About
I am Jessie J. Potter, and I am a New York City based actress, dancer, and singer.
Born and bred in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I was raised on the Green Bay Packers, brutal winters, bitter beer, and the wild winds of Lake Michigan.
Movement, music, and storytelling have been cornerstones in my life for as long as I can remember. I have a music-aficionado for a father, a sixth-grade literature teacher for a mother, a grandmother and an aunt who were theater performers in their heyday, and the kind of family that sits around a table for hours singing, sharing stories, and fiercely debating issues of all kinds.
Coupled with this shared love of music and literature was my deep passion for creative movement. Often labeled as a very "kinetic" person by my parents and my teachers, I have always felt the impetus to move. This urge only grew stronger when music and emotion coincided. I was nine years into my career as a competitive gymnast when I realized that the only part of gymnastics I loved was the floor routine. That's when I got to dance. At age 12, I made the switch. I started dancing and I haven’t stopped...
My craving for movement and music dictated my life’s trajectory thereafter. I became heavily involved with my high school’s arts programs. I founded the Whitefish Bay High School Varsity Dance Team my freshman year, while also participating in school musicals and plays. I went on to win three consecutive Wisconsin State Jerry Awards for Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical.
I found my way to Marymount Manhattan College, where I studied Musical Theatre, and Communications and Media Arts.
As a member of the College Honors Program, I was challenged by the accelerated courses offered at my school. I received the President’s Award for Academic Excellence and the Robert W. Ligon and Evelyn M. Ligon History Award for my research on the ethics of performance reenactment. As a member of the Alpha Chi Honors Society, I earned a spot among the top 10% of my class, made the Dean’s List every semester, and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a cumulative GPA of 3.9.
I was fortunate to have been a part of a Mainstage production every year that I attended school. Likewise, my summers during college were spent working for and touring with the KIDS From Wisconsin Troupe, and performing with the Mac-Haydn Theater, and most recently with Flat Rock Playhouse.
