Linda Jones is an NYC actor with a “cracked wit” and a passion for words and language. She narrates books, both fiction and non, and has also worked in new plays, old plays, film, tv and voice over. With a decade of narration, and nearly two in new plays and development—including dozens of premieres (NYC, West Coast, US & World)—she loves nothing more than to dig into new work by exceptional writers. She spent several years as a lead artist with Crowded Fire, an award-winning, nationally recognized San Francisco theatre company, where she was happily named by one reviewer as, “…an indispensable actor of exceptional power, nuance and range.” (Brad Rosenstein, SF Bay Guardian).
Award-winning theatre work includes Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing and Charles Mee’s Trojan Women: A Love Story. And generous critics have called her “nuanced,” (EDGE NYC), “deep” (NY Cool), “fierce” (OnOffOff), “sharp and hilarious” (New Theatre Corps), “ever-versatile” (Backstage West), “excellent” (SF Bay Guardian), “magical” (Contra Costa Times), “inspired, touching and comic” (SF Chronicle), “mesmerizing” (Sacramento News & Review), “completely focused and faultless… hilarious” (Sacramento Press-Tribune), “[an actor with] a quality of inner light – rare, radiant and indefinable” (Ithaca Journal).
Born and bred in Concord, Massachusetts (she learned to swim in Walden Pond!), her escapades have taken her across the country, with years spent in upstate NY (she is honored to hold a BFA in Acting from Ithaca College), Chicago and San Francisco. It’s been over fifteen years since she hopped in her little convertible, waved good-bye to California, and drove cross-country, Johnny Cash’s ‘Ring of Fire’ blaring from the speakers as she crossed the Nevada desert. And, though she looks back fondly – she’s glad to be a New Yorker.
She is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity. In addition to performing, she also coaches voice, speech, dialects and voice over for actors in NYC. (More on that, here.)
Other details? She prefers her whisky neat and her coffee black. She loves dive bars and diners, thunderstorms and snow days. And road trips. And though she tried being a blonde for a few years, she discovered she actually has more fun as a brunette. She has been known to run marathons – three to be exact – and she’s looking forward to running a fourth very soon. She lives with writer John C. Foster, their dog Coraline, and an apartment filled-to-bursting, floor-to-ceiling, corner-to-absolute-corner with books.
SOME RIDICULOUSLY GOOD PRESS…
Audiobooks
“The writing is exquisite. But the narration elevates it to another level entirely. Linda Jones has done a fine job. I’d say she has given as much love to this as the authors have. Seriously, it’s that good.” ~Wayne Fenlon
“The narrator, Linda Jones, is terrific and brought these tales home with humanity and care. She was a new narrator to me, but she was brilliant!” ~Char’s Horror Corner
“Linda Jones is a superb reader. You don’t even realise she’s there (which is a compliment, even though it might not sound like it). I listen to an awful lot of audiobooks and Linda is a real talent.” ~Andrew Chapman
“I’m one story in and it feels like [Jones is] stuck in one of the stories telling us what she sees.” ~Mark Matthews, Wicked Run Press
“The narration by Linda Jones is so good as always. I love listening to her tell these stories.” ~David McClung
“Linda Jones once again delivers an incredible performance, bringing the characters and world to life.” ~Audible Listener
Theatre
...Double Vision
…DOUBLE VISION
by Barbara Blumenthal Ehrlich (World Premiere)
Don’t Tell Miami/NYC Fringe
(**** four stars, Time Out New York)
“The neighbor, played smartly by Linda Jones, is an appealing mix of control and nuttiness. She has a refreshing energy and brand of cheer.”
~Rob Lester, EDGE New York City
“As Celia, Linda Jones gives a nuanced performance…”
~William S. Gooch, New York Cool
“Linda Jones gives the whimsical Celia great depth…”
~Victor Gluck, Theatre Scene
The Trojan Women: A Love Story
THE TROJAN WOMEN: A LOVE STORY
by Charles L. Mee (West Coast Premiere)
Crowded Fire Theatre Company
(Upstage/Downstage Award, Outstanding Performance)
“Things start to cook…with Linda Jones’ excellent turn as an unhinged Andromache.”
~Brad Rosenstein, San Francisco Bay Guardian
“Linda Jones’ Andromache looks harrowed and haunted.”
~Joe Mader, San Francisco Examiner
“Linda Jones’ post-traumatic sex-and-etiquette-obsessed Andromache delivers some sharp moments…”
~Rob Hurwitt, San Francisco Chronicle
“Linda Jones delivers a strong soliloquy as the musing, half-crazed Andromache, holding a Raggedy Andy doll. ‘I remember there were Friday night dances at the golf club,’ she says lightly, before lapsing into a fugue about being a faithful wife.”
