We had the good fortune of connecting with Jesús Briones and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Jesús, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risks have always had a natural place in both my personal life and career. I don’t see risks as something extreme or exceptional. We need movement in our lives to keep our focus on love, creativity, and learning. And every time we move, there’s always something that escapes our control. We might feel fear, anxiety, or enthusiasm but, at the end of the day, we need to take risks to move forward. Every step I have taken in my career has implied some kind of risk: writing a play, choosing a particular actor/actress, planning rehearsals, updating the website. Sometimes, risks are about persisting and not giving-up even when the circumstances don’t make things easy; particularly in an unstable profession as the performing arts.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have always had the need to tell stories. I used to perform short scenes when I was a kid, even before knowing what theatre was all about. I loved not only writing stories, dialogues, jokes, but also performing them in front of my friends, parents, and classmates. That passion has never disappeared. Since then, I have added technique and expertise to that initial need. I tell stories on stage with all the tools, codes, languages at hand. I am proud of the people I have worked with over the years. My current project is very personal -in fact it has my name- Jesús Briones Teatro. As counterintuitive as it may sound, it is the most collaborative project I have ever undertaken. The series of plays have involved a wide array of disciplines and artists: dancers and singers (La Casa del Placer/ The House of Pleasure), actresses and musicians (Siglo de Otros / The Century of Others and La Yaya/ Grandma). Our pledge is to continue with passion, a lot of work, and love. Inspiration may come up suddenly, yet it needs slow-cooking for all the ingredients to fully marinade. As a performer, the focus is on the character, scene, and the story, not just on oneself as an actor.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I think there is no best itinerary to visit my city. There is a different Madrid for every visitor. Indeed, there are must see places/activities. Tapas, is not only about eating and drinking, is a way of life here so I would to choose a neighborhood (i.e. La Latina, Malasaña, Lavapiés), and go to some bars I already know and also others we might discover on our way to our regular hangouts. We would also go to the theatre, possibly meet afterwards with actors from the show and have dinner together.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to give a shoutout to Andrea Jiménez and Noemí Rodríguez, co-founders of “Teatro en Vilo.” They were teachers and today dear friends who were very inspirational at a moment when I was determined to grow as a performer, artist, and director.
Website: https://www.jesusbrionesteatro.com/
Instagram: @jesusbrionesteatro
Linkedin: jesusbrionesteatro
Facebook: @jesusbrionesworks
Youtube: Jesús Briones Teatro
Image Credits
@laura C. Vela @Mariano Cieza