Episode Details

I absolutely love this episode, Jacqui is such a treasure to our creative communities.

In this episode of The Art Box, Steve sits down with theatre director and technical theatre specialist Jacqui Thomassen to talk about the craft, collaboration, and purpose behind live theatre.

Jacqui shares how what began as a simple bucket-list audition quickly turned into a full-fledged career, eventually leading her to earn a degree in technical theatre and work in a $25-million professional theatre. Along the way she discovered a passion for lighting design and directing, and developed a thoughtful process for building a production from the ground up.

Her approach starts with two powerful questions: “Why this story, and why now?” and “What story do we want to tell the audience?” From there she focuses first on actor relationships and character dynamics before anything else, often finding that once the connections are real, the rest of the performance naturally follows.

Jacqui also describes theatre as “the ultimate team sport,” where everyone, from actors and stage managers to costume dressers and technicians, plays an essential role in bringing a story to life.

It’s a conversation about storytelling, leadership, and the magic that happens when a community comes together to serve the show and create something meaningful for an audience.