Meet J. Kay Weldon

We were lucky to catch up with J. Kay Weldon recently and have shared our conversation below.

J. Kay, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

I was raised to always show gratitude. Be grateful for everything: even when you have nothing. We didn’t have much growing up but I valued everything I had: which I believe gives me an advantage in life because it made me resourceful and I can adapt to most situations. When you can adapt, most obstacles are easier to overcome and some obstacles are completely avoidable. I’ve had some amazing points in my life, but I can’t even begin to talk about the highs unless I acknowledge the lows.

As far as confidence, my father believed that as long as you can breathe, you have a fighting chance. It’s in my lowest moments that I learned to fight. It’s in my darkest moments that I learned to shine; and that’s because I believe I always have a fighting chance.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m from a small town in Louisiana called Belcher (population 248), so I’m not like most people you will meet. Yes, I ate all the wildlife and all of that stuff; but what makes us small towns different is that we operate like a unit. Everyone compliments everyone else. The first major city in which I ever lived was Los Angeles: that’s like learning to swim in a shark tank. Simple things like getting my mail was a chore. I went from a town that actually got dark at night, to a city that never stops moving. I had been exposed to big cities during my time in the Marines, but I had never lived my life in such a place.

While in Los Angeles, I was fortunate enough to host a show on LATalk Radio called CRASH Radio. That was my first taste of entertainment that didn’t include music. Radio led me to standup comedy, comedy led me to the theatre.

Since those humble beginnings, I’ve found a little bit of a groove. Shakespeare is my thing, though: the words that transcend time. Many movies, shows and plays have been made, but how many will last 400 years? Do you think Breaking Bad or The Whale will still be streaming in 400 years? I only used those as an example because I like both of those. Haha

But seriously, I love the theatre. I’ve found peace on stage and when that happens, it’s utter bliss. I even had the chance to blend my theatre life with my comedy life when I recorded my standup album (What Part of the War is This? STREAMING NOW) in the first theatre I ever performed Shakespeare.

Right now, I’m focusing on directing and producing. I’ve got some pretty good things on the plate in 2025 and I’m looking forward to all that has in store. I’ll be directing PYGMALION under my own production company J. WELDON PRODUCTIONS and I’ll also have the honor of directing FENCES by August Wilson in February. That production will be put on by FULL CIRCLE PLAYERS. This will be my greatest challenge yet: taking a story that I know and love and breathing life into it. There’s a good amount of pressure there, but I’m always ready!

Visit www.jkayweldon.com for more

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

If I have to give ONLY 3:

1) Thick skin- this industry comes with lots of rejection and it’s normal: you’re not terrible, you don’t suck, your star-shaped block just doesn’t fit in that square-shaped hole, and it’s okay.

2) Short Memory – this industry also comes with lots of criticism. People will say things about you wasting your time and how hard it is to “make it.” Well, I say to them: “So what?”
It’s hard to “make it” in any career. For example, If I had chosen to be a mechanic, I would still have to work hard, learn my craft, compete with my peers and put in the time to become successful. So just be likable and remember that the sooner you shrug that stuff off, the better you’ll be.

3) Perseverance- Just. Keep. Going.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

At this point in my career, I am always extending olive branches. I wouldn’t be here if someone didn’t extend the branch to me way back when, and I promised that I would do the same when my time came.

I’m looking to collaborate in theatre, film, podcasts: you name it. I’m currently running a theatre in Lake Elsinore and I am always looking to fill the seats. We also have a full studio on site, so if you’d need an album recorded, a place to put up your play, or to shoot a film; J. Weldon Productions has got you!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jkayweldon.com
• Instagram: jkay_weldon
• Facebook: J Kay Weldon

Image Credits

Photo Credits:

Holden Stackhouse
(1&2)
Shawna Sarnowski Photogtaphy
(4&7)
Henry Jimenez Photography
(Personal Photo)