Meet Jenn Zuko

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jenn Zuko and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jenn, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
The old adage of ‘If you want something done right, do it yourself’ has everything to do with my career, especially when it comes to the arts and humanities. Relying too much on ‘paying dues’ and attempting to climb ladders other people have constructed tend to hamper one’s own skill level and eventually, success. I decided, after many years of struggle, to climb down off those other people’s ladders and build my own.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The art of staged violence and theatrical combat has been (and still is to a certain extent) a male-dominated field, and from the beginning when I first started my initial training, all the way through teacher training and on to professional work, I have found that gender dichotomy to be an obstacle. When I later got into martial arts for realsies, even more so.

But I’ve loved the men I’ve learned from throughout the process, and honor the masculine vibe. There is definitely a way to enjoy men’s spaces as a woman, and I have being ‘one of the guys’ to thank for my own discovery of my fluidity of gender myself.

Besides! What a wonderful way to learn about history—to explore the precision making of blades, and watch them morph through the centuries, or to express an eternal sentiment in Shakespearean verse. It’s a way to embody history and story in general.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
It depends on which city! I grew up in Boulder and I now live in South Denver! Love both areas, but they couldn’t be more different!

I’m a pub aficionado (see my Popination series on my Substack), and so in Boulder I’d recommend a bunch of those. You can walk down the Pearl Street Mall, throw a tennis ball, and hit any number of great places for a sip and a snack. Some of my faves: Mountain Sun, Corner Bar, Japango, and West End Tavern.

Where I am now, there’s a super comfy bar & grill called IC Brewhouse nearby, which is a real live 3rd Place just Iike the cultural psychologists say is so good for a community. Downtown, there’s the DCPA which continues to earn its awards.

Of course, I’d recommend my own variety show which happens in Westminster, but I don’t know if that’s allowed in these responses! 🙂

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband Paul, first and foremost. Also the amazing motley crew that constitutes the variety show I head: Blue Dime Cabaret. I’m inspired and supported by these wild wonderful weirdos every day.

Website: https://jenn5c3s4.substack.com/

Instagram: Jenn Zuko

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenn-zukowski-mfa-8aa75314

Facebook: Jenn Zuko

Image Credits
Photographer credits for some: Anthony Earl, D20