Photo by Sarah Ziff from Kentucky by Leah Nanako, directed by Margaret Starbuck
We were originally going to do 73 Questions, classicVogue style, but Jazz humbly admitted she didn’t have that level of fame. At least not yet. So we picked 10. Enjoy!
First question, who are you?
I’m Jazz Zhu (朱缃宜). Most people know me as Jazz, but loved ones call me Zhu Zhu. I’m a director for live performance, performer at family functions, and functioning adult with no sense of direction.
Where’s home to you?
I was born and raised in Chengdu, the queer capital of China. Most recently, I called Claremont, California home. Now I’m starting to think home is any place that starts with the letter C.
Where did you go to school and what did you study?
I studied theatre and human-centered design at Pomona College. No one knows where that is or what I do, especially my family. I spent most of my time there rehearsing plays and practicing drums. I’m a huge nerd, but somehow I was the least nerdy kid at my school.
How did you get into the performing arts?
Long story short, acting got me out of my shell. I was a kid who didn’t quite know her place in the world but desperately wanted to feel alive. To make things that do not last and connections that do. To make the parallel universe real. Acting eventually led me to directing, which expanded me in a whole new dimension. That, in turn, led to producing and arts administration, where I learned how to step back and support other artists’ growth.
What languages do you speak?
I grew up speaking Sichuanese, a Southwestern variation of Standard Mandarin. Then I became fluent in Mandarin Chinese and English through school and assimilation. I also know some Japanese, Cantonese, and Korean–enough to impress restaurant owners but not enough to win an argument.
Who do you look up to, creatively?
If I had to pick one person, it would be Yuen Ren Chao, my favorite multi-hyphenate. He was a phenomenal Chinese American linguist, polyglot, composer, and scholar, among many other things. I know I’ll never be a language genius like him, so instead I’m writing a play or musical about him called Life of Chaos. It’s my not-so-secret passion project.
What’s your dream project?
I would love to run a program that trains more intimacy directors and coordinators in Asia. I was raised by Asian media, and I hope to give back by making the industry a more equitable space. Big shoutout to the incredible intimacy professionals I’ve learned from: Carly DW Bones, Christine Breihan, Arden DeForest, Talya Klein, Jessie Mills, and more.
What’s your greatest strength? What about weakness?
Both answers are the same: I have nothing to lose. I know what fear looks like, sounds like, smells like, tastes like, feels like. But I also believe deeply in people, community, and art. Forward, upward, onward.
What brought you to Los Angeles Performance Practice?
After spending time at Center Theatre Group and Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival, I was ready for a more hands-on role that balanced creative and administrative work, which is exactly what LAPP offered.
What are you looking forward to during your time at LAPP?
I’m excited to connect with fellow LA artists and learn the ins and outs of running a nonprofit arts organization. I’m interviewing our amazing ACCELERATOR cohort artists, so stay tuned for more blog posts about them!
Last question: if you weren’t a theatremaker, what would you be?
I’d probably go into speech-language pathology and spend all my free time rescuing cats with my mom.
Through the Los Angeles County Arts & Culture Arts Internship Program (AIP), Los Angeles Performance Practice is thrilled to offer two paid internships annually to current undergraduate or recent graduates in Los Angeles County. Interns work closely with LAPP staff on projects such as the LAX Festival, our Annual Report, and the CAC Catalog, and learn about development, programming, and field initiatives.
Jazz Zhu 朱缃宜 (she/her) is a director and arts administrator passionate about integrating design thinking with consent-forward, trauma-sensitive practices in performing arts spaces and beyond.
In an effort to develop her prefrontal cortex, she studied directing and human-centered design at Pomona College, comedy at Upright Citizens Brigade, creative writing at Wesleyan University, and acting at the Central Academy of Drama. Most recently, she was part of the Observership Program at Center Theatre Group and worked at Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival.
While attending the Brown University of the West, Jazz served as the Artistic Director of the Claremont Chinese Theatre Group and directed juicy plays such as Jiehae Park’s Peerless and Cao Yu’s Thunderstorm, in which all characters were unhappy but more than half survived. As a semi-retired actor, her latest role was Hiro in Leah Nanako Winkler’s Kentucky, with the first being Bird #2 in Snow White.
In her previous life, Jazz was a tortured musician, recreational linguist, and perfect Chinese daughter.
Photo by Abigail Gordon
