JESSICA ARJET
Jessica Arjet is an Improvisor, Teacher, Director, Actor and Producer in Austin, Texas. She brings a joy and enthusiasm to all of her work born of a deep passion for people and for the art of improvisation and theater.
Jessica is a co-owner of the Hideout Theatre in Austin, Texas. The Hideout performs many of the standard types of improv, but they specialize in delightfully improvise full length plays.
IMPROV FOR KIDS AND TEENS
Jessica is the Youth Programs Director at the Hideout. From that lofty position she oversees the theatre’s children’s classes, summer camp, weekly children’s shows, touring shows and touring workshops. She created the weekly show and classes on her own in 2006. Then in 2009 when she and her business partners took over the Hideout, she brought with her the children’s program. She is the artistic director as well as frequent show direct, and performer in Hideout Kids, the Hideout Theatre’s weekly and touring children’s show. As well as a frequent teacher, though these days her attention is taken up more and more by the administration of the growing program. She is currently working on a book about how to teach improv to children entitled Conducting Chaos.
Jessica performs The Arjet Universe every Thursday in the Free Fringe at the Hideout. In the Arjet Universe she invites different people to play with her in duos or larger groups, creating delightfully devised new formats and genres. She is also part of Fabarjet, a duo with Andreas Fabis improvising silly fairy tales, space stories and everything in-between. Their signature style is fast and absurd, but grounded in real relationships. Strangely, she is also a member of J Names, a troupe based in Portland full of amazingly smart and talented improvisors whose names all start with J. She often guests with other improv troupes and is a frequent performer in the Hideout’s improvised plays such as Sexy Future Space Lady, The Black Vault, Live Nude Improv, and Next Week...on Game of Thrones. And while it may not have been a wise decision to do them, she has performed in 3 different improv marathons performing continuously for between 41 and 47 hours at a time.
Jessica has directed improv shows and scripted work for children as well as adults. She is known for providing delightful challenges for her cast so that they can rise to their potential and fully realize the artistic vision of the show.
Jessica teaches at the Hideout in the regular series classes as well as in workshop series and one offs. She also frequently travels to teach at festivals and other theaters around the US. Her teaching style is challenging, irreverent and joyful. She prefers to set up exercises and situations where people can find their way to their own unique voice. Her classes are a journey of guided discovery.
HISTORY
Jessica Arjet started in theater at age 4 and has not looked back. Her first work was in traditional children’s, community, school and regional theater. It was here she learned the fundamentals of performing and directing.
From 1997-2014 Jessica was a professional children’s party clown. She performed under various names such as Squiggles in Atlanta, Georgia and Penelope Foolish in Austin, Texas. She even did a little naughty clowning as Daphne Bumm, but don’t tell the kiddos. It was as a clown that she gained numerous insights into movement and immediate audience interaction.
In 2006 she stared classes for kids, teaching them the games and such that she had learned combined with lessons from her theater background. Soon after she also started a children’s improv show which was supposed to have a one month run, but is still showing weekly to this day.
In 2008, it became apparent that the then owner of the Hideout would need to sell. Jessica joined forces with her business partners, Roy Janik and Kareem Badr to take over the business, which they did in 2009.
From that point on the theater has grown tremendously. All three owners hold on to the principle that they are simultaneously running a business, a theater and a community. From this starting point they have had success growing the artistic reputation of the Hideout, creating a supportive and creative community, and sustaining their business which in turn sustains both the community and the theater.