~Michael Scott Moore, San Francisco Weekly
Top Girls
TOP GIRLS
by Caryl Churchill
Crowded Fire Theatre Company
“Linda Jones, as Marlene, emerges as the company’s major player, an indispensable actor of exceptional power, nuance and range.”
~Brad Rosenstein, San Francisco Bay Guardian
A-A-America!
A-A-AMERICA!
by Edward Bond (US Premiere)
Crowded Fire Theatre Company
“Jones is downright chilling as ‘the devil out the smokey pit’”
~Chad Jones, Oakland Tribune
“The cast is both funny and frightening, with special credit going to the ever-versatile Linda Jones.”
~Jean Schiffman, Backstage West
“A committed performance from Linda Jones, as the sinister, coil-voiced Grandmother.”
~Michael Scott Moore, San Francisco Weekly
The Marriage of Bette & Boo
THE MARRIAGE OF BETTE & BOO
by Christopher Durang
Eternity’s Well Productions
“Only Linda Jones, as Bette’s hypersensitive sister Emily, provides the degree of character development this play demands. …Because she makes this crucial character increasingly real, Emily’s final benediction does provide the family with its first genuine sense of peace.”
~Diana Spinrad, Chicago Reader
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
by William Shakespeare
HoNkBarK! Theatre Company
Vital Theatre
“Ms. Jones makes for a fierce Lysander.”
~Hannah Snyder-Beck, OnOffOff
“In her gender bending role, Jones acting is sharp and hilarious and is the highlight of the production.”
~Eric Miles Glover, New Theatre Corps
The Real Thing
THE REAL THING
by Tom Stoppard
Center Repertory Theatre
(Shellie Award nomination, Outstanding Performance)
“Seer and Jones are absolutely magical together, and when they get rolling in a scene, sparks fly.”
~Pat Craig, Contra Costa Times
“The principle actors, Richard Seer as Henry and Linda Jones as Annie, could hardly be better.”
~Robert Lee Hall, Piedmont Post
The Man Who Came to Dinner
THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER
by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart
Center Repertory Theatre
“…And then there’s Jones’ deft turn as Maggie, the secretary who falls in love with the local newspaperman and aspiring playwright. …When she gets caught scheming to chase a rival out of town, Jones goes so still and small she almost vanishes into the wallpaper. It’s an inspired and touching comic moment.”
~Steven Winn, San Francisco Chronicle
Mrs. California
MRS. CALIFORNIA
by Doris Baizley
River Stage
“The standout performance is Linda Jones as Mrs. San Bernardino. She is mesmerizing to watch.”
~Patti Roberts, Sacramento News & Review
“Linda Jones as Mrs. San Bernardino is completely focused and faultless. Without uttering a word, Jones can induce laughter…she is hilarious.”
~Diane Bartlett, Sacramento Press-Tribune
Resumes
Corporate/Industrial
American Express
Corporate Training Narration—various programs
Disney
Disney Institute Sponsorship Narration
Dow Chemical
Technology Launch Narration
Clairol
Instructional Narration
Kramer Levin
Diversity Training Narration
Mercer
Corporate Training Narration—various programs
Modulus Financial Engineering
Investment Training Narration
Rockingham Memorial Hospital (RMH)
Corporate Tribute Narration
Thomson Reuters
Corporate Compliance Narration
Film
Ike Interviews God
God
NYU Films
IBM – Smarter Cities
Documentary Narrator
Wide Iris
The Innocence Project
Documentary Narrator
Wide Iris
YWCA—In the Company of Women
Documentary Narrator
Shaw Communications
Audiobook/Tours/E-Learning
Audible
Audiobooks—various (list available upon request)
Hinkler Education
Wonder Words Digital Learning Books
InYerPocket Software
Starship English—Engage Literacy Assesment Kit
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Audio Tour—Main Collection
Medical/Technical
Boehringer Ingelheim
Dual Bronchodilation with LAMA/LABA in COPD
Collier Resources
3-Dimensional Seismic Survey
Fenwal
Aurora Plasmapheresis System
Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)
Heart Health Wizard
Schneider Electric
I/A Series Micronet System
Special Skills
Dialects: various (includes Standard British, Cockney, American Southern, Standard Irish [Dublin-based]); see next item.
Professional Dialect Coach (resume and references upon request)
Home Studio—Apple MacBook Pro, Neumann TLM 102, RME Babyface, ProTools (samples available upon request)
Extensive theatre & film credits
Film
Ike Interviews God
Lead
dir. Eli Shapiro
NYU Films
Art=Love(2)
Supporting
dir. Mumtaz Hussain
DYK Films
Mulholland Drive Support Group
Lead
dirs. Robert C. Barker, Prince Gomolvilas
roomfive productions
Saloon Song
Supporting
dir. John Hamilton
Home Boy Liquors
Less Miserables
Lead
dir. Justin Lomba
Top of the Slide
Uncommon
Lead
dir. John Howard Swain
Full Circle Productions
Acceptance
Lead
dir. David Weiner
ICB Productions
Sex by Numbers
Lead
dir. David Weiner
ICB Productions
Television
What Would You Do?
