Jordan Lester is an American stage actor and philanthropist, who is currently in pre-production of the Tony® winning musical Avenue Q, which is scheduled to debut this November. Besides his avid partaking of theatre, Jordan is also a proud member of his town’s non-profit organization called the Garden Old Timers that devotes the majority of the year raising money for an Independence Day celebration. He accepted vice presidency in March of 2011. Jordan is a self-proclaimed animal lover, housing eight doges at his parents' estate in Garden, Michigan where he resides with the dogs.
Seen here, Jordan is an animal lover.
Early Life[]
Born breeched in an ambulance during a warm evening on July 15, 1991 by the Aloray motel in Thomspon, Michigan, Jordan has always led an exciting life right from the get go. As a child, Jordan was consistently active in his school’s drama program. His portfolio during his elementary years includes small roles in such classics as Charlotte’s Web, The Wizard of Oz, Annie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Snow White. While he was in seventh grade, he was granted with the honor of being cast as Pongo in 101 Dalmatians, which was an unprecedented feat for someone of his age.
High School Years (2008-09)[]
After Dalmatians, Jordan would take a short-lived break from the performing arts. It is unclear why he would take a break, seeing as he was quickly becoming a force at his K-12 school’s drama club program; nevertheless, he decided to return to his art in his junior year of high school. The production was Beauty and the Beast, and it was receiving a great deal of hype even before the auditions due to a change of director who was rumored to bring a bigger stage than usual to the small school. Jordan was reluctantly casted as Cogsworth in the production, a role he would later look back on as being “not [his] favorite” finding the character “annoying and unbearable at times.” Despite his own displeasure, he and the musical as a whole were loved by local audiences, with Beast being called “the best play Big Bay has ever done” at the time.
Due to not being personally happy with his role the previous year, Lester was unenthusiastic about the next
Jordan with fellow Big Bay alumnus, Emily Lucas after an Oklahoma! performance.
production his school was putting on, the critically acclaimed musical, Oklahoma! It wasn’t until he was approached by the play’s assistant director, who was adamant that he joined the production, that he changed his mind and auditioned. He would end up receiving the role of the antagonist, Jud Fry, which was something new and exciting for him. Jordan would go on to find Jud Fry to be his favorite role he had ever brought to life; he would end up receiving acclaim from many his community. His performance is still regarded as one of the best ever at his school.
Hiatus/Comeback (2009-2011)[]
After completing his senior year on a high note with Jud Fry, Jordan decided to take a break from acting during his freshman year of college to focus on his studies. To pursue his degree in elementary education, Lester came to the conclusion that he needed no distractions, despite multiple gripes from those around him. He would later end up regretting his decision for taking the hiatus, denoting the time he spent without drama in his life as “dark and depressing”.
Whilst entering is third year of college at Bay Community, Jordan was approached by several people insisting
Cast of Chicago, including fellow Players stars Andrew T.S. Bedgood, Emily Lucas, Jeff Hoier,Jason Thibeault, Michelle Wood, and Colton Ranguette.
that he join the college’s next musical, Chicago. After much consideration, Jordan decided that he would audition for the role of Amos Hart. To his great surprise, he achieved the role. The musical was regarded with high praise, selling out all five showings more than a week in advance, and Jordan was commended for his role. Shortly after production wrapped, Lester decided that his true purpose in life was acting, and he changed his major to Theatre.
Much Ado and Current Projects (2012-Present)[]
Fellow Much Ado castmembers, Andrew T.S. Bedgood, Colton Ranguette, and Jeff Hoier will join Jordan in "Players."
In the winter of 2012, Jordan auditioned for Bay College’s adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing, a Shakespeare comedy. He earned the part of Don John, his second antagonist role. The play was adapted as a 1950’s throwback, and was applauded for its boldness in its direction. Today, Jordan is prepping for his latest role in Bay College’s musical Avenue Q. He received the role of Rod, a closeted and uptight homosexual, on September 6, 2012. The musical will be a new venture for Jordan, as it is performed primarily with puppets on stage with the actors. Jordan is excited to take on such a new challenge.
Jordan is also set to start filming a new web series, created and written by good friend, Andrew T.S. Bedgood. "Players" follows a group of community college students as they prepare to put on a William Shakespeare play, Julius Caesar. The show will be filmed in mockumentary style, and principle photography began on September 17th, 2012.
Weight Problems[]
Jordan has been struggling with his weight since his high school career. During his senior year, he weighed a staggering 305 pounds. Today, he has dropped a cool 80 pounds, and is “happy but still not entirely content” on his weight.
Seen here, Jordan struggles at an astounding 300 lbs.
Seen here. Jordan is 225 lbs and happier, but feels he could be even more happy.