James Jackson, Jr. is an Obie Award-winning New York City actor, educator, performance and cabaret artist, most recently recognized for his work in the Tony Award & Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway musical A Strange Loop, followed by White Girl in Danger, presented by Second Stage & The Vineyard.
For over 20 years, this storyteller has made a home in New York City’s cabaret scene at Joe’s Pub, The Green Room 42, DROM, Duane Park, and 54 Below. A respected talent, who often recalls in his devastatingly funny stage show (thanks BroadwayWorld), that his artistry is based on the principle "If you're going to be the only one…be THE only one! The onliest."
After years of dance belts, regional theatre, a few national tours involving both a demanding team of Brits and an unfortunate stop in Branson, Missouri, James’ career has led to gracing the prestigious stages of Radio City Music Hall and Carnegie Hall.
As an arts-educator, James has worked with students throughout the country in song-interpretation, audition technique, & on-camera work. An Adjunct Theater Arts Professor at Manhattanville College, he’s taught courses in “Creative Process”, “Acting I, II, and III”, and the performance seminar “New York Now”.
A native of Boston with an B.A. in Music Education from Westfield University, James’ work as a solo artist, along with co-creating podcast and virtual talk show “5 Questions with James & JAM” with A Strange Loop cast member, Tony Award nominee John-Andrew Morrison, he’s also developed “The Black-Ups” (with co-creators LaDonna Burns and Elliot Roth) and has been seen at The American Repertory Theatre’s Club Oberon, Los Angeles’ Lyric Theatre, and Tin Pan Alley and The Post Office Cabaret in Provincetown. His razor-sharp wit and unique sense of humor have become an artistic force to be reckoned with as well as a voice that people want to hear as he changes the face of the concert stage.
Photographer: Brian Edwards