Deborah Jane Burke Of House of Deborah Jane Studios On How Live Arts Helped Teach Courage, Authenticity, Vulnerability & Career Success
An Interview With Vanessa Ogle
Performance also teaches you to be vulnerable enough to claim your visibility. To choose to be seen. Years ago, I started a multicultural girl group called The Pinups. It was comprised of a Latina, Asian, white, and me, an African American, girl. The pinup aesthetic does not typically present a lot of diversity, as the pinup phenomenon was born in the 1940s, a time of racial segregation. I wanted to showcase diversity to illuminate a new vision of a classic beauty. After all, women of color can be bombshells too! We performed shows all over Los Angeles, including at a Harley Davison dealership. Through performance we made ourselves visible in an environment that generally subscribes to only one standard of beauty.
The stage is a powerful platform for personal and professional growth. Through live arts, individuals learn to embrace vulnerability, project authenticity, and muster unparalleled courage. These experiences not only shape artists but also prepare them for varied career paths with a distinctive edge. From actors and dancers to directors and behind-the-scenes creators, the lessons learned in the limelight often translate into profound career success beyond the footlights. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Deborah Jane Burke.
Deborah Jane Burke is a dynamic filmmaker, writer, hip-hop recording artist, and producer. She enjoys a successful Hollywood career and has contributed to major networks such as FOX, TBS, BET, and PBS. Additionally, she founded the House of Deborah Jane Studios with a mission to disrupt the status quo, amplify multi-cultural voices, and affect spiritual and social change through dynamic TV, film, theater, and music, with a particular emphasis on musicals. Her most recent work in progress is the film Strange Fruit: The Hip-hopera. She is a proud alumna of the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, where she earned an MFA in screenwriting.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career in live arts?
I got hit with the acting bug when I was a child; I used to create plays in my living room for my parents. I would hang up bed sheets as curtains and force my three siblings to act in my shows. Of course, I was the director! And yes, my siblings nicknamed me Bossy Boots. I would also make my parents “buy” tickets to the show. My folks really encouraged that type of creative expression. As a born-again Christian, you could also usually find me in church, acting, singing, and dancing in church plays. One of my greatest inspirations was my father introducing us to musicals at a very early age. We had family video nights every Friday, where we would gather around the television and watch musicals like Annie, West Side Story, and Jesus Christ Superstar. As Christians, my parents were quite strict about our television diet, we were not allowed to just turn on the tube. So, these family nights were quite special to me. The musical that had the most profound effect on me was Les Misérables. My father used to play the entire audiobook of Victor Hugo’s novel on long camping car trips. Imagine a middle-schooler quoting Jean Val Jean.
One of the most powerful moments for me was when my father took the whole family to see Les Misérables on Broadway. I was 14 and we had front row seats! As the curtain called, I stood up, applauding in utter awe. It felt like I had been baptized by this sweeping historical epic story. I promised myself I was going to create a musical of that caliber one day. So, my musical which I’m now working to produce as a feature film, Strange Fruit: The Hip-Hopera, is my Les Misérables. It’s the Les Mis for people of color.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
The most impactful and igniting story was the one that started it all and led me to create Strange Fruit: The Hip-Hopera as a student at Stanford University. I took a class called Social Protest Drama by a dramatist named Harry Elam. The class taught revolutionary hip-hop theater, which combines musicals, hip-hop, storytelling, and social justice. Something sparked. I knew this was what I wanted to do with my life.
So, as a 20-year-old student, I wrote my first play and raised $8,000 to produce it by pitching to different departments, student organizations, as well as the president of the university. At that time, Stanford’s theater group did not have many plays centered around diverse people or themes. I wanted to change that. So, I cast a 30-person, predominantly African American cast in my hip-hop musical. One of our stars was a then little-known freshman named Issa Rae. We had a sold-out show, and we received a standing ovation. The multicultural and multi-generational audience engaged in a dialogue about race relations fostered by the play. When I took my bow, I heard God whisper to me that “this was only the beginning.”
