J.D. Jump
Design for the Church and Theatre



Theatre








    My theatre experience is varied and broad.  I first got involved in theatre seriously when I auditioned for the middle school production of Tom Sawyer my 8th grad year.  After that point in time I was hooked.  Once I got into high school, I was cast in a production of the Crucible where I played Francis Nurse.  In spring of my freshman year I took my first crack at behind the scenes work and I have never looked back.  Our technical program was pretty small and I began working with the lighting crew.  Because our crew was so small, I got to do work in a lot of different areas, not just lighting.
    The next year in high school I was in a musical but that was the extent of my high school acting experience.  During the shows I had been a part of I had been given the distinct impression that I was no good at acting.  So, in my last couple of years of high school, I threw myself into technical work.  By my senior year I was made the Master Electrician and I got to do my first two lighting designs.
    When I started to look at colleges, I wanted a school where I could do theatre work even if I was not a major.  I got my wish at Randolph-Macon College.  The drama department was painfully small, with only two faculty.  At Randolph-Macon I was able to take advantage of the small environment to work in many different areas.  By January of my freshman year of college I had been made the Master Electrician of our small theatre.  In addition to being ME of almost every show from my freshman year on, I got to do many lighting designs.  I also tried my hand at acting, directing, scenic design, and house management.  In addition I was the co-author of Randolph-Macon's stage management handbook.
    During Divinity School I got involved with local theatre in North Carolina.  I was involved in mostly lighting design around and have been vastly enriched by my experiences and interactions.  After Divinity School I came back to my Alma Mater, St. Christopher's.  Part of my job here is to work with the theatre program that I grew up in.