DIRECTOR SPOTLIGHT - JACKIE BAKER

YOU ARE A DIRECTOR, BUT ALSO AN ACTRESS. WHAT IS YOUR PASSION FOR THEM? DO
YOU PREFER ONE?

My passion for both stems from the same desire, which is to bring a playwright's words to life with the hope of instilling morality and encouraging communication among people. As an actress, I get to escape into a character and discover and explore a new side of myself. As a director, I get to immerse myself into the world of a play and have a much more general focus. I absolutely love acting, but I must admit that as I get more experience directing, I get more and more drawn to it. It's the only thing I've found in life that pulls from every well of knowledge, no matter how trivial. It's a fantastic way to incorporate my love of art and music and to also utilize my talents in play analysis and leadership.

LAN'DED IS INTENDED FOR FILM, BUT THIS IS A STAGED READING OF THE SCRIPT. AS A DIRECTOR, HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR THIS?

To be perfectly honest, this has been my greatest challenge with this project. A lot of the comedy in LAN'ded comes from the fact that it is written for film, and the laughs can be mined from the juxtaposition of scenes, panning, and other film techniques. Though I can't fully capture that essence on stage, I can create quick scene changes and work with sharp blackouts after buttons on scenes and I can create humorous pictures for the beginning of the next.

IF IT COULD RAIN ANYTHING BUT WATER FROM THE SKY, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT IT TO RAIN?

I'm in theatre. So...money. Bills only, of course. Unless I'm having a bad day and I have the gift of prophesy. In which case I'd prefer coins and I'd stay indoors with the curtains open.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE FINAL FANTASY?

I absolutely loved Final Fantasy III, which was kinda skipped in the US and then released later on the DS. My eyes were glued to the screen until I beat it. I hated that if I didn't have "friends" I couldn't get all the secrets since I'm an uber nerd like that, but that's the only complaint I had. Final Fantasy XII was absolutely fantastic, but I was also house-sitting at the time of my FFIII
infatuation, which meant I was lonely and it was my replacement for social interaction entirely. Which is a void that was later filled by World of Warcraft.

HOW IS LAN'DED DIFFERENT THAN OTHER DIRECTING PROJECTS YOU'VE HAD?

Aside from the fact that there are zombies, vampires, and mimes (and that it's filmed), there's the fact that I'm bringing someone else's vision to life instead of my own. Instead of researching a play and its playwright, I'm constantly just talking to the writer about how he envisions these people and this world so that I can do his concept justice.

PIRATES AND NINJAS AGREE THAT COWBOYS SUCK, DO YOU CONCUR?

I'm from Central Pennsylvania. So I have to appreciate anyone who can lasso cattle. And ride a horse. And shovel manure. And whatever else cowboys do.

DO YOU CONNECT WITH ANY OF THE CHARACTERS IN LAN'DED, IF SO, WHY?

Christian, definitely. There was a time in my life where I ordered out constantly, drank energy drinks to stay awake, and stayed inside playing World of Warcraft all day and night. At one point, my friends actually broke into my place and pulled me away from the computer,
forcing me to have human interaction. I can't say that I much care for human interaction compared to that of the fantasy world, but alas, I must make appearances from time to time