After the show, the most poignant moment was when an elderly Black woman came up to me with tears in her eyes and said, “thank you for telling my story.” That’s when I knew that I needed to take Strange Fruit: The Hip-Hopera to Hollywood and continue to create dynamic hip-hop theater for the stage and the cinema that could ignite social change.
Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
The first character trait that has helped me is vision. I have an unwavering belief in the visions God gives me. My vivid imagination has been bolstered by being a voracious reader and having the extraordinary support of my parents and family. I actually started reading slave narratives at 12-years-old. This formed the basis of the Strange Fruit story which follows a modern Black woman who travels back to the Antebellum South to rescue her enslaved ancestor from a lynching. That’s the vision. So, whether I’m creating plays in my parents’ living room or selling out a whole theater, it’s the same envisioning process. I truly believe I can create something from nothing.
An example would be when I launched my hip-hop dance team in high school, Flava N’ Da House. I attended a predominantly white high school in Orange County, CA, so, you can guess, there was definitely no hip-hop team! I had discovered the power of hip-hop at 16 when my father bought me the record The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill for my birthday. It became my passion. So, at 17, when I launched my dance team, I was thrilled when 70 people auditioned. There was a hunger for it. I knew then that I was a leader and that through magnetic vision I could create an innovative musical space that was inclusive, diverse, and pioneering. I’ve been doing the same thing ever since.
The next character trait is faith. My faith in God and in the promises God gives me sustains me through the rough and tumble of manifestation. An example of this is when I launched my production company House of Deborah Jane Studios. (Are you noticing a ‘house’ theme?) I started it after graduating from USC School of Cinematic Arts with my Master’s in Screenwriting. Strange Fruit: The Hip-hopera was our maiden voyage movie. A group of talented Black women, my sisters, and I started knocking on doors in Hollywood without an agent or an “in”. We experienced both interest and rejection — it was just guts, God, and glory to be honest. As we continue to push for this film to be made, I see the power of God unfold in amazing ways. For every closed door, God opens a window. As the Bible says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
The final trait is tenacity. The process of bringing Strange Fruit: The Hip-Hopera from the stage to the screen requires a lot of rolling up the sleeves. In 2020, during the Black Lives Matter movement, God inspired me to create a short film or proof-of-concept of the feature. Having never done this before, I was, of course, terrified. But I launched a GoFundMe, pitched for investments, applied for business loans, and raised $65,000 to produce our short film “Hear the Cry.” We gathered a top-notch Black woman producing team called The Trinity, and a bi-coastal, multicultural cast and crew of 60 people. We had to compose the music, choreograph the dance, and refine the scenes over and over again. After our amazing Youth in the House interns scoured for a location, we finally shot a riveting slave dance scene in the cotton fields of Georgia. Sometimes I wanted to give up, but I chose to believe in and fight for my dream.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. How has a live performance experience directly influenced a critical decision or leadership style in your professional career?
I am blessed to still be able to create live theater productions today. In January 2024, I wrote and co-produced an original musical about Martin Luther King and the impact of Motown music on the civil rights movement. That play was called Martin Luther King and the Motown Sound. It was produced by a nonprofit called the Arts & Learning Conservatory, and it premiered at UCI’s prestigious 700-seat Irvine Barclay Theater to a sold-out crowd! The LA Times even featured us.
The MLK show was a major learning curve which impacted my leadership style to become a leader who listens to the expertise and experience of others which helps me adapt, change, and grow. I learned that I don’t know everything, and I have areas to grow in to be the best artist I can be. It was a powerful and humbling experience.
Can you describe a moment on stage that taught you a profound lesson about vulnerability and how you’ve applied that lesson offstage?
