Jennifer was profiled in LA Stage as an Artist To Watch.
Unaffected candor distinguishes the multi-talented Jennifer Shelton. “People haven’t known what to do with me,” she says. “I’m an African American who doesn’t fit the gospel or R&B archetype. That traditionally means I play the boring ingénue, the tragic ingénue. But I’m actually more quirky and bizarre.” Versatility is Shelton’s hallmark, whether in The Hot Mikado at MTW, Man of La Mancha at the Rubicon or Five Course Love at ICT, in which Shelton assayed five contrasting roles in 90 minutes. “Like being on a treadmill,” she recalls. “Yet, with wonderful colleagues such as Christopher Carothers and Perry Lambert, it was the most fun, especially when the audience wanted to be a part of the party. I’m so grateful that director Caryn Desai thought of me for it.” Besides continuing her ongoing relationship with Musical Theatre Guild, where Shelton just finished a year on the executive committee,upcoming plans include “hopefully more on-singing roles. I’ve never considered myself a singer. Growing up, I played the piano. My family would pay me to stop singing.” She laughs and adds, “Musical theatre is the hardest thing in the world. It can also, however, be incredibly rewarding.”