20 Years at Village Theatre:
An Interview with Jessica Skerritt

From South Pacific (2004) to Million Dollar Quartet (2007) to Camelot (2024), Jessica Skerritt has been a favorite on the Village Theatre Mainstage—and greater Seattle area stages—for 20 years. We sat down recently with Jessica to talk about her favorite roles, what makes Village Theatre special, and of course: playing Guenevere in Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot.

What was your first show with Village Theatre?

My first Mainstage show was the ensemble of South Pacific (2004), I played Lieutenant Genevieve Marshall. Right before that, though, I was cast externally as an understudy for Hedy LaRue in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

Jessica Skerritt in Village Theatre’s South Pacific (2004).

Twenty years later, how has your experience with Village been part of your journey?

How hasn’t it been a part of my journey? I feel like I’ve grown up there.

I started performing in Village Theatre’s KIDSTAGE SummerStock shows when I was about 10, so getting to be on the Mainstage when I was 19 was such a big deal. And every show that I have gotten to do here, I feel like I learn and I grow as an artist and a performer.

Jessica Skerritt in Village Theatre’s Million Dollar Quartet (2007). Photo by Mark Kitaoka.

The work I’ve done professionally has been my education in a lot of ways, because I didn’t go to school for acting. So, my parents were pretty amazing and supportive in saying, “go do the thing.” Whenever you get an opportunity to be around it or do it, learn from everyone around you, everyone you come in contact with. Learn what to do, what not to do. And treat it like your school.

So Village, in particular, felt like an ongoing education for me. I credit Steve Tomkins (former Artistic Director) for really honing my comedy chops on some of the shows I got to do with him over the years.

I think Village is unique in that it’s such a small venue, as a performer you learn a lot. The runs are really long, so you get this opportunity to perform so many performances over the course of a run for different audiences. I think it’s such a gift.

You learn a lot about what’s working and what’s not, how to be as consistent as possible, and how to keep it fresh and alive. Sometimes you can get to the end and you’re like, okay, I’m good to close this up. But, more often than not, you’ve lived with a show for so long that it feels really sad to say goodbye to it. I think Camelot is going to be one of those projects.

What have been some of your favorite roles, at Village and beyond?

• The first was the West Coast premiere of Million Dollar Quartet (2007-2008) before it went to Broadway. That was super special because it was my first lead that I booked there. And I also was cast opposite Dane Stokinger (Elvis) who ended up being my husband.
• Barefoot in the Park (2007-2008), playing Corie Bratter, was also really special because it was the first play I had done.

Jessica Skerritt in Village Theatre’s Barefoot in the Park (2007). Photo by Jay Koh.

• The Producers (2011-2012) I loved because, again, just getting to do a big, goofy comedy under the direction of Steve Tomkins was really, really special. And playing Ulla was a bucket list role for me.
• Xanadu (2013-2014) was another favorite. Again, Dane was involved in that company, so the fact that we got to spend all that time together and take it down to Arizona together was really cool.

There’s just been so many. I’ve been very lucky. And as far as beyond Village Theatre:

• Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors (2014), which was a co-production with ACT Theatre and The 5th Avenue Theatre. That was a dream role. So to get to do that in that kind of intimate space was really fulfilling.
• A Christmas Story at The 5th Avenue Theatre with Dane. We’ve been very fortunate that we’ve gotten to play opposite each other so many times over the course of our careers.

There have been many, many favorites over the years.

What makes Village Theatre special?

I think the venue being so intimate is amazing, there’s not a bad seat in the house. Audiences really get to feel close to the performers and like you’re in it.

Having grown up with KIDSTAGE, Village feels like a family to me. Maybe this is because the venue is on the smaller side, you’re more on top of each other backstage, and you’ve got a smaller rehearsal hall situation, but you just really feel like you’re coming together to create something.

Jessica Skerritt in Village Theatre’s The Producers (2012). Photo by Jay Koh.

We used to say that Village felt as much about process as it was the product at the end, which I think is still very much true. I think it’s why I feel like I have learned so much over the years, because I learn from the first day of rehearsal until closing of the show, with the people around you and the environment that you’re getting to work in.

We hear that you work with the finance team when you’re not in a show! How do you switch from acting work to finance work?

I am so grateful and I enjoy every bit of it because it is that different side of your brain, it is much more concrete, sequential, orderly. Whereas, you know, performing and the life of an actor can be so chaotic and random, that it’s really nice to have this other thing that is neat and tidy and organized.

The women in that department are ferociously smart and Diane Wright (Director of Finance) is an incredible leader and has been with the company for so long. I’ve known her for so long just as a performer, so it’s been really neat to get to work under her, within her department.

Jessica Skerritt in Village Theatre’s Xanadu (2013). Photo by Mark Kitaoka and Tracy Martin.

Coming out of the pandemic, when it was very unclear as to whether theatre was going to make its way back, and then if it did, what would that look like? How consistent would the work be? All of these things… many people, including myself and my husband, had to pivot and say, “Okay, well, let’s find something that is full-time that we can still enjoy doing.”

It feels very special to have landed at Village, that has felt like a home away from home for so long, and to contribute and see the creation of these shows from a completely different perspective. The budgeting aspect of things and how donations are coming in and all of that. I was aware of it, but it’s been really neat to get that full perspective from the other side of things. I now have even a deeper respect and admiration for how every show happens.

How are you enjoying Camelot?

I love it. I’m really proud of it. It’s been one of my bucket-list roles.

I saw a touring production come through The 5th Avenue Theatre when I was in eighth or ninth grade. And I was starstruck by this woman named Rachel York that played Queen Guenevere. And she was just – it was all the beautiful Lerner and Loewe, Julie Andrews soprano score, her singing was incredible – but she was feisty, and she held her own. She was funny.

But then there was this great dramatic stuff that she got to do and act, too. And I was just like, wait – soprano ingenues can do all those things in one show? Usually that’s not the case. So I thought, if ever had the opportunity to play that role, I certainly would love to.

I think this adaptation is so smart, I think it just trims all the fat that you don’t necessarily need. It’s the loveliest length and you don’t miss any of the beautiful score, you’ve got the core storytelling there.

Jadd Davis, Adam James King, Brandon O’Neill, Matthew Posner, and Jessica Skerritt in Camelot at Village Theatre. Photo by Auston James (2024).

Something I was curious about during this run is how younger generations, that are maybe being introduced to the piece for the first time, would respond. And people have been really, really enjoying it. I did a talkback night with the KIDSTAGE students. So many of them weren’t familiar with Camelot coming in. And there were a handful of them that weren’t super excited about it because they don’t love classic musical theater, but they loved Camelot.

I think this is a credit to this adaptation of it, to director Adam Immerwahr’s vision for it, to this company – that all makes this older piece really fresh and palatable for a younger generation. It’s exciting because so often I feel like the classics kind of get an eye roll, but there’s just so many good classic musicals.

Jadd Davis, Nik Hagen, Brandon O’Neill, Matthew Posner, and Jessica Skerritt in Camelot at Village Theatre. Photo by Auston James (2024).

It’s been such a pleasure to be a part of. And this company, I couldn’t ask for a nicer group of humans. Our orchestra is amazing, our crew is kind and hardworking, and it’s just lovely to get to show up and do this piece every night. Everyone is just wholly invested in telling this story and that is really cool.

Sometimes at this point in the run (week four), people turn on the autopilot switch, but not here. Everyone is just so present and ready and excited for the next audience to come through those doors. It’s really neat to get to fulfill this role here at this time for me – it’s just the dreamiest.