Jessica Pennachio
Actor, fight director, makeup artist, and teaching assistant for stage combat classes; office manager for a landscape design company
Education:
B.A in Theatre, with a concentration in Performance, UNC Charlotte (2016)
Certificate of Completion from The Actor’s Gymnasium Professional Circus Training Program: Major in Partner Acrobatics, Minor in Juggling (2018)
Advanced Actor Combatant Certification, Society of American Fight Directors (2023)
Hometown: Matthews, N.C.
When Jessica Pennachio was a kid, she and her siblings and neighbors would put together elaborate dinner theatre shows and perform them for their parents. The “collaborative and transformative nature of theatre” drew her in, she says, both as a child and later in high school, where she began to “learn
more about the technical aspects of performing.” That is when she decided to pursue acting in college.
In UNC Charlotte’s well-rounded theatre program, however, she truly became a cross-trained artist.
“From costume design to stage makeup, scenic design, directing, and acting classes, I understood the process behind a production from start to finish,” she says. “My professors were some of my biggest advocates and helped me get work in the local theatre community while I was in college. Whether it was for acting or crew work, those experiences made me a better collaborator. I am now a makeup artist because of the classes I took in college; I am an actor because my college professors gave me the tools to succeed; I am a stage combatant and stunt performer because of the circus and movement classes I took in undergrad.”
As a professional, Jessica wears many hats. By day she is an office manager for a landscape design company, while “on the evenings and weekends, I am an actor, fight director, makeup artist, and teaching assistant for stage combat classes,” she shares.
The breadth of her abilities leads to some pretty interesting opportunities: understudying the role of a pro-wrestler, for example (“It has been exciting to dive into a highly stylized type of fighting while bringing the larger story to life.”); working as a makeup artist for a pilot episode centered around vampires and vampire hunters; or teaching a partner acrobatic class at A-Town Throwdown in Atlanta, where she explored “how foundational acro can be a valuable skill for stage combat.”
During her time at UNC Charlotte, Jessica and Casey King co-founded and co-produced ARTofficial, a student-led play festival where peers had the opportunity to showcase original one act plays.
“Every aspect of this production was student driven from a technical, design, and performance perspective,” Jessica says. “We had two nights of sold out shows, and it was a beautiful experience seeing the results of everyone’s hard work.”
Other highlights from her time at UNC Charlotte include: “every Project 24/7 I got to produce, early mornings to get to the Renaissance Fair as part of the first commedia del’arte troupe, setting up circus rigging in the quad, and spending years being surrounded by an incredibly passionate group of creatives.”
Jessica’s advice for current students?
“Create your own art! Every artist has a unique perspective based on their lived experiences. If you have a passion project that you want to see come to life, find like-minded people and make it happen. Find a movement practice to explore. Whether it be martial arts, circus, stage combat, stunts, fitness, etc. You will develop skills to be a well-rounded actor and have heightened physical awareness. Seek opportunities to learn from others in different disciplines. The more you learn and grow, the more of an asset you are on stage or screen.”