Meet the Cast of Hamlet: Jacqueline Jones

I grew up in a small city near Ann Arbor called Ypsilanti. The youngest of six kids, I spent most of my childhood putting on plays and telling stories with my siblings. Through this I became captivated with characters and storytelling. When I was three years old I told my Mom that I thought I would get bored having to be just me every day. So, the next day I created my first character, Peter. I put on my older brother’s clothes, and proceeded to explain to “The Jones’s” that I was now living with them because my father had died in a motorcycle crash and I was now an orphan in need of a home. (Dramatic right? My parents are saints). I only answered to “Peter” that day, and made up a whole backstory for him. I had so much fun with that experience that I started to make up more characters, put on more plays, read more books, listen to more music… I was obsessed with stories! When I was eight I had my first on stage experience and was officially bit by the acting bug. Nothing else felt like it -- stepping into the skin of someone else. From then on I

was actively involved in theatre all the way through high school.

Once I graduated from high school I went to a community college where I began pursuing a degree in Musical Theatre. When I was 18 I had my first on-camera experience, and was infatuated with the process; a completely different animal. I was torn – I knew I had to be an actor. I had to work, play, explore. But in theatre or film? I decided I needed to learn more about acting as a whole before continuing my education. So, at the start of 2015 I travelled to Belfast Northern Ireland, and for three months I immersed myself in an independent study of acting. There I studied the work of Sanford Meisner, Michael Checkov, Stella Adler, Uta Hagan, and many more. I dove deeply into the psychology behind storytelling, and the differences in acting for theatre vs. film. I gained a deeper passion and respect for Acting as a whole, and learned a great deal about my voice as a storyteller. After my time abroad I moved to Grand Rapids Michigan and began my studies at Compass College of Cinematic Arts. Now in my final year, I am pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a Specialty in Acting and am set to graduate this May.

Working with Pigeon Creek has been such a huge privilege. Theatre has my heart, and after 4 years of strictly film, I cannot tell you how happy I am to get back to my roots! Exploring the story of Hamlet with this cast and crew has been such an amazing process, and I feel so lucky to be part of it!