Jaleesa Joy playing Emilie

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name is Jaleesa Joy (real name). I was born and raised here in Milwaukee and went to Minnesota for Undergrad and majored in theatre that further my love of learning about people, and their lives. I love animals and work with them daily. I love two amazing dogs named Kayla and Pebbles and two cats named Tubs and Ahri. I love my people who have been there for me every step of the way especially including my mother, Theresa (real name), Dylan, Sarah and being reunited on stage with old (ha ha) high school friend Matt. I am so thankful for this opportunity.

What attracted you to this show?

I was attracted to the small cast, the play description and based on that I felt like I could identify with Emilie. I have never worked with this company before but their mission and support of the LGBTQIA community is also what drew me to this show.

How do you feel about your character?

I enjoy playing Emilie, she is much more outspoken than I am and isn’t afraid to have those conversations that are uncomfortable sometimes. She is tough, she is still learning, experiencing, hoping and dreaming.

What would you like the audience to take away from this show?

Sometimes we need to call people out on things, that sometimes we need to have these conversations with people we love even when we are still learning and growing in the way we think about ourselves and the world based on how, where, when, and all the ways we grew up can have an impact on that way of thinking and speaking to others.