Desdemona Casting!

I feel truly blessed to return to STAGEStheatre, which has become like a second home for me, for the second time this year. I am pleased to announce that I will be playing Desdemona in Paula Vogel's Desdemona: A Play About A Handkerchief at STAGEStheatre. I am thrilled to reunite with director Jill Johnson (The 39 Steps) for this comedic re-imagining of Shakespeare's Othello. This will also be a reunion for the Americana girls, as I will be playing alongside Amy Lauren Gettys and KC Marie Pandell. Please join me Oct. 8th - Nov. 5th, Saturdays & Sundays @ 5pm, for what I know will be a spectacular show! For more info. please visit my Events or stagesoc.org.

Raised in Captivity Closing!

Jamie Sowers & Robert Dean Nuñez

Yesterday the lights went out on Raised in Captivity at STAGEStheatre to a full house. This show has been challenging, maddening, exhausting - and highly fulfilling. I am so blessed to work with such talented artists. We were presented with one of the most difficult scripts I have worked on to date, and I believe that every one of us rose to the occasion. I am very proud of this show and the boldness of our work. Raised in Captivity had been emotionally grueling and demanding, but in the end I wouldn't have it any other way. I send thanks to our fearless leader, director Jack Millis, and the brilliant words of our playwright Nicky Silver. What a beautiful experience!

Raised in Captivity Opening!

Raised in Captivity has been and continues to be one of the most challenging projects I have ever been a part of for many reasons. First, the playwright delves into serious subject matters with demanding language. Second, the range of emotions is startling. My character is a completely different person by the end of the play. On opening night, I was frankly afraid of taking the audience on this tumultuous journey. I try to practice my craft with a little fear as possible, but this experience required the element of fear and in the same breath demanded bravery. I am so proud of this show and the entire cast for their courageous performances this weekend. Here are just a few things the critics are saying:

"I admire the fearlessness of Silver’s plotting –his willingness to take the characters and the audience way, way out of their comfort zones.... All of the actors are superb.  Each of them have tough roles to play, and they rise to the occasion."

–The Orange Curtain Review (read the full article here)

"...Millis and company take moments to focus on the halting attempts at honesty and intimacy these insular, incredibly fucked-up people are yearning for. That gives this very dark and, at times, uncomfortable play moments of deep poignancy, and it makes the play's final image between two hopelessly flawed individuals resonate."

–OC Weekly (read the full article here)

"If the ideal “Captivity” cast exists, Millis has certainly created it."

–The Orange County Register (read the full article here)

Raised in Captivity Casting!

I am happy to announce that my first play of the new year will be Raised in Captivity at STAGEStheatre. I will be playing the mordantly witty and scathing Bernadette Dixon in this black comedy about guilt, self-punishment, and redemption. I am excited to dive into this dysfunctional, warped, and insanely funny family. I welcome this new challenge with open arms. What a great start to 2016!

The 39 Steps Closing

There is nothing I will miss more than the fabulous cast and crew of this show. In performance, we just clicked. I am so very proud of our show and the audience appreciation we received during our run. Our closing weekend was oversold. The laughter from the audience filled my heart and soul. Although we were not critically reviewed outside of the local community newspaper, we were well received by our patrons - and that is all that really matter to me. After the final performance, we cleared the space with record speed and I left the theatre without grandeur, but still feeling a great sense of accomplishment. Sometimes the greatest learning experiences come from the humblest of places. Thank you for a magical ride.

Play Reading: Unrelenting Relaxation

I had a wonderful experience last Saturday evening. During the play reading of Unrelenting Relaxation at the Fullerton Museum I was overcome with emotion. I am so grateful to the playwright, Amanda DeMaio, and to STAGEStheatre for entrusting me with this beautiful and poignant piece of theatre. I feel blessed to work with such talented artists.

We had a very good turnout for the show. Sitting the the museum gallery among all the stunning photographs of comfort women looking down on us made things more real to me. It is important that we tell their story. There were many crimes against humanity committed during World War II, and it is important that we remember and continue to learn from the mistakes of the past.

PLAY READING: Unrelenting Relaxation (as part of "Forgotten Faces: The Comfort Women of World War II")

The Fullerton Museum is proud to present the exhibit, “Forgotten Faces: The Comfort Women of World War II,” starting September 5 through November 1, 2015.

As part of the exhibition, I have been cast in a play reading of Unrelenting Relation, written and directed by Amanda DeMaio. In conjunction with STAGEStheatre, the Fullerton Museum Center will provide a one-time-only reading in the museum gallery on September 26th. Please visit my Events or the City of Fullerton Website for more details.

The subject matter of this project is very difficult, but it is important to give attention to the imaginable struggles of these women, forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army. I am honored to be a part of this project a give a voice to these women.

Play Reading: Unrelenting Relation ( as part of "Forgotten Faces: The Comfort Women of World War II")

Featuring Jamie Sowers as Jill in Unrelenting Relaxation!

Written & Directed by Amanda Tischer DeMaio

About:
Unrelenting Relaxation tells a brutally bold story of four European women who avoided the fate of a concentration camp only to be forced into prostitution and made to service military personnel under the Japanese regime during World War II. Produced through special arrangements with STAGEStheatre and Original Works Publishing. Please note there is adult content. 

"...the most graceful and compelling anti-war piece I've ever seen" -- OC Weekly"

Where:
Fullerton Museum Gallery
301 N Pomona Ave.
Fullerton, CA 92832

When:
September 26, 2015 @ 7pm

Tickets:
$12 General Admission
$10 for Museum MembersFor more information on the exhibit, please call the Fullerton Museum Center at (714) 738-3331.

The 39 Steps Casting!

I have been cast in The 39 Steps, a hilarious slap-stick comedy and whodunit thriller where 4 actors play dozens of roles. I am happy to be back at Stages Theatre for this award winning play. I will be portraying Annabella Schmidt (an exotic secret agent), Margaret (a mousy farmer's wife with big dreams), and Pamela (a beautiful woman unwillingly drawn into adventure by the dapper leading man). I am excited to work with director Jill Johnson for the first time and meet the cast next week at our first read-through. I can't wait to get started!

Goodbye 2013 - Hello New Year!

I must say that 2013 has been a struggle both personally and professionally. I am not sad to say goodbye. However, I am also reminded today of the many blessing 2013. I started the year with 2 Shakespeare classics: Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet. And I finished strong with 2 rumpus comedies: Americana and Bedroom Farce.

Today I am pleased to announce The Examiner acknowledge my work as a Best Supporting Actress in Americana at STAGEStheatre in "Best Orange County Theatre of 2013". It pleases me greatly to see STAGEStheatre and myself acknowledged beside the likes of acclaimed OC Theatre from SCR.

In addition to this great piece of news, Eric Marchese with the The OC Register highlighted Bedroom Farce one of the "Top 10 Shows of 2013"! (See picture - Left).

So thank you, 2013 - For the good and the bad. May I learn, grow, create, and prosper in 2014!

ACTORS, SAY YES TO EVERYTHING! (Bedroom Farce Casting)

Everything happens for a reason. When one door closes, another door opens, and sometimes doors reopen when least expected. I will be taking over the role of Kate in Bedroom Farce by Alan Ayckbourn at STAGEStheatre. I have already been thrown into my first rehearsal and stumbled through the blocking of the entire show. I have a lot of work to do before we open in less than 4 weeks, but I am confident that it will all come together. I can't wait to meet the entire cast tomorrow.

This turn of luck has made me realize how many times I have been fortunate enough to step into roles that I was not originally cast in. Well, I shouldn't call it luck or fortune really.... More like hard work and dedication.

WHY YOU SHOULD YES TO EVERYTHING! 

I was 12 years old when I first started acting. I remember walking into the rehearsal space as a member of the ensemble in a youth production of Annie and feeling very small. The first words out the director's mouth were, "There are no small parts, only small actors. Each and every one of you is vital to this show." I took this to heart and I poured all of my efforts into Maid #1 ("Blue is her best color, no green I think!") and Ira (they cut all but two lines before rehearsals began). Ever since then I believed that the ensemble was just as important as the leads - and I still do.

