Jess’ first role on stage was Chava in Fiddler on The Roof at EUCMS. She says the best role she has played is Jo March in Little Women, saying of the role ‘She has so much depth and a great character arc.’ After her father Jim Burns appeared in Beyond Reasonable Doubt at The Guild Theatre, Jess joined in 2022 for Chase Me, Comrade! She says ‘It is a wonderful community of people coming together to do the things they love.’
Not only an accomplished performer, Jess is an executive producer for the independent Sydney based theatre company Squabbalogic. She is also a talented professional sound designer who has been nominated for such awards as the Helpmann Award for her sound design work on Sweet Charity The Musical at The Hayes Theatre and the Sydney Theatre Award for Squabbalogic’s production of Herringbone.
Jess is a team leader in the audio visual department at The Powerhouse Museum as well as being a professional radio microphone technician in professional theatre, having worked on productions including Legally Blonde, Moulin Rouge, An American In Paris, Les Miserables, Wicked, Mary Poppins and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
Jess loves spending time with her family, singing, and playing sports.
‘Community theatre is a great place to learn new skills, make new friends, do something fun, and play some incredible roles.’ – Jessica James-Moody
CREDITS
At The Guild
Previous Roles:
Nancy Rimmington in Chase Me, Comrade!
Previous Production Team:
Sound Design – Chase Me, Comrade!
Other Companies
Previous Roles:
Amy in Company (Bankstown Theatre Company) | Jo March in Little Women The Musical (Eastwood Uniting Church Musical Society) | Miss Casewell in The Mousetrap (Hunters Hill Players) | The Baker’s Wife in Into The Woods (Chatswood Musical Society) | Christine Colgate in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Rockdale Musical Society) | Kira in Xanadu (Mosman Musical Society)
Previous Production Team:
Sounds Designer – Herringbone (Squabbalogic) | Man Of La Mancha (Squabbalogic) | Sweet Charity (Hayes Theatre Company) | The Drowsy Chaperone (Squabbalogic)
Touring Radio Mic Technician – Legally Blonde (Gordon Frost Organisation)
Producer – The Drowsy Chaperone (Squabbalogic)