Yo! I’m Jonathan!
I’m a Chicago-based actor, educator, voiceover artist, and goofball with a passion for heightened text.
I’m a graduate of Northern Illinois University with a BFA in Acting (after a VERY brief stint of majoring in Computer Science), and I received additional training from Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s Emerging Professional Residency.
I am overtly passionate about classical texts, literature, and language. As a performer, I seek vulnerability in the work, utilizing my full spectrum of emotional truth to serve the story I am telling.
As an educator, it is important to me that folks understand that there is a place for them. I actively seek to show underrepresented voices in this work. Our bodies, our voices, our language. That cannot be taken away from us.
In my free time, I love reading a good book (I’m a sucker for romance), going on walks, and hanging with my homies.
What Folks Are Saying
“Jonathan Perkins’ face and eyes magically create a comic environment whenever he was present.”
“Jonathan Perkins in a charming, self-effacing turn.”
“Perkins was arresting in the quality of his performance.”
“Jonathan Perkins playing a raft of characters, including the delightfully nerdy Ralph Crane.
Claudius in "Hamlet" at Shakespeare & Company
Ralph Crane in "The Book of Will" at Promethean Theatre Ensemble
Lord Capulet in "Romeo and Juliet" at Midsommer Flight
Claudius in "Hamlet" at Shakespeare & Company
Angelo in "The Comedy of Errors" at Texas Shakespeare Festival
Colonel Fitzwilliam in "Pride & Prejudice" at Texas Shakespeare Festival
Don Pedro in "Much Ado About Nothing" at Northern Illinois University
Angelo in "The Comedy of Errors" at Texas Shakespeare Festival
Lord Capulet in "Romeo and Juliet" at Midsommer Flight
Ralph Crane in "The Book of Will" at Promethean Theatre Ensemble
Ross in "Macbeth" at Hoosier Shakespeare Festival
Colonel Fitzwilliam in "Pride & Prejudice" at Texas Shakespeare Festival
Simon Shashava in "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" at Northern Illinois University
Angelo in "The Comedy of Errors" at Texas Shakespeare Festival
Ralph Crane in "The Book of Will" at Promethean Theatre Ensemble
Ross in "Macbeth" at Hoosier Shakespeare Festival
King Abniss The Apathetic in "Todrick the Not-So-Terrible" at Texas Shakespeare Festival
Slender in "The Merry Wives of Windsor" at Hoosier Shakespeare Festival
Ralph Crane in "The Book of Will" at Promethean Theatre Ensemble
Simon Shashava in "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" at Northern Illinois University
Ghost in "Hamlet" at Shakespeare & Company
What’s Been Going On??
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Summit Theatre Project: A Midsummer Night's Dream
From August 1st - August 17th, I will be doing my first-ever production of Midsummer (in ALASKA of all places) as Demetrius! What an absolute joy to be a part of this show. I get to reunite with some really good friends this time, and it makes me insanely happy. Collaborating with local artists during this process is going to be the best. I am excited to share this story with this community. Let’s get it.
“Desperate to escape their unhappy fates, young lovers Demetrius, Lysander, Helena and Hermia flee Athens for the moonlit woods. There – along with a band of amateur actors – they fall under the spell of mischievous fairy Puck and tumble into a dream world where illusion and reality are hilariously confused.”
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Shakespeare & Company: Northeast Regional Tour of Hamlet
From February 10th – May 3rd, I played the roles of Claudius/Ghost in Shakespeare & Company’s Northeast Regional Tour of Hamlet. Yo, I was so excited for this one. It was the first time doing Hamlet, and diving into the role of Claudius was undoubtedly the hardest challenge I have ever had in my career so far. Not only doing the play, but engaging in the educational aspects of the tour was difficult - but DEEPLY rewarding. The youth are the future.
“A story full of mystery, revenge, and tough choices about truth and loyalty, Hamlet follows its titular character as he learns that his uncle killed his father, the King, and now wears the crown.
Shakespeare & Company’s production is an education tour that travels to schools, community centers, and performance venues across the region, as well as Shakespeare & Company’s mainstage. The tour offers a fully produced show accompanied by post-show forums and various related workshops. It reaches more than 20,000 students, teachers, and audience members each year, and has been part of Shakespeare & Company’s Education Program since 1982.”
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Children's Theater of Madison: A Christmas Carol
I am once again in Wisconsin doing A Christmas Carol. Only this time I am not in Milwaukee, and this time I am playing Fred! We open on December 6th, and CTM is also celebrating its 60th anniversary. Fred is a dream role I never thought I’d have, and he’s been such a conduit of joy for me this season. So, so grateful to spread some more Christmas cheer!
“Our signature production transports audiences into the world of Charles Dickens’ Victorian England & the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge. Join us as the ghosts of Scrooge’s past, present, and future teach him about generosity and the joy of giving! A Madison tradition for over 40 years, with a message that still resonates today.”