Jaime Slavinsky – Actor

(Photo Credit: Tony Moux)

I cannot wait until you read this interview below! I have had the pleasure of knowing Jaime for a few years. She is a mentor to me in the world of acting, but she is also a friend. I have many moments filled with laughter with her.

I had the pleasure of seeing Jaime Slavinsky perform Yinzer Scrooged at the Bricolage. During the production, Jaime played multiple characters where she was able to transition into each character in a beautiful artistic manor. I am studying Theatre at The University of Pittsburgh which means I am trying to get as much experience as possible while making myself knowledgeable of what Theatre is really like outside of the classroom. Also, to see what it is really like behind the scenes. Jaime is such a great mentor, she is knowledgeable, and patient. You’ll want her in your corner, especially if you are new to the world of acting for two important reasons:

1) Reliable

2) Genuine

I am confirming that Jaime is beautiful, smart, talented, professional, a genuine human being, and she can cry real tears on cue! With that being said enjoy getting to know Jaime.

Side note: The Bricolage is one of my favorite Pittsburgh Production Companies. To learn more about the Bricolage (Click here)

1) Where did your love for the arts stem from? When did you realize you wanted to be an actor?

I see art in everything and everyone. I think I always have. Inspiration is all around us—from the color of a bird’s feathers, to the sound of your mom’s voice as it cracks just a little as she sings a lullaby, to the way you can sit in the dirt or the sand and make mud pies or castles out of grains of the earth. I was very blessed that my mom & grandparents created an environment where I was free to explore the world around me and to form opinions and make connections and to express my ideas in whatever ways my heart desired. Life was a celebration of freedom and creation and fun. It still is. 

My first word was “book.” I loved to listen as my mom read to me and to imagine the characters and the world of the stories. I think I’ve always been keenly aware of the power of storytelling and how it cannot only entertain, but also enlighten the listener. I also have this insatiable desire to learn everything and anything I can. And, I’m a ham. It feels so good, so unadulteratedly good to make people laugh. When you put all those things together, it certainly sounds like being an actor is something I’ve always been.  

2) What is something surprising that you’ve learned from a role?

How much time ya got?!  Let’s see… We’ll start with the fun stuff first: I’ve learned how to pee standing up while playing a female soldier in the deserts of Iraq; I’ve learned how to draw portraits with my mouth and my feet while playing a woman born without arms who worked as a caricaturist in a sideshow; I’ve learned how to play the bodhran, an Irish drum, while playing a young woman from the west coast of Ireland; I’ve learned how to speak in a Slovak dialect that a teary-eyed audience member said sounded “just like her grandmother if she closed her eyes” while playing a woman who immigrated from Slovakia to Braddock, PA at the turn of the century; and I’ve learned how the Brooklyn Bridge was constructed from beginning to completion while playing Emily Roebling, the first female engineer, in a little Off-Off-Broadway theater in NYC.  

BUT, the real good nitty-gritty-to-the-bone-from-the-heart answer is this: The craft of acting opens one up to a whole world of experiences that one may not encounter in their everyday life. As actors we get to have a small taste of what it feels like to be so many other people of different backgrounds in terms of upbringing, education, socio-economic status, habits, likes, dislikes, hobbies, professions, talents, abilities, obstacles, religion or spirituality, sexuality, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera… and how enlightening it is to see the world through another’s eyes. Nestled deep within this exploration and understanding, is the nucleus of what it means to be human—empathy. 

3) You are also an acting teacher; can you tell us where you teach?

I absolutely adore teaching; it feels like the natural extension of what it means to be an artist–to share the gift of craft and knowledge with those who seek it. I teach acting for theater & film/television to adults at the Emmy Award-winning casting agency, Donna Belajac Casting, in Downtown Pittsburgh. I also teach master classes for intermediate to advanced students at Paragon Studios in the North Hills and am a private acting and audition coach for my own studio, Momentum Actors Studio.  

4) If you were to give an actor who is stepping into a scene for the first-time advice – what words of wisdom would you give?

Know exactly what you want and need from the other character and what the consequences will be if you don’t get it. How much is at stake? Keep your attention on your scene partner; everything you need is in them. Try as many different tactics as you need to accomplish your objective. Aha! That’s a real actor-y term right there. Thanks, Stanislavsky! Remember, your scene partner’s reactions will give you clues about what to do next.. 

Then… let it all go and be FREE in the moment. Trust your instincts! Be OPEN to everything! Acting is like going on vacation—we plan for an adventure. Now, go PLAY!! 

5) Are you working on any projects currently?

Always! One of the biggest lessons I learned while studying at The Atlantic Acting School in NYC, was to be a steward of the art you want to see in the world. Don’t wait to be invited to be a part of a project; create your own. Tell the stories that you feel need to be told. With that, I am currently working on a one-woman show, and the development of a new ensemble-based theater company that celebrates the rich cultural diversity of Pittsburgh. 

6) I noticed you are a member of the Actors’ Equity Union and SAG-AFTRA. Why is it important to be a member?

As a professional actor, it is important to be a member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA because they are labor unions that protect the artist by negotiating wages, improving working conditions, and providing health and welfare benefits. 

7) What was the most bizarre or funniest moment while on the job?

What feels like many moons ago, I worked on a production of I LOVE YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE – a sort of musical sketch comedy about dating and marriage where 4 actors play 10-15 different characters each. One of the parts I played was Rose Ritz, an endearingly awkward divorcee with a thick-like-cheese-curds Minnesota dialect who was being interviewed for her new online video dating profile. The audience always got a real good kick out of Rose, but this one night, there was a group of women who were really whooping it up. Out of the blue, one of them yells back to Rose,  “Oh no she didn’t! Me too, Girl. Me too!” Everyone in the audience lost their bananas. I did too. I couldn’t help it. It was the one and only time in nearly 100 plays that I ever broke character. We all laughed together… for a long time. The communion with the audience in that moment was a truly glorious feeling. 

Check out Jaime’s website for the latest updates on current projects or sign up for individual or small group
acting lessons: www.jaimeslavinsky.com
To register for classes at Donna Belajac Actors Studio: www.donnabelajaccasting.com
or at Paragon Studios: www.paragonstudios.org