Meet a Mentee: Jessica Hillenbrand!
Just in the nick of time! We're introducing our final two Mentees as we approach our FINAL THREE SHOWS! First up, Jessica Hillenbrand!
STATS: Name: Jessica Hillenbrand Mentorship Emphasis: Acting Role: Phil's Girl Kickball Nickname: The Fox Q & A with TumblrBot! TumblrBot: What brought you to Third Rail? Jessica: "I had just graduated college, and I wanted to continue my training but experience the “real world” rather than go back into a completely consuming education setting. Third Rail’s reputation got me looking into the Mentorship Program, and taking a variety of classes from such talented individuals seemed like a great way to diversify and develop my abilities. I knew for sure I wanted to be a part of it after I read Third Rail’s mission statement for the company as a whole – their focus on promoting empathy and provoking curiosity is what I want to work towards as a person and an artist." TumblrBot: What drew you, personally, to bobrauschenbergamerica? Jessica: "It was gut instinct, pretty literally. With any play, if it’s something I want to be a part of, I get butterflies in my stomach while reading it. I’ll find my breathing match the rhythms in the text like it would if I were speaking it, and have been called out on several occasions for making weird faces with my nose in the script. It’s strange, sure, but undeniable. So I felt that with BRA, and knew. On top of that, the world and the language was very different than a lot of what I’d done in the past, so I felt I ought to dive in and play." TumblrBot: What is your "working attitude?" Jessica: "Look for the love, in all aspects. Find the empathy. For getting into characters, for understanding a play, for keeping good relationships with everyone else in the room, for making sure I’m still on the right track with my life. It’s a pretty versatile tool." TumblrBot: What aspects of your Mentorship training have you brought into your work on this production? Jessica: "Through all the training, my personal work has focused a great deal on improving my breath and physical relaxation. Both from a lack of prior concentrated training in those areas, and a long history of holding tension, relaxing has been (ironically) demanding. But I came into BRA with a much clearer idea of what I wanted to change, and this play and my character have been the perfect playground to really work (on not working). It’s still a process, but I think the stars kind of aligned with this one timing-wise, and have set me on a good path." TumblrBot: How does it feel to self-produce? Jessica: "It alternates between really empowering and feeling like I’m on a roller coaster that the brakes just went out on. There was a lot of trial-by-fire, learn-as-we-go, which in some ways was the best way to learn it all. I’d love to do it again, after everything I now know. And a nap." TumblrBot: If you were a Rauschenberg Combine, what are five objects or materials that would be part of you? Jessica: "A wooden bookshelf, high-heeled boots, lit sparklers, raised eyebrows, red paint." TumblrBot: What is something about your character that resonates with you? What is something that is utterly different? Jessica: "Phil’s Girl (who has a name--for me, at least) is a young woman trying to have all the fun and love she can. That’s pretty close to home. But she’s got a much simpler, foolhardy (and I mean that fondly), more act-first/think-later approach to the world. For better or worse, I’m more analytical, cautious, and think-before-during-and-after. ... but we both make a great martini." Remember to get your tickets and come meet all our Mentees all at once! bobrauschenbergamerica's run ends this weekend!