In addition to live theater, I’m also a hip-hop recording artist with a pin-up girl aesthetic, which is uncommon for the genre. My rap moniker is Retro Raptress, and I recently completed my debut album, Who Is Retro Raptress? Accepting myself as a hip-hop artist was one of the most difficult things I had to do artistically because I struggled with imposter syndrome. Coming from the suburbs of Orange County, I certainly was not straight out of Compton! I didn’t think I had the right to rap or declare myself an emcee. So, when I performed my single, “The OC,” at a red-carpet gala in full pin-up girl regalia, it was quite a vulnerable experience. I showed the audience, including my family, who I truly was as a recording artist by sharing my personal story of how Orange County shaped my hip-hop voice. Offstage, I endeavor to live the most authentic and fearless life I can. I do still struggle with fear, of course, but I believe I’m worth a life I can be proud of and that takes vulnerability, authenticity, and courage.
In what ways has the discipline and creativity demanded by live arts shaped your approach to career challenges and opportunities?
Anytime I take on an artistic endeavor, I count the cost. The cost typically includes discipline, time management, preparation of my craft, organization, finance, fitness, vocal and dance training, and writing and more rewriting. So, creating a quality production requires all the unglamorous work. I learned the power of hard work through my Guyanese immigrant parents. They instilled this approach into me through intense academics. I am aware of my strengths and weaknesses as well, so I also lean on my friends and collaborators to help me manifest my vision. I do my best to approach every project expecting to put in the focus required to create something extraordinary.
How do you think the authenticity required in live performances has impacted your personal brand or leadership identity in your career?
Back in college, I had a dance teacher who directed me in a live solo performance. I remember being so nervous and fearful about what the audience would think of me. That fear was amplified because I was bullied as a kid for being unique and for being a scholar. Apparently, you can’t be Black and smart at the same time (I didn’t get the memo). My mother’s encouragement and belief in me was my saving grace. But because of bullying, I became shy and insecure. My teacher said, “you’re only nervous because you’re thinking about yourself. You need to think about your audience.” My perspective changed to recognize that every time I perform live, it’s not about me, it’s about who I am serving. When you approach artistry from a place of service, it allows you to be authentic and it frees you to let yourself be seen. My personal brand of mixing hip-hop, theater, social justice, and pin-up is an extremely rare combination. My brand is to present my most unique self to the world and to inspire others to do the same. Sometimes you must fight to be you, but it’s the greatest fight you will ever win.
Based on your experience and research, can you please share “5 Ways That Live Arts Helped Teach Courage, Authenticity, Vulnerability and Career Success?”
1 . Live arts teach you to trust others with your vision and let go of control. On the short film shoot in Georgia, I was deathly afraid to trust the director with my script. I was holding on tightly to my words and unwittingly taking over his job. One night he asked me, “Why am I even here? It seems like you want to direct this instead of me.” So, I was confronted with my fear of letting go of my words. I apologized and prayed. What I heard God say was, “Just like I am with you, I am also with him, and you can let go.” That day I passed the baton to the director, and he went on to do an extraordinary job with the short film. It never would have happened if I didn’t come to trust someone else with my vision.
2 . Performance also teaches you to be vulnerable enough to claim your visibility. To choose to be seen. Years ago, I started a multicultural girl group called The Pinups. It was comprised of a Latina, Asian, white, and me, an African American, girl. The pinup aesthetic does not typically present a lot of diversity, as the pinup phenomenon was born in the 1940s, a time of racial segregation. I wanted to showcase diversity to illuminate a new vision of a classic beauty. After all, women of color can be bombshells too! We performed shows all over Los Angeles, including at a Harley Davison dealership. Through performance we made ourselves visible in an environment that generally subscribes to only one standard of beauty.
3 . Also, operating in a space of courage is operating from faith. You must believe in something greater than what you feel in the moment. Typically, when embarking on a new venture, the first feeling is fear. So, changing your mindset, speaking your dreams out loud, and then taking massive action while you are afraid is how to operate in courage. I undergo this process most of the time in my career — whether it’s launching a company, writing a play, performing my music on stage, or recording an album. It all takes bold courage.
