Courtney Jamison
Multi-Hyphenate | Lover of Dogs, Movie Musicals, Felt Tip Pens & Studying Languages | CJ 씨제이
"I have learned that I have to keep on dreaming... I want to show that you can have fun and have purpose, be respectful and speak your mind. You can be both elegant and a provocateur. You can be curvy and still be a fashion icon. I wish this freedom for every person.” - Beyoncé. Harper's Bazaar, 2021.
Bio
Courtney Jamison (CJ) is a multi-hyphenate artist born and raised in Richmond, VA.
As a young girl, she'd take over the family living room and perform her after dinner Lena Horne-Inspired-Cabaret: "Dinner's with Coco," where special guests included her older brother/fellow writer (Jai), Mom (Birdie), Dad (Calvin), and whoever else was visiting that night.
Courtney spent her formative years splitting time between playing in golf tournaments with The First Tee of Greater Richmond and participating in programs with the non-profit School of The Performing Arts in the Richmond Community (SPARC). During her years with SPARC, she served as a performer, stage manager, assistant director, and intern. This well-rounded experience fostered a lifelong love of theater, film, community involvement, activism, and mentorship through the arts.
She is a graduate of James Madison University and the Yale School of Drama MFA Acting Program, where she took part in the development process of many new works as an actor, writer, and director. Courtney starred in and produced SLAVE CRY with her brother Jai Jamison, which won the 2019 Commonwealth Award for Best Short Film at the Virginia Film Festival and recently screened at the 2021 Pan African Film Festival. Her directorial debut, DAY 74, won the 2020 Curbside Shorts Film Challenge Grand Prize sponsored by Women in Film LA, IMDbPro, and ReFrame Project. Some acting credits include SLAVE PLAY, IF PRETTY HURTS..., SOME BODIES TRAVEL, PASSION, and, THE WINTER'S TALE (Yale Drama); THE SUFFRAGISTS (The Public Theatre/Sundance Institute Workshop); SCHOOL GIRLS; OR, THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY (MCC Theater); ASSASSINS (Yale Repertory Theatre); DREAMGIRLS and THE COLOR PURPLE (Virginia Repertory Theatre). She is repped by Authentic Talent and Literary Management and is a member of SAG-AFTRA and AEA. Full resume available upon request.
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Representation Matters Forever & Always.
The Honorable is a documentary project archiving and celebrating the legacy of some of the first Black women judges in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As the daughter of one of these judges, creator/writer/director, Courtney Jamison, witnessed firsthand how her mother and fellow Black women navigated the judicial system with grace, integrity, fairness, and discernment.
Click the photo above to be redirected to the proof of concept presentation with Broadway Advocacy Coalition.
"In this virtual proof of concept, a cast of 7 Black women will embody Justice Cleo E. Powell, Judge Aundria D. Foster, Judge Birdie H. Jamison, Judge Eileen A. Olds, Judge Angela E. Roberts, Judge Margaret P. Spencer, and Judge Alfreda Talton-Harris. This iteration consists of theatricalized excerpts from interviews held with the judges exploring themes of integration, being 'the first,' their law school experiences, coming of age during the Black Power movement, the intersectionality of Black womanhood, discretion versus power, 'ole white man' kind of justice, liberation, motherhood, and their hopes for the future of the judiciary.