was planning to fail at my dreams, like if I had a built-in safety net to my life plan then I would have had an excuse to not try as hard when the going got tough. A side hustle, however, is where you use another one of your talents to help fund the pursuit of your wildest dreams. I came to find that the actors who were successful weren’t just actors. They were also writers, painters, musicians, teachers, producers, personal trainers, influencers, YOU NAME IT. They used one thing to prop up the other, and vice versa. I put my leftover energy into a survival job of waiting tables, which was fine. I did a lot of people watching and I always paid my rent, but I’ve also been sewing since I was seven years old. I could have used that talent to dress-make and do alterations. I could have used a skill I already had to make money on my own terms, leaving more time for auditions and classes.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I love knowing that who I am and what I do are one. It keeps me on the path. A person could stop being a dentist, but no one can stop being an artist. It’s who they are. They could choose not to profit from their art, but the gift of creation is inescapable. It colors everything we do. 
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kristenjeter.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristen_jeter/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jeter.Kristen/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-jeter-b071541b4/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kristen_Jeter
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYVm2IbJ1VGktmUUXn2Nc8w