• Baylor alum invited to perform her own play at world’s largest arts festival

    Jenny King

    Whether in front of the camera or working on a stage, Baylor alumni in entertainment have certainly earned their share of the spotlight lately. On TV, prominent Bears have included Angela Kinsey, BA ’93 (Angela on NBC’s The Office)Michael Brandt (BBA ’91, MA ’94) and Derek Haas (BA ’91, MA ’95) (co-creators of NBC’s Chicago Fire, Chicago PD and Chicago Med), and Chip (BBA ’98) and Joanna (BA ’01) Gaines, stars of HGTV’s Fixer Upper.

    On the stage, Allison Tolman, BFA ’04, was nominated for a Golden Globe in January, and then Robert Askins, BA ’04, saw his play Hand to God nominated for five Tony Awards in May.

    Now, it’s Jenny King’s turn.

    While earning her BFA at Baylor (c/o 2010), King — a Waco native and sixth-generation Texan — naturally performed in mainstage and workshop productions with Baylor Theatre. But that’s not the only way she performed; she also gave campus tours with Student Foundation (which meant learning and rehearsing lines), participated in All University Sing, and even had to do some serious acting while wearing the Bruiser mascot suit. “Most importantly though, Baylor helped develop my creative passion,” she says.

    King now lives in London, where she is finishing up her MFA in acting at East 15 Acting School. (That’s King pictured above, performing in Macbeth at Shakespeare’s Globe in London; photo by Lorena de la Parra Photography.) It was in graduate school that King met five other American actors, and together they formed The Barrington Collective.

    This August, the group will get their opportunity to make it big when they perform at Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland — the world’s largest arts festival, hosting theatre performances from all over the globe. Furthermore, one of the festival’s oldest and most respected venues, theSpace UK, asked to work specifically with King’s group. And The Barrington Collective isn’t performing just any old play; they’re performing an original work written by King herself.

    How’s that for flinging your green and gold afar?

    Sic ’em, Jenny!

    [We learned of this story from a Bear who shared her Baylor pride. Do you know of an inspiring story, news item, or just a fun link that makes you proud of Baylor and the Baylor family? Let us know! Click here to submit your point of pride!]