Theatre Resume

Helene Simkin Jara is an actor, director and published playwright. She has performed in Los Angeles, NYC, and at The Western Stage in Salinas, Carl Cherry Center for the Arts in Carmel, Scotts Valley Performing Arts, Pisces Moon, See Theatre, and Cabrillo College. She is also a frequent collaborator with Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre, having directed nine 8 Tens at 8 shows, as well as acting in seven Best of the Rest shows and ten 8 Tens at 8 shows. In September 2020, Helene was featured in Side x Side, a Zoomed play reading of three short plays by Jory Post, presented by 36 North Playwright’s Collective.

Helene has a BA in Theatre Arts (UCLA, 1969) and lives in Santa Cruz, California.

ACTING FOR STAGE
1966 – Myra in “Enter Laughing”, Off-Broadway, NYC
1964-69 – Numerous plays at UCLA
1970 – Miriam in “The Fifth Season” at Santa Monica Playhouse
2001-2003 – Member of Artists in Residence and “Putting on AIRZ” at Santa Cruz Actors Theatre
2003 – “Excuses”, “Magnitude of Joey”, “French Heels”, “Zabillet” readings at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2003 – “Back East”, “Do You Want to Be Happy? “Ashes” “Thirst” for Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2003 – “Unstill Life”, “Statue” for 8 Tens at 8 at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2004 – Cookie in Neil Simon’s “Rumors” at Scotts Valley Performing Arts
2004 – Sue Bayliss in Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons” at The Western Stage (Salinas, CA)
2004 – Old Woman in “Freakish Times” at Cabrillo College
2004 – Pharmacist in “Fight Dreams” at Cabrillo College
2004 – “Second Sight” (monologue) for “Artists in Residence” at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2005 – “Geek Myths”, “Divine Comedy” for 8 Tens at 8 at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2005 – Rosemonde in “Dangerous Liaisons” at Pisces Moon Theatre, Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2005 – “The Qur’an Project” at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2005 – “Playback Theatre” at The Western Stage (Salinas, CA)
2006 – Mrs. Brady in “Inherit the Wind” at Cabrillo College
2006 – “Boxes” (2nd place monologue) at Carl Cherry Center for the Arts (Carmel, CA)
2006 – “Negotiating Nathan”, staged reading at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2006 – “La Llorona” Workshop at The Western Stage (Salinas, CA)
2007 – “Bed and Breakfast”, “The Choker’s Concerto” One-Acts at Cabrillo College
2007 – Nemasani in “Anonymous” at Cabrillo College
2009 – Santa’s Assistant “Santa Quadaffi and the Toy Factories of Guandong” at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2009 – Peasant Woman in “Incorruptible” at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2009 – “Surprising Things Men Have Said to Me” (monologue) at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2010 – “Vat Means Rad?” (monologue) at Carl Cherry Center for the Arts (Carmel, CA)
2011 – Bea in “My Mother’s Keeper” at Carl Cherry Center for the Arts (Carmel, CA)
2013 – “Vat Means Rad” (monologue) in “the MUSE”, Cabrillo College
2014 – Ethel in “Waiting for Seven” for 8 Tens at 8 at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2015 – “Maria” (monologue) in “WORDUP” (Santa Cruz, CA)
2019 – Marge in “The Dating Game” for 8 Tens at 8 at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2019 – Charlotta in “The Cherry Orchard” at Mountain Community Theatre (Ben Lomond, CA)
2020 – “Side x Side: Three Short Plays by Jory Post”, 36 North Playwright’s Collective
2023 – Momo in “The Humans” at Mountain Community Theatre (Ben Lomond, CA)
2024 – “No Stems, No Seeds” by Pamela J. Hasken for Best of the Rest at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2024 – “Burnt Offerings” by Liam O’Grady for Best of the Rest at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre

ACTING FOR FILM
1964-69 – Numerous films at UCLA
2003 – “Forgiveness” and “Dying” segments for Santa Cruz Community TV
2003 – “Ghost Story”, a feature length film shot in Santa Cruz
2008 – Ramona in “Viridiana”, a UCSC student film
2008 – Therapist in “Wilde’s Run”, a UCSC student film
2014 – Susana in “Private Eyes”, a UCSC student film
2022 – Syd in “Syd and Chloe and the Myriad Words”, a short film by Jay Kensinger
2022 – “In Their Own Words” by Peter Gelblum

DIRECTING
1983-84 – Director/Producer for bilingual theatre group Teatro de Aquellas at SC County + Soledad prison
2008 – “The Rental Company” at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2009 – “The Sound of Moonlight” at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2010 – “The Whitefish” for 8 Tens at 8 at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2012 – “For Art’s Sake” for 8 Tens at 8 at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2016 – “Threatened Panda Fights Back” for 8 Tens at 8 at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2017 – “Anonymous Donor” for 8 Tens at 8 at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2019 – “What’s Left Over” for 8 Tens at 8 at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2022 – “Ditmas” for 8 Tens at 8 at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2023 – “Confessions, a Deux” for 8 Tens at 8 at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre
2024 – “Talking to Myself” for 8 Tens at 8 at Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre