224. Jenny Bennett: Hope is a Discipline

What does it mean to spend a lifetime making theatre?Actor, director, educator, and fourth-generation theatre artist Jenny Bennett joins Ghostlight host Benjamin Reed to explore the power of presence, communication, and community. From growing up backstage in Michigan to building a theatre company in Taiwan, Jenny reflects on the experiences that shaped her artistic vision and her belief that meaningful communication begins with listening.Together, Bennett and Reed discuss actor training, directing, language acquisition through theatre, the economics of the arts, why live performance still matters, and the unique ability of storytelling to bring people together across cultures and differences.Along the way, Jenny shares lessons from a life in the theatre, why the best collaborators aren’t always the most talented people in the room, and why she believes that hope is not a feeling, but a discipline.Topics: Theatre, directing, acting, Taiwan, communication, community, arts funding, Shakespeare, collaboration, storytelling, attention, hope.