Who Inspired My Sketch "Jean Jean et Jonathan"

Hi everyone! This is “Jean Jean et Jonathan,” my very first sketch performed live! It stars Andre Diniz as Jean Jean, Ross Steeves as Jonathan, Michael Chiboucas as Maurice, & Sarah Nicolazzo as French Woman. It was directed by Guy Stevenson and originally performed at The Actors Company in L.A. on Sept 11, 2019.

Besides posting the video below, I thought I’d give you some insight on who inspired this fun & silly sketch. Back in 2017, before I started studying at The Groundlings, I lived in Europe. For about 3 1/2 of those months I settled in Bucharest, Romania. I loved it there! I was amazed at how easily I was embraced by the culture—they love Brazilians there!!! I was also astonished to find an array of new artists trying to push boundaries in all sorts of directions.

Romania was a communist country not too long ago, where much of the art was under strict censorship. But that is no longer the case. The artists I met there touched my heart. There was one person specifically, whom I shall name "Jean Jean” here for th sake of remaining anonymous, who inspired the sketch “Jean Jean et Jonathan.” Jean Jean was a musician, makeup artist, and sculptor. We went on a couple of dates and eventually decided to be friends.

Jean Jean was a non-binary person, who didn’t identify neither as male or female. In the U.S. we use the pronouns “they” and “their” to refer to non-binaries, which is what I’ll use here. I loved Jean Jean’s energy and bravery, especially since in Romania at that time, being part of the LGBT community was looked down upon by most people—though that is slowly changing. Jean Jean was very hopeful that their art would make a difference on elevating the mind of the people to be more accepting. But Jean Jean told me that the more significant changes they have made were on the day-to-day interactions of their life. The conversations they had, the hands they shook, the smiles they exchanged, all showed little by little that Jean Jean was a full person filled with many facets!

Jean Jean reminded me of myself years ago when I was a freshman in college in Boston feeling very afraid to be out. My journey on that matter is a story for another time though. This is Jean Jean’s story.

I was showed around town by Jean Jean, from the somewhat hidden gay clubs in Bucharest to the unofficial local spots, restaurants & bars where some LGBT hang out. Jean Jean had so much life, so happy to be wherever they were at the moment. Though I still remember that Jean Jean would refuse to hold my hand on the street because, well as they said, “What if someone sees us?” I totally understood that. All in its due time.

I took tons of notes on my experiences while in Europe that year. When I was in my sketch writing class Aug/Sep of 2019, my most important mission was to make sure that my characters represented people and experiences from my own life. Even the most silly sketch comes from somewhere truthful.

Jean Jean told me that they dreamed of visiting Paris one day. That they loved Edith Piaf and their favorite song & movie were “La Vie en Rose.” I’m certain that one day Jean Jean will make it to Paris—if they haven’t yet. As I wrote this sketch, I decided to place Jean Jean already in Paris as a French non-binary person. It just made sense to do it. Jean Jean also told me that they preferred to sleep with foreigners, because most people from other places were more open-minded. Jean Jean mentioned that sometimes men who in their countries were known as “straight” seemed to fall for their charm while in Bucharest. Well, but were they really straight? Did it matter? Not to Jean Jean it didn’t.

So here is my sketch, “Jean Jean et Jonathan.” I loved writing it, being in it, and having these amazing actors share the stage with me! Keep in mind that part of the magic of a live performance is always a little “lost” when videoed. With that said, enjoy everyone! I sure had a ball at this performance!