Jessica Stanley

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Actor. Writer. Voice Artist. Marriage Celebrant. Melbourne Fringe 2021 Award Winner of the Art Unbound Award for her digital show, JSMR: an ASMR & Storytelling Experience. Jessica Stanley is an actor and writer from Naarm/Melbourne. She is the Co-Founder of independent theatre company Spinning Plates Co., whose 2023 and 2024 productions of The Crocodile and Rhinoceros were critically acclaimed, featured sold out seasons at fortyfivedownstairs, and resulted in the company now being one to watch in future. Jessica was awarded a scholarship to study at Monash University, where she gained her Bachelor of Performing Arts and was recognised as Outstanding Year Level Achiever following her work in August: Osage County. In 2015, she concurrently completed the Full-Time Program at the Howard Fine Acting Studio Australia and a Bachelor of Psychology at Swinburne University. She has also trained at 16th Street, TAFTA and the Rehearsal Room, as well as working with Australian director Kim Farrant and world-class intimacy coordinator Ita O’Brien. Once COVID buggers off for good, Jess hopes to continue training with Ita to become an intimacy coordinator. On-screen credits include roles on The Doctor Blake Mysteries and Glitch. When Melbourne Fringe turned digital in 2021, Jess reimagined her stage show, JSMR: an ASMR & Storytelling Experience into a digital show. In 2018, Jessica received critical acclaim for her solo performance in Ross & Rachel (Theatre Works). In 2016, she was nominated for Best Performance Award for her solo performance in Ménage at Melbourne Fringe Festival. Other stage credits include The Crucible (dir. Andrew Blackman), You Are The Blood (dir. Peter Blackburn), Extinction (dir. Andrew Blackman),Strata, Inc. (dir. Faran Martin), Navy Pier (dir. Phoebe Anne Taylor), and It's Alright, Sid it's Alright (dir. Robert Reid). In 2018, Jessica was the only Australian playwright invited to attend the Valdez Theatre Conference, in Alaska, for her new play Sisters, Inferno. In 2019, she began working with Complete Works Theatre Company, touring to schools across Victoria to perform for Year 12 students in roles such as Abigail in The Crucible and Hero in Much Ado About Nothing. A passionate writer, Jess has also launched a freelance business, Speak in Jess, which offers copywriting and scriptwriting services. In 2021, Jess became an Authorised Marriage Celebrant and launched a book recommendation podcast, Whaddaya Readin’? with long-time friend and collaborator, Sarah Clarke. She also completed training to become a qualified Mental Health First Aider. Jessica has been a proud member of Equity since 2013.