Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Jeter.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kristen. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
When I was two years old, I told my mom I wanted to be a singer and a TV star. She started praying for me right then because apparently, I couldn’t carry a tune at all. Luckily, her prayers were answered. I grew up singing in school choirs in Cobb County. My first solo was “Lift Every Voice And Sing” at my 5th-grade graduation ceremony.
I got introduced to Theatre in middle school. My chorus teacher was also the head of the Drama department. Shout out to Liz Dean who taught me how to read music and love storytelling. As an after school program, we put on a junior version of Guys and Dolls. We even got to perform an excerpt of the show at the Fabulous Fox Theater. I was hooked! Griffin Middle School only allowed its students to take two elective classes at a time, so I chose to drop Band in order to study Drama as well as Chorus. I was my band’s first chair flutist when I made the switch, so my band director was pretty unhappy with me, but I had to go with gut. Ms. Dean rewarded my dedication with a leadership position. I directed my first play in the 8th grade.
In high school, I continued my love of performing arts and leadership, but the summer after my junior year really catapulted me onto the path I’m on today. I took two-week-long trips, the first was a trip to Chicago for the National Student Leadership Conference: Inside The Arts. They showed us all of the art that Chicago had to offer, including architecture tours, museums, the amphitheater, and the legendary Second City Improv Theater. They held a panel discussion with representatives the Fine Arts colleges in the area. That’s where I realized you could do art for a living. The second trip was to New York, to the International Presentation for Performers. Basically, it was a bunch of talent scouts and agents gathered together in one place. It was kind of like speed dating with headshots and resumes. There were 900 performers in the conference. In the end, there was a showcase, and I ended up being one of only 20 people who got to participate. In one night, we put together the entire showcase. It blew my mind to see what could happen when you put together talent and drive. I was recognized for the monologue about whether or not Glinda was really such a “good” witch, another omen that my gut was leading me in the right direction.
After that, it was off to the races! I only applied to schools that offered BFAs in Musical Theatre. I attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Manhattan, NYC. I’m so thankful that I learned to study, rehearse, and push myself in the pressure cooker that is New York City. In New York, you learn that you are your biggest competition and your biggest resource. Opportunity is everywhere, but it’s up to you to be disciplined enough to chase it. I waited tables to pay my rent. I worked through holidays. I did work-study at dance studios. I got up at the ass crack of dawn to get in line for auditions. I got hit with so much rejection, but I kept pushing forward.
I worked in regional theaters, doing musicals around the country whenever I got the chance. I’ve lived and worked together with thespians of all walks of life. Live theatre is such a special art form. Theatre allows people, the actors, and the audience, to escape into a mirror that is the “Spectacle,” Through the looking glass, we deepen our connection with ourselves, and we empathize with others. I know this to be true because we would see the audience members after the show and they would tell us how much it meant to them not just to be entertained, but also to be represented. Art makes a difference in people’s lives.
In 2015, I got a really big break. I got the chance to go on tour with a theater company… but not just any theater company, the Broadway national tour of the nine times Tony Award-winning musical, The Book of Mormon. That experience changed my life. It was the culmination of all my hopes and all my hard work. I had auditioned for the show 6 or 7 times over the course of two years. After the final callback, they called two directors I had previously worked with. A little while after that, I got the phone call the changed everything. I was a swing, Assistant Dance Captain, and Nabulungi understudy. I covered the four female ensemble tracks. I had to learn of their lines, choreography, vocal parts, and everything else. I also understudied the role Nabulungi. I got to perform twice as Nabulungi at the Fox Theatre when the tour came through Atlanta in both 2016 and 2018, a dream come true. I lucked out! Touring with The Book of Mormon has been the cornerstone of my career so far. It made me the performer I am today.
After three years on the road, I’ve returned home to Atlanta. It’s been great to come back to home base with all that I’ve learned and experienced along the way.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I mentioned this before, but I had to learn that Acting is not a blood sport. You can’t play defense. You can only do your best. I had to learn that I would always be fighting against what I perceived to be my limitations. The cure for that is to look back and take stock of how far I’ve come, to realize that my gifts were always and continue to be my vehicle to success. If I worry about my lane, I’ll get where I’m going eventually.
Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am a jack of many trades. I can act, sing, dance, write, direct, and design, but I’m a storyteller first and foremost. Everything I do is through that allegorical lens. I always hope for the projects I work on to say something, move someone, help people relate and tolerate each other.
I guess I’m known for being a tiny woman with a big voice. I’m a small package that the muses jam-packed with passion and power. I’ve been told that I’m one of those actors on a stage that you can’t keep your eyes off of. I think it’s because I’m always thinking and I have a big emotion intelligence, very important if you want to step into someone else’s shoes and make an audience see what you want them to see. My face is also VERY expressive. It’s great as an actor, but off stage, I can’t ever hide what I’m thinking. Sometimes, I wish I could.
Shameless plug: I teach Voice and Musical Theatre performance. I do alterations and dressmaking. I sell handmade jewelry and vintage clothes. I can also make mirrors.
I will be performing in the Alliance Theatre’s upcoming production of Ghost. The play runs October 26 – November 9.
What were you like growing up?
I remember being wise beyond my years, probably because I had an older mother. Mamma Jeter turned 39 the year I was born. She grew up in the Motown era, and she passed that same smooth grit on me. I am the youngest of three, and my siblings are a bit older, so I could be a stubborn brat when I wanted to. I like to think it’s where I get my determination form. Also, because my siblings were older, I spent a decent amount of time alone. I wrote, watched TV, talked to myself, collected rocks and climbed trees. I was very smart and really goofy.
I balanced out my tomboy ways with a fascination with 50s glamour. I loved the pinup stylings of Betty Boop and Marilyn Monroe. I watch old movie musicals on TCM like Easter Parade with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire and Carmen Jones with Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte. The women were so well dressed and polished. I loved it. It sparked my short-lived career as a pageant girl. I was Miss Jr Teen Atlanta 2005 and the only girl wearing long white gloves with her formal gown.
My mother fostered all kinds of creativity in me. I’m so grateful. She taught me how to sew and crochet as a young girl. When I was a teenager, we would make jewelry, paint birdhouses, she bought me a guitar, and we made soaps and salves from scratch. To this day, if I’m ever bored, it’s because I want to be.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.KristenJeter.com
- Email: kristenjeter@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristen_jeter/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jeter.Kristen/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kristen_Jeter
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