Ep340 - Jessica Fontana: Every Day Special

Jessica Fontana admits that her need to feel like she’s in control impacts her journey in balancing her professional and personal life. Her passion for performing arts began with ballet, which eventually set the stage for her career in musical theater. While Jessica’s mom highly supported her artistic endeavors, her father initially wasn’t. She talks about her college experience at the University of Michigan and its role in shaping her career and changing her dad’s mind. Married to fellow actor, Santino Fontana, she recalls how they met at Birdland Jazz Club, recounting how he left before they could get a drink together, only to friend her on Facebook later that night, slipping into her DMs. Jessica explained her shift from performing regularly to creating her album, "Every Day Special" – a transition that allowed her more control over her creative work and schedule, reflecting her desire for creative autonomy and finding joy and fun in whatever she does. Jessica Fontana is an actress, and the writer, host, co-creator, and co-executive producer of “Everyday Special”, an improvised satirical podcast. She has starred on Broadway in the title role of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella”, “Baby It's You”, and “Pipe Dream” in New York City Center's Encores! Series. She's been seen in the hit web series “Submissions Only”, and has starred in the world premiere productions at regional theaters, including the Goodspeed Opera House, Paper Mill Playhouse, Signature Theater, and Carnegie Hall. Also a songwriter, she recently released her solo debut album, “Every Day Special”. Connect with Jessica: Website: www.jessica-fontana.com Instagram: @iamjessfontana Listen to “Every Day Special” Album Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support the podcast on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast YouTube: YouTube.com/TheTheatrePodcast Threads, Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast TikTok: @thetheatrepodcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com My personal Instagram: @alanseales Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices