Homeroom

indsey Jolyn Jackson never imagined she’d be on Broadway. A lifelong book lover who earned her master’s in the Reading/Writing/Literacy program at Penn GSE, she planned to be a literacy specialist. But shortly after her GSE graduation, the Debbie Allen Dance Academy–trained performer and Philadanco company member got a chance to audition for the big leagues.

“The only reason I came to Broadway was because my best friend left Philadanco to do The Lion King, and I was so sad to go on tour without him,” she said. “And he was like, ‘Then don’t. Come do Lion King instead.’”

She auditioned, earning a six-month contract to become a graceful gazelle in one of the longest-running shows on Broadway. She ended up staying for 11 years, sustaining one of the show’s iconic ensemble roles through major life changes: an engagement, marriage, earning a second master’s degree, and four pregnancies. (Her children Liv, 2, Shine, 4, and Action, 6, share the middle name Major in honor of their late brother.)

In 2024, she left The Lion King and joined the cast of Hell’s Kitchen, the Alicia Keys musical, as a swing—meaning she covered multiple roles, or “tracks,” memorizing several cast members’ blocking, choreography, and songs to replace them when they were out. At Hell’s Kitchen, which closed in February, Jackson was responsible for covering eight tracks and eventually appeared onstage in six of them.

“This is all possible because my husband, Aaron Jackson, is a major supporter of my dreams,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to do both motherhood and Broadway without him.”

She invited us to her dressing room in the Shubert Theater ahead of one of Hell’s Kitchen’s final performances to learn about her journey from the classroom to the stage and how she’s juggled having a family with having a career as a dancer.

I have books here—bell hooks, Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing—because I’m always reading. I’ve always been passionate about reading, especially to my children. I have a YouTube page where—because I work at night, I’m not able to read them their bedtime stories—I uploaded my voice reading their stories, so that they can hear my voice. I am passionate about literacy because growing up in South Central Los Angeles, I saw how many kids never received the reading support they deserved. That’s what brought me to Penn GSE. I worked as a seventh-grade literacy specialist at Julia R. Masterman School for a semester, and it was really fun. I always think that, when I’m done with this career of dancing, I’ll go back to teaching because I loved it.

This costume pattern is unique to me—literally one of a kind. Every performer in The Lion King has an individualized pattern, and this one was mine for 11 years. I was only the second person to ever dance that track, after an original cast member. I performed it through all of my pregnancies—I was always that pregnant gazelle. When Disney gave me my 10-year plaque, I felt the weight of what that meant: showing up eight times a week, year after year, offering the same joy and discipline each night. That show shaped me as an artist and as a person.

There haven’t been too many mothers on Broadway. I remember fighting hard for everything at The Lion King. There is no maternity leave, no clear roadmap for pregnant performers, and not many models for mothers working eight shows a week. I had to advocate for pumping breaks at intermission, for schedule flexibility. That discourages people from becoming mothers. A friend of mine got pregnant and just never came back because there wasn’t space for her, not because she didn’t want to. That’s why I’m writing a book—a Broadway mamas’ book—to help other women know it’s possible to thrive here and to push the industry to better support families.

This is from when I did the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with The Lion King. That and the Rose Bowl Parade are what I grew up watching, so that was special. Little do they tell you, you are jumping on concrete. And I was a gazelle, so there’s a lot of leaping and prancing. Afterwards, my shins were hurting! But it didn’t rain. It wasn’t too cold. It was the best Thanksgiving.

This represents my future. Up next, I’m really happy to be joining CrazySexyCool, a new musical about TLC, the girl group. It’s legendary, and it goes deep into those women’s lives. We’re opening in D.C.—where I’ll be from April to August—and building it to come to Broadway. I’m so grateful to leave Hell’s Kitchen with something to look forward to. This is my first time relocating for a production. My family won’t come at first, but I’ve got this big dog, Christmas, a goldendoodle [pictured in No. 6], who is going to come with me, and then everyone else will join in the summer once school ends.