4 . Now, if you have faith and courage, I would say humility makes the golden trifecta. The Bible says that God gives grace to the humble but resists the proud. So, cultivating a spirit of humility is one of the greatest ways to be successful in your career (and in life) because it honors people and it forges deep relationships. You can’t create success without strong relationships. Humility requires transparency, self-reflection, the willingness to admit when you are wrong and sometimes, becoming like a child again. Realizing as you embark on a new artistic project, that you really don’t know everything. When you are a visionary, it’s easy to think you have all the answers. But really what you have is vision. It takes other people to execute, and their contributions are just as valuable. I aspire to apply the principle of servant leadership in my work. I am by no means perfect at this, but I’m progressing to serve my team and my audience. I experienced this during the creation of the Martin Luther King and the Motown Sound show when my team corrected me and shared several ways I could be a better leader. By listening to their criticism, I was able to transform more into the servant leader I aspire to be.
5 . Finally, live arts teach the tenacity to never give up. Being an artist ain’t for the faint of heart. You have to literally create something from nothing all the time! The first time I saw this modeled was when my father built me a playhouse in my backyard with his bare hands. This house is where I wrote all my first stories (see where the “house” motif comes from?). My father and mother installed belief and tenacity in me at an early age. It was tested years later when I had a table read for an early draft of Strange Fruit: The Hip-Hopera with an up-and-coming Hollywood producer. I had prepared for this read for seven intense months and I was confident it would be a hit and the producer would share my script with her network if she liked it. All my family and friends sat in the auditorium reading my words in anticipation. But when we finished, the producer tore my script apart in front of everyone. I had to wear a poker face, but inside I was crushed. It was the first time in my life I actually questioned whether I was a good enough writer to make it in Hollywood — even after I had been writing for 20 years and had a whole master’s degree in writing!
When I got home that night, I wanted to throw my computer out the window. I wanted to give up on Strange Fruit: The Hip-Hopera. I curled into a ball on the floor crying. Luckily, my pastor called me and said “Deborah, you’re at a crossroads. You will either believe what the producer said about you or what God says about you.” I chose God and began climbing out of that dark pit. My mother said, “Deborah, you were chosen to do this. Nobody can write like you. You are a phoenix rising.” My mother has been the greatest rock in my career, and I love her. So, along with a good friend, I revised my script and later got it in front of the SVP of production at 20th Century Fox. He not only read it, but he gave me a glowing review and advice on how to take the next steps to produce it as a full-length feature film which is my ultimate goal. Never give up.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
That’s easy! I would start a movement for racial reconciliation through the arts starting first in America and then expanding globally. And that is what I am doing today.
How can our readers further follow you online?
To see more on the film and learn how to support it, visit www.strangefruithiphopera.com. Also follow us on Instagram @strangefruit_hiphopera.
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
About The Interviewer: Vanessa Ogle is a mom, entrepreneur, inventor, writer, and singer/songwriter. Vanessa’s talent in building world-class leadership teams focused on diversity, a culture of service, and innovation through inclusion allowed her to be one of the most acclaimed Latina CEO’s in the last 30 years. She collaborated with the world’s leading technology and content companies such as Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Broadcom to bring innovative solutions to travelers and hotels around the world. Vanessa is the lead inventor on 120+ U.S. Patents. Accolades include: FAST 100, Entrepreneur 360 Best Companies, Inc. 500 and then another six times on the Inc. 5000. Vanessa was personally honored with Inc. 100 Female Founder’s Award, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and Enterprising Women of the Year among others. Vanessa now spends her time sharing stories to inspire and give hope through articles, speaking engagements and music. In her spare time she writes and plays music in the Amazon best selling new band HigherHill, teaches surfing clinics, trains dogs, and cheers on her children.
Please connect with Vanessa here on linkedin and subscribe to her newsletter Unplugged as well as follow her on Substack, Instagram, Facebook, and X and of course on her website VanessaOgle.
Deborah Jane Burke Of House of Deborah Jane Studios On How Live Arts Helped Teach Courage… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.