Parallel Parker from Hell
dir. Clem Taylor
ABC Primetime
What Would You Do?
Supermarket Mom from Hell
dir. Clem Taylor
ABC Primetime
Corporate Video
Oracle
Lead
dir. in-house
Oracle Corporation
HP Systems
Lead
dir. Tom Galt
Playback Media
Diversity
Lead
dir. Mark Romo
Playback Media
Equity in Education
Lead
dir. Matthew Abourczk
Axis Video Productions
NYC
Honor Student (workshop)
Naomi
dir. John Howard Swain
Playwrights First
167 Tongues
Irene
dir. Ari Laura Kreith
Jackson Rep/Theatre 167
…Double Vision
Celia
dir. Ari Laura Kreith
Don’t Say Miami/NYC Intl’ Fringe
The Country Wife
Alithea
dir. John Ficarra
HoNkBarK!/Vital Theatre
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Lysander
dir. John Ficarra
HoNkBarK!/Vital Theatre
Shiloh Rules
Cecilia (u/s, 2 perf)
dir. Michaela Goldhaber
Flying Fig Theatre Company
Priscilla
Gerdy
dir. Robert Zick
New World Theatre
Regional
Moon Over Buffalo
Rosalind
dir. Amy Gonzales
TheatreWorks Palo Alto
Book of Days
Ruth/LouAnn (u/s)
dir. Robert Kelly
TheatreWorks Palo Alto
House of Mirth
Servant
dir. Giles Havergal
American Conservatory Theatrre (ACT)
The Oresteia
Cassandra/Athena (u/s)
dirs. Tony Taccone, Steven Wadsworth
Berkeley Rep
Julius Caesar
Marc Antony
dir. Hector Correa
SF Shakespeare Festival
Cymbeline
Imogen
dir. Ken Kelleher
Shakespeare at Stinson
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Puck
dir. Julian Lopez-Morillas
Shakespeare at Stinson
The Real Thing*
Annie
dir. David Hay
Center Repertory Theatre
Man Who Came to Dinner
Maggie
dir. Rick Seer
Center Repertory Theatre
One Big Lie
Lu-Lu, God of Lies
dir. Rebecca Novick
Crowded Fire Theatre
The Train Play
Scientist
dir. Rob Melrose
Crowded Fire Theatre
A-A-America!
Grandma Faust
dir. Christine Young
Crowded Fire Theatre
Top Girls
Marlene
dir. Rebecca Novick
Crowded Fire Theatre
49 Miles
Various
dir. Rebecca Novick
Crowded Fire Theatre
Trojan Women: A Love Story**
Andromache
dir. Rebecca Novick
Crowded Fire Theatre
*Shellie Award nomination—Outstanding Female Performance
**Upstage/Downstage Award—Outstanding Female Performance
Cabaret
Bitter Songs for Bitter People
dir. John Ficarra
HoNkBarK!/The Duplex NYC
Faster, Pussycat! Sing! Sing!
dir. John Ficarra
HoNkBarK!/Don’t Tell Mama
Bump in the Night
dir. John Ficarra
HoNkBarK!/The Duplex NYC
B*tches in Heat
dir. John Ficarra
HoNkBarK!/The Duplex NYC
Training
BFA Acting
Ithaca College (cum laude & departmental honors)
Voiceover
Audiobook : Carol Monda, Jayme Mattler
Ed Lewis, Shut Up and Talk, NYC; Roy Yokelson, Edge Studio, NYC; Samantha Paris, Voicetrax, Sausalito, CA; John Erlendson, Voice Media, San Francisco, CA
Audiobook and V/O Workshops with: Johnny Heller, P.J. Ochlan, Rebecca Yarsin (House Casting), Allyn Simons (Kipperman), Matt Smith (Paradigm), JJ Adler (Abrams), Lisa Fischoff, Stacy Seidel (Broadcasters)
Film/Commercial Acting
John Howard Swain, Full Circle Productions
Acting Workshops
Austin Pendleton, Camille Hickman, Erica Jensen, Mele Nagler, David Cappareliotis, Duncan Stewart, Cindy Tolan, Paul Schnee, Tony Taccone, John Howard Swain; Shakespeare & Co. (Shakespeare Intensive), SITI Company (Viewpoints, Suzuki)
Improv
Michael Gellman, Second City (Chicago)
Singing/Musical Theatre
Aaron Hagan, NYC; John Ruocco (The GYM NYC)