A Leap of Faith: From Cirque Du Soleil to MPA

This story was written by Kathryn Paquet and appeared in the Summer 2020 edition of the iMPAct Alumni Newsletter

 

Enrolling in a graduate program is a leap of faith. But that’s nothing new for MPA@UNC student Jeana Taylor, who spends her evenings with a troupe of jumping and soaring acrobats in Cirque du Soleil’s “KÀ” production.

Born in Alton, Illinois, Taylor and her family moved to northern California when she was in third grade. She received an undergraduate degree in theater from UCLA and went on to work in film and television, taking a particular liking to comedic acting. In 2008, she received a call from a casting director who had seen her work online. He was interested in booking her an audition for a new Elvis-themed Cirque du Soleil show.

“It was so suspicious that I actually contacted my agent and said, ‘Hey, can you find out if this is legit?’” Taylor recalled. “It never occurred to me that they would reach out in such a way.”

While she didn’t get cast in that production, Taylor was added to their casting database. Less than a year later, she received a call that they were looking to replace an actor in “KÀ,” their wildly popular show at the Las Vegas MGM Grand Hotel. This time, she got the part.

She has now been in the role for nearly 11 years. “We have people come who are celebrating birthdays and anniversaries. I’ve seen a bride and groom in the front row of the theater. We’ve gotten notes from audience members who brought their kids who were struggling with cancer, and this was their night of escapism.

For some people, it’s just an hour and a half, and they walk away, and that’s it. But for others, it’s the mostbeautiful, astonishing thing they’ve ever seen. To be a part of that, this imaginative piece of work, is exciting.”

In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, Taylor felt shaken by what she saw unfolding around her.

“I saw the election as something that really tore at the bonds of community,” she said. “I had this feeling that I was not doing enough— that I could do more.”

In 2017, she founded the group Everyday People Taking Action, a Las Vegas-based organization that aims to inform citizens and promote participation in the political process.

The organization’s work initially focused on tracking and providing information on the bills the Nevada Legislature introduced during the 2017 session. In the lead-up to the 2018 midterms, the group expanded upon that idea by hosting issue-based political house parties.

“It became, ‘Okay, you want to hear about gun safety. Here’s a legislator talking about what they want todo with it at the legislative level,’” Taylor explained. “‘Here’s the person from Moms Demand Action who is talking about what they’re doing at the advocacy level. If this is an issue that interests you, here’s how to get involved, and here are the people who are working on it.’”

Taylor soon realized she’d found a passion that gripped her just as much as acting. Rather than leaving advocacy to her free time, she decided to make it part of her career. After researching MPA programs, she landed on UNC’s online MPA program. With two kids and a hectic work schedule, the online format was exactly what she was looking for.

“I’ve gotten online in full-face makeup, my hair in pin curls for class, and then I’ll go and get changed and do the show,” she said.

Taylor’s experience as a performer allows her to bring a unique perspective to the virtual classroom. She can thrive in a fast-paced, ever- changing environment—a skill many public managers are striving to learn as populations grow more diverse and policy problems more complex.

“Theater is unique in that it’s a microcosm of collaboration,” she said. While many of her classmates are used to working in organizations with formal hierarchies and strictly defined roles, Taylor is accustomed to a more dynamic environment, where thinking on the fly is the law of the land.

“The structure they bring is helpful to me, and I think my ability to be flexible adds something for them,” she said. “I’m more comfortable living in a chaotic world.”

After earning her degree, Taylor plans to explore nonprofit arts management. She sees herself running a children’s arts program or moving into a management role at Cirque du Soleil.

“Public administration is a newer direction for me, and I had to really think, ‘Well, I made art and theater my career because that was my passion, and that’s what I love to do, and that’s what I could do hours of without feeling like I had done hours of it,’” she said. “Why abandon it? I can bring it to the table.”

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