We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jessica De Maria. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessica below.
Hi Jessica, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I read a quote pretty recently that said the most important quality when it comes to being a successful artist is not talent, it’s perseverance. I thank my Dad for my work ethic, honestly. There’s something to be said for the old “Blue Collar Values” thing. Growing up, it was extremely important to my parents that we live in a really great school district, so when I was 1, they bought a crunchy little ranch on the outskirts of the great Three Village School district. My Dad worked overnights, my whole life. He was a night crew chief for PathMark, a NY chain of grocery stores. That basically meant he supervised the store at night. His job was so physically exhausting. He would get home from work around 8:30AM, have breakfast, either babysit me while my mom was at work, or when I was older, run whatever errands were necessary before heading to bed. Then? He would wake up to have dinner with me and my mom, and go back to sleep before leaving for work about 10:30 pm. As I got older, he would wait up until I got home from school to say hello or give me a ride to whatever rehearsals or lessons I needed to get to, and when I had performances-if he couldn’t get off work? He would just wake up early and make sure he cheered me on before his shift. My Dad often worked 6 days a week because on weekends he got time and a half and it was a great way to pick up extra cash. This man, truly never complained and I do not know if he ever slept a normal night in his life. Even on his 4th year of retirement, his sleep schedule is totally bonkers. What all of this taught me is that hard work is admirable. Physical labor is admirable. It taught me that if you have a goal, if you have a real reason (in my father’s case, providing an environment where his daughter could have the opportunities to thrive) you do what you need to get there. He taught me to value time with others and that there was always room. But mostly he taught me that you will break and bend and push for what you love and there is an honor in that. I’m glad in his retirement we are learning about the value of rest and self care together, but I remain so thankful. Due to his tireless (literally) commitment, I’m able to be a creative.
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 a New York City based performer, writer and composer. My first co-written musical, THE LAST TIME WE WERE HERE, appeared at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2015 and received a workshop production at Synchronicity Theatre in Atlanta in 2016. Another co-written musical of mine, THE PRETTY PANTS BANDIT just appeared in concert at 54 Below here in NYC after having its regional premiere in Atlanta in 2022. My original arrangements of American folk music have appeared in productions of “The Sleepy Hollow Experience” all over the country and I was featured on the Spotify Original Podcast, “You Heard Me Write” during its inaugural season. My most recent compositions premiered in a new feature film, “Christmas with Jerks”, and I provided the music for the short film “The Name” which premiered in Chicago in September of 2022 and in NYC in April of 2023. I’m currently working on several new works in development including “The Pretender”, “One More for the End of the World”, and “This Lollipop is Poison.”
www.jessicademaria.com
www.chaseandjessica.com
IG: @jessica.demaria
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Writing first and foremost. Not just playwriting or creative writing-just be a good writer. Write every day even if it’s not your area of interest. Keep a journal, or just free write. As a creative, you constantly need to be marketing yourself, crafting the perfect email or EPK (Electronic Press Kit), the right vibe on your socials…it’s essential that you feel comfortable as a writer. The second thing is preparedness. There is so little we can control regarding how people will receive our art-but we can control how prepared we are. Do your research, do your work. So that every audition you walk into, every callback, every pitch meeting-you at least know that you’ve done all you can. Third, and this is more a way of being than anything else-but always remember that you are creative even if you’re not booked. Even if the only person reading your play is you. Even if you’re just auditioning. This all still counts as work, so treat it as such. Take breaks, celebrate successes that aren’t contingent on someone else making a decision about the quality of your work. Just keep making that work.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
Everything seems to be behind a paywall. Everything. It’s counterintuitive to me that I should have to have a trust fund, familial wealth and just mad buckets of cash to get my work in front of people. Or get an “in” with a casting agency, or go to a well connected school, etc. I myself am even at an advantage since my “hustle job” is in fundraising-and still, this is the biggest obstacle. Now there are amazing initiatives happening such as the Guaranteed Income Program through Creatives Rebuild New York that are earnestly trying to even the playing field. However, what we are seeing at the moment is a homogenized arts scene because of this ridiculous class gap. Another aspect of having a career in the arts you didn’t know you needed to know about? Advocacy and civic engagement.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jessicademaria.com
- Instagram: @jessica.demaria
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/album/4WdTUEuOG57kQmvyeHkoB4
Image Credits
Headshot: Sean Patrick Photo 1: production photo from “VIVIAN, a ghost story” written by Chase Peacock & Jessica De Maria at the Lyric in 2017. Photo by Casey Ford featuring Brittany Ellis Photo 2: THE PRETTY PANTS BANDIT in concert at 54 Below (written by Chase Peacock & Jessica De Maria) photo by Rissa Visuals and feat Carla Mongado, Brian Charles Johnson and Jessica De Maria Photo 3: JOHN & JEN at the Jennie T. Anderson Theatre; directed by Jessica De Maria. Photo by Casey Ford and featuring Meaghan Peatkau & Brandon Smith Photo 4: THE PRETTY PANTS BANDIT World Premiere at Georgia Ensemble Theatre. Photo by Casey Ford.
