Jaysen Wright ’09

D.C. actor soaked up many perspectives on theatre at Grinnell.

Jaysen Wright ’09

Grinnell professors helped Jaysen Wright ’09 shed the feeling of imposter syndrome

Growing up as a gay person of color in a single-parent Washington, D.C. household, Jaysen Wright ’09 struggled to find his place in the world.


While acting temporarily allowed him to walk in somebody else’s shoes, he had trouble acknowledging that theatre was his calling. He thought he might pivot to another field of study at Grinnell College.


“I remember sharing my uncertainty about declaring a major, and my advisor, Associate Professor Lesley Delmenico, simply said ‘but you are an actor, Jaysen,’” Wright recalls. “And I replied something to effect of ‘oh that’s right, I am.’ It was good to have someone else confirm it because I wasn’t comfortable admitting it to myself. She recognized it in me. I’m really glad she did.”


Delmenico’s words have proved true as Wright is in the midst of blossoming theatrical career, playing starring roles in several Washington, D.C. productions. He’s fresh off a portrayal of boxing legend Jack Johnson in the Olney Theatre Center and 1st Stage’s co-production of The Royale.

Jaysen Wright ’09 (right) as boxer Jack Johnson in The Royale.
Jaysen Wright ’09 (left) portrayed boxer Jack Johnson in a recent play titled The Royale.


As a professional actor, he has worked on 34 productions for The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Studio Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, Imagination Stage, and others.


“To get a part in something that’s new, challenging or layered, you are asked to bring a perspective to the rehearsal hall for the audition,” Wright says. “You bring your life with you. In terms of the way I think, so much of that is because of Grinnell.”

The stars aligned


In his first play in elementary school, Wright played the dad in a children’s book called The Day the Wind Changed.


“I was standing there in a panic not knowing what to do,” he says. “All actors recall the first time they forgot their lines. Mine was the very first play I did. I must have already loved acting because forgetting your lines is a really horrible feeling.”


For college, Wright was interested in a different cultural experience than D.C.


“I knew ultimately I would come back and live in a city, but I was looking for smaller liberal arts schools,” Wright says. “I liked that Grinnell was in the Midwest and political candidates came through during election season. It also was a progressive place, which as a gay person of color was important to me. I visited and loved it. And with me being a Posse scholar, the stars aligned.”


Wright says all of his theatre professors made an impact on him. As a working artist from Maryland, Associate Professor Justin Thomas showed Wright that acting could be a practical career.


“When I look back at college-level me, I was so much more of a sponge than I even realized,” Wright says. “I was soaking up so many perspectives on theatre and life in general. It was great having Ellen Mease (associate professor senior faculty) who is text based, and Craig Quintero (associate professor) who is progressive and a visual artist. Having all these different perspectives made me who I am.”


In addition to individually advised teaching and learning, Wright likes that scholarships and financial aid are a priority for the ongoing Campaign for Grinnell College.


“It wouldn’t have been possible for me to go to a school like Grinnell without financial aid,” Wright says. “My mom was a single parent. By the time I finished high school, she had nothing financially to give me. My life would have ended up being completely different without aid.”

Jaysen Wright ’09 in costume for a production of The Importance of Earnest.
Wright appears in costume for a production of The Importance of Being Earnest.

Speaking to his identity


After Grinnell, Wright earned a Master of Fine Arts in acting from Indiana University. His first D.C. production was 8: The Play. He later landed a role as a gay baseball star named Darren Lemming in Take Me Out. A Washington Post story about the play stated Jaysen “anchors his surroundings with dramatic poise. He has earned his cool, seductive arrogance. Wright convincingly maintains this less-is-more physicality, and air of attentive listening.”


Wright also starred in playwright Tarrell Alvin McCraney’s Choir Boy, about an all-boys African American school. The lead character struggled with his sexuality. Wright sang in church choirs growing up, but at a certain point his sexuality and spirituality became at odds.


Choir Boy was eye-opening because I didn’t really imagine there was a play out there that could speak to me and my identity in this way,” he says. “Take Me Out was a play about a black baseball player coming out of the closet at the height of his ability. I realize it’s a great time to be alive. Stories like mine are being told. That’s exciting and validating.”


His latest play, The Royale, was set between 1900 and 1910. The boxer is attempting to become the heavyweight champion, which was the first time a black boxer had a shot at the title. Wright says there have been other plays based on Johnson before like the Great White Hope, but this play dove into Johnson from a psychological perspective.


Portraying a historical person was a different experience for Wright, but he took great care to portray Johnson with accuracy. Later this year, he’s acting in a trilogy of plays based on the life of Emmett Till. He’s playing the part of civil rights activist Medger Evers.


“When you approach the story as a biopic, you have to check all these boxes,” Wright says. “This really allows the audience to focus on the characters as opposed to thinking about whether the facts are correct.”


Since he knew he was going to be boxing on stage, Wright joined a boxing gym.


“With that being said, it’s boxing in 1900 so the stance is difference,” he said. “We had a boxing consultant and a fight chorographer. The boxing gym was helpful in getting used to the endurance it takes. Boxers are insane athletes.”

The student becomes the teacher


Wright returned to Grinnell in 2018 to teach a Suzuki movement and a workshop on auditioning with a monologue. Developed by Japanese director Tadashi Suzuki, the rigorous practice draws on martial arts influences. The extremely physical regime trains actors to work from their core and builds discipline, strength, and focus.


Teaching forced Wright to find out what was important to his own acting philosophy.


“It made me a better actor,” he says. “Getting people talking about acting did wonders for my self-esteem and empowerment. I really value silence on stage and hearing an actor breathe before making a decision. I value those internal moments. That’s something I might not be able to articulate but for getting to teach.”


Wright also returned to Grinnell to act in the Saints Rest movie shot around town in 2017, which was directed by his classmate Noga Ashkenazi ’09.


“The movie itself aesthetically has a lot of things I like as an actor,” he says. “It’s kind of quiet and contemplative; it’s serious but doesn’t take itself too seriously; it’s sweet and sincere. It was a learning experience because film is different, but I really enjoyed it. Every time I’m around a Grinnell person, it makes me happy.”

 


Jaysen Wright benefited from the Individually Advised Teaching and Learning he received as a Grinnell student. Individually Advised Teaching and Learning is one of the six priorities in the ongoing Campaign for Grinnell College. Learn more about the campaign by visiting campaign.grinnell.edu.


—by Jeremy Shapiro