Though many people know him as his alter-ego, Jonathan Jackson is a remarkable and talented young man.
Jonathan comes from Havre de Grace in upper Harford County. He attended and graduated from Havre de Grace High School in 2001.
After high school ended, Jonathan moved to Towson and attended Towson University where he studied Musical Education and received a Bachelor's Degree in Musical Theatre.
His musical interests didn't end there. He worked, more like performed, at both locations of Toby's Dinner Theatre appearing in such shows as Footloose, Fiddler on the Roof, Grease and many others.
It was after a performance at Toby's which happened to be at Halloween, that he dressed in drag and went out with friends from the theatre. It was then, in a matter of speaking, that Jonathan's alter ego – Tatiyanna Voche, was born.
“I met Jonathan years ago” remarked Hippo General Manager Roger Dimick. “What impressed me the most about Jonathan/Tatiyanna is that he can separate the two personalities and that he is so very talented. He plays the saxophone, tap dances and even plays the piano. Out of many people vying for the title of Miss Gay America, I see Jonathan winning the title.” A sediment shared by many including promoter Josie Foster.
“Jonathan Jackson is as true-blue as they come. He puts much thought and energy into everything he does. It may look like he is high-strung and always pushing the pedal to the metal, but he would help any of his friends do ANYTHING, as long as it fit into his busy schedule” commented Ted Burke. He went on to add that as for “his alter-ego Tatiyanna Voche', she is nothing short of AMAZING! She is stunningly beautiful, talented, always on point and welcome across a plethora of venues.”
Ryan Boffen, a local performer commented, “Jonathan is an amazing person, talented in all aspects. A very good performer on the Toby’s' dinner theatre stage, Tatiyanna is also a very talented performer and sweet as can be. She will go out of her way to help you with anything she can.”
Jonathan currently resides in Alexandria (VA). You can find him on any given night at Rampart's where he tends bar. Though currently single, Jonathan said that his ideal partner qualities are: “someone who will love me for me. Not who I am or what I know. They should stand by me when things get tough.”
But alas, there is still one issue about Jonathan I haven't gotten to: Many of us have gone through that time when we needed to acknowledge who we are to our parents. For Jonathan, it was a unique experience. As he was coming out, so was his father. His mother took some time to get used to it. As for Tatiyanna, well, it is an ongoing venture though she has seen him perform.
From my perspective, I can say that his mother needs to know how respected and cared for in and out of our community Jonathan is. I requested comments from several people and to much my surprise (word got out), my Facebook and email in-boxes were crammed with accolades. I have had the pleasure of knowing him for several years and though I have only seen his performances on YouTube, I see great things happening for him.
