Who we are.


My name is Jessica Cadden Wentlent. I am a multi-disciplinary performing artist who also writes, directs, choreographs and produces works for both stage and film. 

I am a life long student of the human body. I earned a BFA in Dance Performance from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and went on to train extensively in additional modalities such as Yoga, Bioenergetics, Pilates, aerial movement and more. I experience the body as a vessel for art and non-verbal communication. Though my professional dance credits reflect that of commercial success, I consider my life’s work as the avant-garde exploration of physical expression.
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I studied acting intently in New York City for many years under the tutelage of Terry Schreiber, along with many other wonderful teachers both at Schreiber studios and throughout the city. The roles I gravitate toward as an actor are guttural and bold, and often dark. I routinely welcome artistic opportunities to excavate the human shadow, because as we know- without the darkness, there is no light. 

I believe truthful storytelling is an extraordinary tool which facilitates connection and development, and encourages empathy and authenticity. Without processing and claiming our own stories, and without the courage to hold space for others’- we lose grip on the very fabric of what collectively binds us all together.

Over a period of seven years, I wrote my first-feature length screenplay, Hold Her Hand. I directed the film alongside my husband Jake Wentlent, with whom I created Motion Arts, LLC- a production company dedicated to making beautiful art that is crafted with responsibility and care. 

Jake and I have an extraordinary son, who is our greatest teacher. Our family (which includes our Lab, Lollie) holds art as dear as kin. Our home is our studio. No one blinks at Dad dropping a green screen in the bedroom or Mom choreographing in the kitchen or someone suddenly turning a closet into a padded recording room for ADR. When we aren’t making art like mad scientists, you can find us in nature, playing- or at home on the couch with a bunch of books or a good movie, and a very big bowl of popcorn.
 My name is Jake Wentlent.
I am an artist.
I am motivated by storytelling. Specifically sharing true and imagined representations of the human experience, that ask viewers to reflect on the relationship between their life and the lives of people around them.
I believe all materials and mediums are on the table when crafting a story. I have worked with wood, metal, 3d printing, electronics, words, concrete, light and instruments, through work on film, live theater, dance, sculpture, writing, industrial design and architecture. 
I am a socialist.
I don’t believe profit motive should have a place in the creative process. I aim to deconstruct the rules that keep artists beholden to products instead of effort and intention. 
I am a husband and father.
I work directly with my partner in life, love and art, Jessica, a deeply moving and intentional artist. She has fostered space, and courage, for my process that I didn’t know I needed.

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