ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: VIRGINIA BENITEZ-JONES
STEVE: Thank you for agreeing to do this artist profile. I first started working with you doing comedy/theater and I’m curious as to how you got your start in live performance?
VIRGINIA: Um yes of course and thank YOU again for keeping my creativity so alive[.] I always took my elementary plays and extra curriculars very seriously, but I think the first time I really came into my own as a performer was during my junior year audition for Guys & Dolls. I ended up getting to play Adelaide; it was the first time my family heard me sing and act. That night, my brother posted, “Dang, my sister can ACT!” That was the proudest I’d ever felt, and I had no idea how many times I’d keep one-upping myself from there.
STEVE: That’s really sweet that your family was so supportive. Are they performers as well or entertainers in their own ways? How did you cultivate your creative instincts as a kid outside of theatre?
VIRGINIA: There are a few performers in my family! I grew up getting a taste for music and performance, but my oldest sister is the one who inspired me to get into theatre and marching band, since she did both in high school. As I entered high school myself, the clashing worlds of indoor and outdoor entertainment gave me the opportunity to choose elements from both to hone my performative skills, not to mention escape the horrors of adolescence. There was something about being surrounded by lights and music and motion that felt like magic to me.
STEVE: Now, I met you first through the local comedy scene. I really enjoyed your sense of humor and have been fortunate to do a few comedic projects with you over the years. Can you talk a little about what you enjoy about comedy and the differences between live, comedic performance and music/theatre?
VIRGINIA: Oh gosh, comedy is nearly everything to me. I’m drawn to the power behind laughter, the way our bodies simply cannot contain the joy. In college I really enjoyed deep-diving into the history and theory of comedy, the way humans have always wielded humor as a tool for coping, rebelling, satirizing… it’s never been a stupid thing, but somehow always gets away with disguising itself as such. I think true comedy is having a lens special enough to spot the cracks in society. One of my absolute favorite Shakespeare quotes touches this idea so infuriatingly effortlessly - “This fellow is wise enough to play the fool.”
STEVE: that’s a great way of describing the usefulness of comedy in our society. How would you describe your intentions and/or motivations as an artist going forward in your career? What would you like your art to bring to the world?
VIRGINIA: Hoooo whee! Gosh I mean I think this boils down to the legacy I hope to leave, which is one of authenticity and balance. And as a tall girl with small feet… I mean that as literally as I do figuratively (this center of balance is no joke [until it is]). But in another seriousness, I plan to just continue to one-up myself creatively and put out as much love as I can with as little fear as I need to.
STEVE: Virginia, thank you so much for letting me interview you and for our little photoshoot. It was a lot of fun to work with you, as always.
VIRGINIA: Ditto in all the ways!! Thank you Steven
STEVE: Is there anything you would like to direct people to in the article, like a website or social media links to your pages?
VIRGINIA: First and foremost I wanna encourage anyone reading to vocalize their dissent towards this administration. Inhumane forces are afoot and we have a civic duty to do the hard work of reading, self-wellness, and community action. I am nearly finished with my NASM personal trainer certification, but until then I’m offering free advice in my DMs (@propiowellfit ; @veebenjoo) and email (propiowellfit@gmail.com).
