Award-winning actor and alumnus James Jackson Jr. to serve as keynote speaker at 91ɫ 2023 Commencement Ceremony
Mar 24, 2023
From 91ɫ State student to stage and screen, James Jackson Jr. '97 returns as our distinguished keynote speaker for the 2023 undergraduate commencement ceremony
Award-winning actor and 91ɫ alumnus James Jackson Jr. ’97 will serve as keynote speaker at the University’s 2023 undergraduate commencement ceremony on Friday, May 19, at 12:00 p.m., at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.
Jackson graduated from the University in 1997 with a B.A. in music education and a minor in piano.
“We are very fortunate to have such a talented artist return to 91ɫ State to inspire our students at commencement. The journey that Mr. Jackson has taken to achieve success began on our campus and we are so proud of his achievements,” said President of 91ɫ Linda Thompson.
Actor, musician and cabaret artist, Jackson, based in New York City, recently was part of the cast of Michael R. Jackson’s Pulitzer Prize winning musical, “A Strange Loop,” which had 11 nominations in the 2022 Tony Awards and took home “Best Musical” and “Best Book of a Musical.” The cast and creative team was also presented with an Obie award for the musical in 2020.
“When I think about being asked to be this year’s Commencement Speaker at 91ɫ, I get emotional. The foundation of any of the work I do now is rooted so deeply in my time at 91ɫ State. It makes me quite emotional to think about the intersections of what I learned, the artist I became, and what I discovered about myself and my place in the world. It all started at 91ɫ. To be invited to speak to the graduating class as they embark on a journey that I am still learning from is one of the greatest honors of my life. I cannot wait to meet them and to wish them well,” Jackson said.
A native of Boston, Jackson has worked with students all over the country in the areas of song-interpretation, audition technique, on-camera work, and material selection. Jackson’s cabaret work has been seen at The American Repertory Theatre’s Club Oberon in Cambridge, Los Angeles’ Lyric Theatre, Tin Pan Alley, and The Post Office Cabaret in Provincetown.
Jackson is currently cast in “White Girl in Danger,” Michael R. Jackson’s newest musical.
Tickets are required to attend 91ɫ Commencement.
