Taking Chances: Owensboro resident finds a home in comedy and performing

Freddie Bourne, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.
·5 min read

Nov. 15—Owensboro transplant Jessica Boyd, known as Jessica Smz, has become a regular performer at The GhostLight Lounge, the entertainment bar attached to RiverPark Center's Atmos Courtyard, telling stories about her life and making observational jokes.

But Boyd, 36, said becoming involved with performing wasn't something she jumped into during her upbringing both in Rockport, Indiana, and Panama City, Florida.

A self-described "nervous kid" around her peers, Boyd put on "little shows" for her family that would eventually become home movies.

"When I was a kid, my mom always called me a ham" she said. "I was a really outgoing kid at home, but I was really backwards socially until I was a little older."

It was when Boyd saw her cousin, Craig, performing in theatre productions at Apollo High School that she became enamored with the performing world.

"I forgot it was my cousin up there," she said. "I thought that was so incredible."

Boyd participated in school programs that were required for students to be a part of, but she didn't try anything on her own accord.

"I didn't have the confidence in myself at that time," she said. "I just really admired artists of all kinds."

In 2019, Boyd was invited to see a production of "Macbeth" when one of her regular customers at Pizzaroma was going to be a part of it.

While she enjoyed the performance, Boyd finally found the confidence to try it out herself.

"I (sat) in the front row, and it's the first play I've been to since my cousin when I was a kid," she said. "I'm sitting there, and I'm just totally immersed in everything; and they're doing fantastic — to say Elizabethan-style lines and convey the right emotion — I was just so impressed by every single person that was up there. And I was like, 'You know, I think I can do that.' "

Boyd made contact with Mike Quig, office manager at Theatre Workshop of Owensboro, about getting involved, but timing wasn't on her side, as a majority of the performing industry was at a standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"By the time I got around to it, nothing was happening," she said.

However, Boyd kept herself occupied during the COVID-19 lockdown when she and a friend began to create TikTok videos for fun that started to get attention locally and beyond.

She ended up getting requests from modeling agencies and signed with NV Models & Talent in Cincinnati, eventually leading to Boyd landing a couple of commercial jobs.

When restrictions were easing and productions were coming back, Boyd finally got her first chance to perform in a show at the age of 35 when she was cast in TWO's production of "Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol," an alternative take on the Charles Dickens' classic, which premiered in December 2021.

The production led to Boyd's introduction to The GhostLight Lounge — where the cast would go out together after shows — and its comedy shows.

"I thought, 'How cool is that, to stand up there and make people laugh?' " she said. "That's how I communicate. Everything is kind of funny in my life. My kids are the same way, my parents (are too)."

Boyd saw her friend Ryan Likens perform a set and decided to try her hand at it shortly after seeing that all the performers were able to be free and creative with their material.

"I just realized I didn't have to do it a certain way," she said. "Everybody was doing it very (differently)."

Boyd has appeared almost monthly at The GhostLight Lounge and typically talks about what has happened in her life recently, such as the different phases of moving into a new home while also discussing observations she jots down in a notebook.

"I think I just try to take everyday things that everyone experiences, regardless of your economic status, your race, your gender, your job or ... (anything) that you can relate to — and just do the funny side of it," she said.

And since making her debut in comedy, Boyd said she feels right at home being herself rather than portraying a character.

"It's difficult for me to not be me," she said. "I feel like with comedy, I can get up there and there's conviction — I've lived it, I've felt it, I know you've lived it."

And in January, Boyd will begin production playing the role of "Happy" in Blood Moon Pictures' upcoming feature "New Fears Eve."

The movie, led by Blood Moon Pictures' P.J. Starks and Eric Huskisson, will include Felissa Rose, who played Angela Baker in the 1983 cult-horror film "Sleepaway Camp," Hannah Fierman, known as Lily in the 2012 horror anthology "V/H/S" and the 2016 horror film "SiREN" and Dave Sheridan, who came to prominence as Officer Doofy in the 2000 horror spoof "Scary Movie."

"I just feel fortunate that in spite of the fact that I have very little experience, so many people have been willing to be like, 'OK, we're going to let you try this,' " she said.

Boyd said pursuing this new chapter in her life will hopefully encourage others to pursue their own happiness and showcase what they have to offer.

"It gives me hope," Boyd said. "...I think it just gives me the sense of hope for the future, hope for my kids, the next generation and the world in general. ...Not everything has to make you money; ... sometimes it just makes you feel good and others feel good, and that's enough."