JENNIFER PATTY actress,singer,dancer
Proud Member of Actor's Equity (AEA)
Contralto-Mezzo /High Belt
Theatre. Just Do It!
On-The-Stage; In-The-Spotlight
I’m a singer, dancer, actress with over 40 years of diverse performance experiences that include National Tours, Off-Broadway & Regional Theatre, Cabaret/Band, Commercial, Radio, Television, & Spokesperson work. With a vocal range that spans over 3 octaves, I’m a true contralto (C3) with an extreme high belt (A5) & can handle the challenge of an emotionally-charged ballad or the show-stopping 11 o’clock number. I truly love finding the layers that bring a realistic character to life, &, most often, have been cast as the spunky, assertive, take-charge female with the wholesome heart-of-gold like Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, Babe in Pajama Game, Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun, & Rhetta in Pump Boys and Dinettes. Reviewers have described my performances as intimate& heartfelt, silky-voiced & seductive, ranging to high-energied, comedically feisty, & a vocal powerhouse. Please see my full resume for a more detailed look.
If Not On-Stage, Then Backstage
At a young age, I jumped at the chance to work backstage, & I feel lucky that my undergrad education was in a “renaissance actor” program at the University of Kansas. As a Theatre & Film Major we got exposed to every aspect of our business, & that has been a real blessing in my adult life as being schooled in all aspects of our art, I’ve never had to take an “out of theatre,” bread-and-butter job. (“Waiting Tables” for a few months between shows doesn’t count! LOL) There has not been a theatre “job” I have not been blessed to work. Scenic design & construction, lighting design, electrics, costume design, props, publicity, box office…Even today, my phone rings the most with panicked calls of those who need assistance with the “traffic control” of a large musical’s sound board. From 2000-2010, I was the Administrator & Theatre Director of The Waxlax Center for the Performing Arts at Saint Edward's School. ("The Waxlax" is a 808-seat, state-of-the-art theater with a 65’ proscenium.) I directed, choreographed, & designed over 50 productions during that tenure including the Florida debuts of Is He Dead, Blues Clues Live, & the first staging of Rugrats: A Live Adventure and administrated 10 years of seasons/tours of the Atlantic Classical Orchestra, Vero Beach Opera, John Tesh Live In Concert, Michael Feinstein, & The John Denver Tribute Band among many others. While in NYC, I owned/operated DA’CAVE, a 24-Track Digital Recording Studio in the heart of Times Square (A dream for any singer actress; I could walk to the AEA audition center in less-than-5!), and along with my sound engineering partner, completed the pre-production tracks for many of the up-and-coming rap groups of the late ‘80’s-early ‘90’s. Once in Florida, I partnered with my brother, Scott, to produce two theatrical television shows for kids, RCTV & PLAY, that were televised on the local TV10 & gave many talented teens the opportunity to learn in-front & behind-the-camera skills.
Paying-It-Forward / Teaching The Next Generation
Theatre to me is all about discovery, & getting the opportunity to pass down the art and teach is getting to see that discovery in a student’s eyes. As a young child, I took ballet, gymnastics, & tap at Miller Marley Dance Studio (My mom’s quite a tapper so taking dance was a “given” in our house), & music from Miss Gant & Miss Gant on the “The Plaza,” but it was the summer I was going into 5th grade that the whole theatrical puzzle of being an actress/singer fell together for me. I won a scholarship to attend Camellot Academy, Kansas City’s premier fine arts camp. (Summer was supposed to be for swimming so my parents were actually stunned. “You want to go to a six-week summer camp inside?”) It was there I met the teachers who would change my life: Gina Bikales (my mentor to this day), Ron & Joanne, Steve & John, Paul & Pat & Vida. Vocal Music, Drama, Dance, Art on rotation each day with a “showcase” every single week culminating in the final week’s professionally produced musical with a cast of over 100. Gina taught me about timing, holding-for-laughter, & truly filling-the-moment. (Bringing Ado Annie & Calamity Jane to life under Gina’s watch were life-changing roles for me.) (It was the first time I got to share the stage with an AEA actor as Ron Highley’s Fagin taught my Artful Dodger “the art.”) For the next 4 years, that amazing staff lay the bricks for the craft I still use to this day. Once I became too old to be a camper, I got to join the staff as a 15 year-old Drama instructor for the “preschool” Camelloters, & there has not been a year that I have not taught a lesson or workshop since that summer. In high school, director/teacher Max Brown’s stellar, well-rounded theatre program gave me the opportunity to act & direct in every possible style (Much of my 10-year program at St.Edward’s was influenced by Max),and as I moved to college, Maribeth Crawford, Jack Wright, Ron Willis, & John Gronbeck-Tedesco were additional mentors whose examples I live by.
Although I have served as a vocal & acting coach for every age-group, I specialize in helping our youngest break out of the shells and grow confidence. For the last 3 years, I served as an adjunct director of the Primary Theatre program at Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach, Florida where I taught a musical theatre program for 6-9 year-olds as well as was the administrative director of a six-week summer camp for 5-7 year-olds…Paying forward the lessons of Camellot.
Life As A Business Owner Is Never Dull...
After years of working for others, it was time to create the business we'd always dreamed of so in 2011, teaming with my husband, Greg Roux & oldest son, Tyler Roux, our family opened our own audio/video firm. The next thing I knew, I was wearing the hat of the accountant, juggling the Quickbooks data entry when not out equalizing a sound board. Vero Home Audio is located in Indian River County & specializes in the design, installation, & operation of residential & commercial audio, video, lighting, telecommunication, & networking projects. Vero Home Audio is a licensed & insured, family-owned & operated business. (Florida License: EC13007980.) Whether we have been updating a church sanctuary, pre-wiring a family pool deck with surround sound, or incorporating the highest level of technology into a pre-existing 17,000 square foot home, our goal is always the same: to offer the finest professional & personal service possible. Vero Home Audio has built an admirable list of return clients who have relied on our services to outfit homes & business not only in Florida, but in other states. Active in the community, Vero Home Audio is a member of both the Indian River Chamber of Commerce & the Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce, a patron sponsor of the Sebastian High School Football Team, & an advertising sponsor of Riverside Theatre.
Cast as the recurring role of “MOM”
If anyone ever tells you that one night of “karaoke” can change your life, believe them! (No, Greg was not at the mic, but his “song” did win my heart!) For the last 20 + years, I’ve shared a crazy life with a pro-drag racer who’s blessed me with 5 uniquely wonderful kids! Our “Airman,” Garret, serves in the United States Air Force, directing F-16’s from his lofty control tower. Daughter Peyton is a graduate with honors from the University of South Florida & has a master's degree in business from LSU-Shreveport. Our last “bird-in-the-nest” is Bryce who is currently a honor roll Sophomore in Sports Management at The University of Kansas where he is also employed as a Student Team Manager for the KU Football Team assisting with the tight ends & creatively constructing over 40 helmets ever week in season. I’m also extremely lucky to be the “bonus mom” to Tyler (Vero Home Audio) & Nichole (Registered Nurse; Norwich University) & their amazing spouses who have now given me the opportunity to play the role of “GramJenn” to ten (Yes, ten!) incredible grandchildren. Hubby & I are currently building an "escape" in North Carolina & enjoying the life of a traveling "empty nester."