We had the good fortune of connecting with J. René Peña and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi J. René, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
People think that acting is about pretending but it’s really about being honest.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I wrote a one-woman show (Traveling with Angels) eleven years ago. I was inspired by exceptional shows I’d seen at Penny L. Moore’s annual solo festival over the course of ten years, but I kept putting it off, mostly because I was scared and, also because I had no idea where to begin.

A year and a half after my husband died, I was tired of crying and moping around and I was ready to focus on something more uplifting and creative. An award winning solo show artist (Kimleigh Smith) just happened to be teaching her first solo show writing class at Penny Moore’s space. Since Penny knew that a solo show had been a goal of mine, she called to let me know about the class. The scariest but most convincing part was that Kimleigh said we would be putting up our shows in three months. I had known people who had been writing for years and still didn’t have a show so, structure plus the deadline was what I needed and wanted.

I only intended on performing it once (that’s how much faith I had in my ability, hahahaha!) but it made an impact with the audience who posted about it on social media and it kinda took on a life of its own and I’ve been performing it for the past eleven years along the West Coast, Washington, D.C, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona and has exceeded all expectations I had for it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Day one we would hike to The Bridge to Nowhere, near Azusa, and do a couple of bungee jumps. The hike in and out takes the entire day so we could spend the night in Pasadena at the Langham Hotel located in a beautiful neighborhood where we could stroll up and down the quiet streets and see some really beautiful homes. While in Pasadena, we’d have to make a dessert stop at The Gourmet Cobbler Factory on N. Catalina. The woman who owns the Cobbler Factory drives in from Victorville six days a week!

One day would have to be dedicated to seeing The Getty Museum, then, on our way to lunch at Tu Madre’s in West Hollywood, we’d stop to see The Witch’s House in Beverly Hills, It’s always a crowd pleaser. We could end the day with a rooftop movie at The Montalblan Hotel in Hollywood.

Day four, I’d take them to Descanso Gardens, then we’d grab some awesome pizza from the Bella Luna Pizza truck on Vermont, near the Greek Theater. If we had tickets to a concert, we go to the Greek, otherwise, we end that day at the Griffith Observatory for a great view of the city.

Day 5, we’d take the Metro downtown to the Arts District to see murals and funky street art, relax at Angel City Brewery. We could eat at Langer’s Deli or The Original Pantry Cafe, or The Perch, with a stop at The Last Bookstore, just for fun.

Since I live in Simi Valley, we’d start day six by hiking to a graffiti cave just off Hummingbird Ranch road. If my guests are up to it, we could do the entire 6 mile loop, or just do the cave and then sit in my back yard and relax until dinner at M on High in Moorpark (some of the best food you’ll ever eat!)

Day seven is a wild card. We could eat on the rooftop at the Hotel on Wilshire where, on a clear day you can see the Hollywood sign, we could take a Warner Brother’s Studio tour, or we could see a concert at the Starlight Bowl in Burbank which is way more intimate than the Hollywood Bowl.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family and friends from Gallup, New Mexico and Kimleigh Smith who is the best coach and mentor anyone could ever ask for.

Image Credits
Allen Winston is the photographer for the Traveling with Angels photos (Me holding a suitcase and me dancing with a red sash)

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