When I was in high school I got high praise for my ensemble work from my teachers. I had given up on singing lessons by then and wanted to be considered a serious actress. I wanted to play William Shakespeare, Samuel Beckett, Sophocles, Arthur Miller, George Bernard Shaw, etc. When it came to the spring musical I had trouble getting cast as a lead. Although I had musical theatre experience, the choir students who lived and breathed music always seemed to outshine me in the audition room. However, directors were all to happy to cast me in the ensemble. I would pick up bit parts and one-liners along the way - creating a backstory for my "character". I remember vividly standing in a crowd scene, rehearsing for The Mystery of Edwin Drood. We were practicing moving in and out of the scene, repeating it over and over again. Finally the choreographer/assistant director stopped us. "You all look bored up there. You have no expressions on your faces and you are standing like statues," she said. This was followed by eye-rolls and sighs from the two dozen exhausted teenagers standing on stage. "Why can't you be more like Jamie? She is the only one in the moment. I can't take my eyes off of her." I remained serious even though I was smiling inside.

In my last year of college I had a big audition for The Redlands Shakespeare Festival. They were doing three show in repertory: Twelfth Night, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra. I had never taken on a project that demanding before, but I knew what I wanted - Viola. I wanted Viola so bad I could taste it. I went into the audition prepared and confident. I rocked it in there! Then I got the call - "We have cast you as Olivia in Twelfth Night, Witch #3 in Macbeth, and ensemble in A&C." My heart sank for only a brief moment. Then I thought to myself, this is the biggest project you have ever taken on! Three shows in eight weeks of rehearsal! Maybe this is what you need. Maybe this is all you are ready for. So I said, "Yes." I fell in love with Olivia at the first read-through. I thought about her every moment of every day - for two days. Then I got the call: "Jamie, we had to let go of our Viola. There were too many scheduling conflicts. Would you be willing to step up into that role?" And I said, "YES!". But that is not where the story ends. Did you know that Witch #3 has all the best lines? Well, she does. In my opinion, Witch #3 is the best witch of them all. And then something wonderful happened with Antony and Cleopatra too! I was simply member of the ensemble, a woman foot-soldier awkwardly dressed as a man. Slowly the other foot-soldiers got too big for their britches. They didn't want to make the 1-2 commute to Redlands for a handful of lines. Three ensemble members dropped the show in a matter of days. So I started picking those up too. I was given the roles of Diomedes and every single messenger line in the play. I showed up the next day with my parts memorized. I got to be beaten by Cleopatra, learned fight choreography, and gingerly help carry Antony down a flight of stairs during the final moments of the play. I hardly left the stage. It was the best summer of my life. The following year, the director of Antony and Cleopatra cast me as the lead in Measure for Measure - the greatest role I have every played.

Now I am about to play a role in Bedroom Farce that I was not originally cast in. I was considered second best at the audition, but I am going to prove that everything happens for a reason. I am going to prove that I am the right choice after-all. All I had to do was say, YES.

Americana Closing!

Tonight we closed Americana at STAGEStheatre. I feel so blessed to have had such a great run with such a talented director and cast. The staff and crew at Stage had been like family. It is not often that original pieces are given such support and attention. I am grateful for the many packed houses and publicity this show has provided. More importantly, this show has reaffirmed my love of comedy. It is good to have the laughing juices run through my veins again. I can't wait to have another go at tickling your funny bone with my next project. More information coming soon. Stay tuned!

Jason Sutton & Jamie Sowers in "No Salesman Will Call" (Americana)

Americana Casting!

Well, it has been a while since I have been in a play written in the 21st century: 2 years to be exact. And after playing in Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet, it feels like an eternity since I have been in a comedy.

Today both these cycles have been broken. I have been cast in Americana, a series of 3 one-act plays written by David Macaray. I will be playing Sandra Larson, a hoarding consumerist, in “No Salesman Will Call”. This will be my first time working at the fabulous Stages Theatre in downtown Fullerton, CA and my third time working with director Phil Brickey. As Phil said earlier today, “It has been too long.”

The last time I worked with Phil was on a play reading of Transfigured Night, where I played the wife of the great composer Anton Webern. I think we have both grown as artists since then and I can't wait to get reacquainted with his work. Also joining the cast is Tracy C. Marquis, who played Webern in that production, and KC Marie Pandell, whom I trained with at FUHS and Chapman University. I am looking forward to meeting the rest of the cast for the first time on Tuesday.

Here's to a new adventure!