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Actor and former student, NIDA Graduate, Class of 2011

Always observing, always thinking. This is how I’ll remember you Kevin “KJ” Jackson. I’m so grateful that our NIDA acting class was one of the final set of graduates who were able to have you for our whole 3-years of training.

I’ll always remember your deep grunt from my callback audition, which at the time felt so ominous! Eventually I came to understand it was a verbal sign of “there’s more to be done, but I can work with that”, or when you caught me with a glass of champagne in 1st year, at the 50th NIDA Reunion Celebration, and I was still underage! I was so scared as you held me in suspense until chuckling a “I don’t care!”

You definitely had your methods of digging deep into us, finding our triggers to see how far you could push us and always in the pursuit of honing our craft and fine tuning our instruments. I’ll always be grateful for how you encouraged me to use and recognize my intellectual instincts, not just my emotional ones. And for casting me for one of my first professional jobs out of drama school as your Joan of Arc in Bernard Shaw’s “Saint Joan”.

Honestly, if I could just perform period classics on theatre stages, that would be pure bliss! So much of that is because you taught a love for language, subtext, stakes and humanity that I’ve never heard with such passion and inspiration. We, who had the pleasure of being your students and colleagues are truly the better for it.

It’s been almost three long years since I’ve had a decent acting job, and one of my favorite memories from that was seeing you in the 2nd row during our curtain call on Opening Night at The Stables & talking with you after. Always observing, always thinking, always challenging me to be more than my self-inflicted limitations. Thank you.

Rest in Good Company KJ. You are no doubt resting with the Greats!!