Interview: Theatre Life with Jordan Slattery

Today’s subject Jordan Slattery is currently living her theatre life onstage at Signature Theatre playing the role of Jane in Job. The production runs through March 16th in Signature’s ARK space.

This is not Jordan’s first time onstage at Signature. She was last seen there in Easy Women Smoking Loose Cigarettes right before the world shut down. Other DC area credits include John Proctor is the Villian at Studio Theatre and The Academy of Classical Acting’s production of The Cherry Orchard (Helen Hayes Award Winner “Best Ensemble”).

Jordan has also performed regionally at Greenbrier Valley Theatre in Midsummer’s Night and in Bonne and Clyde at University College of Dublin.

Having seen Jordan’s performance in Job, I can honestly say that her performance is one of the most intense things you will see on any stage anywhere this season. It helps of course that she is sharing the stage with DC legend Eric Hissom and was directed by Signature Theatre’s super stupendous Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner. The first image you see is Jordan pointing a gun at Eric Hissom so that should give you an idea of the intensity Job brings to it’s audience. It pretty much grabs you by the throat and holds you for 80 minutes without ever letting go.

If you can obtain tickets (very few remaining) to Job at Signature Theatre, please do!!! Jordan Slattery’s performance is something of sheer awe. She is truly living her theatre life to the fullest.

Had you been interested in any other profession before becoming a performer?

No. I am truly abhorrent at just about everything other than being an actor, and I have always believed that if I am expecting to be paid to do something then I should be able to do it very well (at the very least). However, I will say that my big dream apart from acting is to develop and teach a college level course studying The Real Housewives franchise as sort of the vaudeville stage of our time - a performance of womanhood, of friendship, of self. I am a very passionate fan and hope to one day be an expert. 

Who would you say was your biggest influence on becoming a professional performer?

I have two. The first is my mother. She’s a writer and growing up she always had not only tickets to theater in the DMV area but access to theater actors. As a young kid I got to see the plays and sometimes sit in on interviews with the actors in them - those actors were and remain royalty to me. Everything about what they were doing, both on stage and with their lives, was what I wanted. I have no idea what I would be doing today without that exposure; she really gave me the gift of my life and put me on my path. 

The second is Dakota Fanning, and her stunning performance in the 2004 film Uptown Girls. For years I told myself I could have done it better. It was a bitter lie. I’m sorry, Dakota. 

Where did you receive your training?

I got my MFA with the Shakespeare Theatre Company by way of George Washington University in DC. I also studied at Atlantic Acting School in New York and got a degree in Theater, Film and Media Studies at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. 

What was your first professional performance job?

I did a kids theater tour! I got to see the United States from a van while working with some of the best people I’ve ever met. I love them to this day. Fun fact: they include (but are not limited to) Sylas and Stew of the iconic podcast Creeptime. Sometimes they mention the tour or my name during the show and I literally get giddy. I’m so grateful for that experience - it taught me what hard work is. (Spoiler: it’s my best friend.)

Can you please give us a brief overview of Job as well as a little something about your character?

Job is a therapy session in real time. That’s already intense enough to begin with, but because of choices made and things that can’t be undone, the tension in this particular room is just bonkers. Jane is a woman who, up until recently, had the Tech job of her dreams. Despite her anger and frustration with her situation, she needs this therapy session to go well, as it’s the one thing standing in the way of being able to go back to work. She has a lot of what the kids call “hot takes” and isn’t great at keeping them to herself. The odds are really stacked against her.

What were your thoughts after reading the script for the first time?

Sydney Lemmon (the powerhouse actor who originated Jane on Broadway) has said that the script gave her a stomachache, and I definitely was there with her. While I loved the natural language style and the jokes, the People Pleaser in me was extremely nervous about the more upsetting material. I’m grateful to this day that Dani Stoller (one of my favorite playwrights ever) was willing and available to talk to me and help me get through that. I admire her for her fearlessness - she was able to see the vision. At first, all I could think was “what if people are upset? What if I’m responsible for making people unhappy?” Today I can recognize just how inhibiting that fear is when it comes to creating art. Max Wolf Friedlich, who wrote Job, created something that makes people scared, makes them think. He’s smart enough and brave enough to know that art needs to do that, and thanks to him I think I know that too. I can’t wait to see what he does next. 

Is your nightly prep for Job any different because of its intense nature and how do you decompress after a performance?

My legendary scene partner Eric Hissom and I have a check in and check out before and after every single show. That was something we established in rehearsals with the help of our intimacy coordinator Chelsea Pace and it’s simple, but it feels ritualistic and vital. That being said, I don’t like to prep too much for the performance - Jane is extremely stressed out from the second those lights go up, so I love utilizing all the real nerves and stress of being on a stage in front of a bunch of people. Apart from Real Housewives, right now my favorite way to decompress is jamming backstage with the incredible cast of Signature’s In the Heights. Company member José J. Muñoz plays his guitar and gets everybody singing. They are all so kind, and so TALENTED! They sound world class - and that’s when they’re sitting on the green room couch! Imagine what they'll be like on stage! What a show that will be. 

This is not your first time working at Signature Theatre. What do you enjoy the most about working there?

Signature Theatre is such a wonderful environment. It’s beautiful, it’s chock full of talent - I feel like I have friends in every department there. I have been so lucky to work closely on Job with Artistic Director Matt Gardiner and really get to see his magic firsthand. My entire performance hinges on that magic, quite frankly. He’ll completely blow your mind in the rehearsal room, and then a minute later offer to show you a meme that made him laugh or tell you the funniest story you’ve ever heard. Talent + Warmth; to me that is Signature. 

After Job finishes it’s run in March, what does the rest of 2025 hold in store for you workwise?

Nothing is officially set in stone enough to print yet, but I can say that I am very excited for what the future holds. Job has been a mountain of a project; not like Sugarloaf mountain but like EVEREST Mountain. Oxygen tanks, tents, crampons, ice axe. BELAY. (This is a metaphor.) To be on this side of that mountain, and to know that people are walking away from the show… “happy” is the wrong word, but moved by the work Eric and I do, is such a gift. I feel like I can do anything now. I’m very grateful.

Special thanks to Signature Theatre's Marketing Manager and Publicist Zachary Flick for his assistance in coordinating this interview.

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