JASMINE SIMMERS
My
Story
Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, technical theatre was not a strong career-driven passion of mine. The artistic community is incredibly diverse in Memphis, spanning across theatre, music, and visual arts, so I had the opportunity to explore without much specialization. My artistic outlet had always been more akin to music, having a mother, Holly, who sang often and a father, Bill, who was the drummer in the church I grew up in. My older sisters followed my mother's outlet, singing and creating visual art in form of animation and sculpture, while my older brother followed the instrumental path, playing the double bass and, later, much of the string instrument family. I followed him, taking up cello, which I continued to practice for the next 10 years of my life. That same father, however, worked as an audio engineer in much of the Memphis area, and always loved to teach me the inner workings of live sound and lighting. That was my first look into the technical elements of live theatre and event performances.
In 2016, I began my journey as a stage manager. A high school performance of Much Ado About Nothing was being put on in my senior year, so I had decided to audition, having moved on from a dream of being a professional cellist. "If not cast, would you be interested in stage managing?" the audition form had read, and I responded, "sure, why not?" without having much background in what stage management really was. It was as if something in my brain and body clicked. The behind-the-scenes work I had done when working with Q&A, a devised work-oriented Queer Youth Theatre Group at Memphis' Playhouse on the Square, melded with the leadership skills I learned in my time in JROTC and performance knowledge that my years as a cellist afforded me. It was a breath of fresh air. Then, after I joined the University of Memphis as a film student, I was recommended to a friend of a friend to Assistant Stage Manage their production of She Kills Monsters. This was the show that sealed the deal for me, seeing how stage management fits into professional-level production processes, so I transferred into the Department of Theatre and Dance the next semester, Spring of 2018. After that, the rest is history.
Currently, I am in my final year at the University of Memphis and searching for opportunities to work outside of Memphis come December 2022. This summer, 2022, I will be joining the team at Stagedoor Manor in Loch Sheldrake, New York.
In the navigation bar, you can download my resume or a digital copy of my portfolio, and if you'd like to join my network or reach out, please fill out the form below or email me!
