Daily Inspiration: Meet Jessica Abrams

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Abrams.

Hi Jessica, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started off as a dancer which led to a led to a somewhat shady burlesque show in Italy when I was in my mid-twenties. In retrospect, I realize I took the job in order to eventually write about it and that, even back then, my inclination was to look at life as a collection of experiences and for those experiences to end up as writing material (Nora Ephron said it best: “Everything is copy”). After I left the show in the dead of night with my Italian boyfriend (more material) and then moved to New York with him (even more), I started writing — articles, poems, and eventually a screenplay. Following our breakup, I kept writing when I wasn’t navigating a series of emotionally-crippling relationships. These, too, would become fodder, but back then they just kept me from doing my work and made me slightly insane.

I moved to L.A. in 1997 to write screenplays. I had some luck scoring a few freelance episodes on television shows, but something was missing: I yearned to act. Yes, I had that notorious bug that makes people do crazy things like get up on stage and sign up for theatre camp. Only I was in my late forties. Was I crazy? Of course, but I knew that everything had led me to it, and that it brought all my endeavors, creative and otherwise, to form a perfect circle that may not have made sense to anyone, but it did to me.

I’ve been doing it ever since: writing material for myself and others and also stepping into characters that I didn’t create. My play THE FIRST TO KNOW, which opens June 8 at the Hollywood Fringe Festival is, in some way, the current pinnacle of that circular experience. I started writing the play back in 2011 with no intention of acting in it. The play had multiple readings and workshops but no full production. My plan was to produce it myself this year, with me playing one of the supporting roles, but it soon became obvious that I wanted to play the lead. This required a bit of a tweaking of the story so, being the writer and realizing that changing the story would actually elevate it to a whole new level, I did that.

I’ve assembled a fantastic cast, and I’m delighted to share it with the world.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Technically speaking, it has not been smooth at all. Doors didn’t exactly swing open with a benevolent being in a smoking jacket welcoming me into the inner chamber. In fact, quite the opposite. As a writer, I have found navigating the waters of Hollywood quite difficult, partially because I was often desperate to fit into worlds that wouldn’t have me — either they just didn’t get me or we simply weren’t a good fit energetically. Another thing is, it’s not easy getting people to read your material. When I turned my focus to acting, I found that doors opened much more readily. I was shocked by that and almost didn’t trust it (I grew up schooled in the idea that hard work meant beating my head against a wall daily) Eventually, though, I realized that it was a sign that I was where I was supposed to be. So I guess my point is, what may have seemed like a struggle may actually have been a catalyst to find a place — be it a job or a community — where my talents are/were appreciated.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a writer, actress and standup comic. I am particularly proud of my web series, KNOCKING ON DOORS; and I am equally proud of the play that I wrote and star in, THE FIRST TO KNOW, which premieres at the Hollywood Fringe Festival next month (June). The play tells the story of a woman, no longer in her childbearing years, who believes herself to be pregnant and the various people in her life that she tells this news to. Is she or isn’t she? Come see the play.

I am committed to telling women’s stories. I can’t help it; it’s just what interests me. I particularly like telling stories of women who live a little out of the realm of “normal” and who have, willingly or not, chosen an unconventional path. Again, I didn’t set out to tell those stories; they mostly sprang forth from my experience. But, on a broader level, I believe those stories are not told enough. We see so many stories of women who “have it all” — the high-powered job, the family — and they manage it! Look how amazing they are! I find those stories incredibly boring for the most part. I like my characters — both the ones I write and the ones I play — to be more flawed than that. To encompass a range of emotions and states of being that often come with simply not fitting in. My character in my play, Naomi, is that person.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
To the extent that I am successful, I think believing in myself is key. It took me a while to get here. As I said, I spent far too much time trying to be part of clubs that wouldn’t have me as a member . Once I learned to embrace my uniqueness and authenticity and to stop seeing things as a competition, my life changed.

Pricing:

• $20

Contact Info:

• Website: www,jessicaabrams.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicaabrams/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@knockingondoors1912