JACQUELINE KENNEDY-ONASSIS 2020 HIGH SCHOOL COMMENCEMENT SPEECH

POST THEATRE COMPANY: LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY POST THEATRE COMPANY: LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY ​ ​ ​ MARAT / SADE The year is 1808: France is a powerful empire ruled by Napoleon. Outside of Paris, in the mental asylum of Charenton, the Marquis de Sade has been inprisoned for seven years because of his outrageous writings ... Tonight, Sade presents a play, performed by the institution's patients, dramatyixing the assassination revolutionary leader Jean-Paul Marat during the French Revolution. He is glad to have you with us. GALLERY ​ ​ ​ ​ BIG LOVE GALLERY ​ ​ ​ ​ BAT BOY: GALLERY THE MUSICAL ​ ​ ​ CABARET GALLERY Kander / Ebb / Masteroff ​ ​ ​ HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH As a director who thrives on the energetic exchange of live performance, it’s been too long; I’m thrilled to return to live theatre-making with this ensemble on this show and to welcome you into the world we’ve created. I came of age during another plague, the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and ‘90s, which shaped my identify as a queer artst. I got to see Hedwig transform from an edgy, immersive downtown show in the late ‘90s, then to an art house film, and more recently to a polished Broadway entertainment. The ingenious creation of author John Cameron Mitchell and composer Stephen Trask, Hedwig transcends geography and time, earning her place as an iconic character in the queer theater canon. We meet her within the space of a bitter/sweet rock-show, and her powerful songs give voice to the experiences of so many LGBTQ folx: struggling with our own wicked little towns and striving all our lives to know that we’re whole. Classic plays (and musicals) invite interpretation, and this production is shaped by a new generation of young artists who are tearing down the walls of traditional gender strictures. Our rehearsals have been an inquiry into how this multifaceted role can be embodied by a diverse ensemble--and how this story continues to resonate, more than 20 years since its inception. I hope our Hedwig celebrates the diversity of gender expression in this community. Whatever your own personal journey, I thank you for being here tonight and wish you an exciting theatrical ride! (Program Note -- November 2021) GALLERY ​ ​ ​ ​ MACHINAL The theme of this season at Post Theatre Company is “Once Upon a Time Travel”, and Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal (Mah-SHEE-nal) takes us a back to the thrilling and turbulent decade known as the “Roaring ‘20s.” In the winter of 2017, I feel like our American time machine has just been hijacked by a gang of rogue men, determined to hurl us all backwards at least 50 years. Now more than ever, it seems crucial to look at our history, in order to understand where we’ve been and how we arrived at this moment. In 1928, Treadwell confronted Broadway audiences with her indictment of a society that perpetuates machine-like oppression against its female population. The play follows a kind of Everywoman through a life journey that is anything but free. Using theatrical expressionism, Treadwell pointed at abuses of power in the workplace, home, and the law. She exposed sexual harassment, earning inequality, and women’s lack of choice to control their bodies and the direction of their lives 90 years later, I’m saddened to hear these students say they feel nothing has changed. Indeed, while we rehearsed this revival, we’ve been fighting to save Planned Parenthood, an organization founded 100 years ago on the belief that women should have the information and care they need to live strong, healthy lives and fulfill their dreams.* The man driving our political machine snarls epithets like “nasty woman” and brags about behavior widely considered to be sexual assault. It’s easy to overlook the progress that has been made when, everyday, we feel renewed forces of misogyny, racism, and homophobia pushing upon us. What gives me hope in collaborating with these young actors is the bravery and generosity each of them brought to work on Treadwell’s play. In order to build their connection to the past, the cast looked at their own family histories, in addition to researching the 1920s. This exploration helped us process what Machinal might say to you, our audience, tonight. The young actors on this stage are using their bodies and imaginations to enact our collective past, but they also represent our future. I hope their generation will have the courage and commitment to take back control of the machine and help steer us on a more progressive course. GALLERY ​ ORIGINAL WORK INDIE THEATRE POST THEATRE CO VERMONT STAGE CO THEATRE ASKEW More ​ ​ ​ MARAT / SADE The year is 1808: France is a powerful empire ruled by Napoleon. Outside of Paris, in the mental asylum of Charenton, the Marquis de Sade has been inprisoned for seven years because of his outrageous writings ... Tonight, Sade presents a play, performed by the institution's patients, dramatyixing the assassination revolutionary leader Jean-Paul Marat during the French Revolution. He is glad to have you with us. GALLERY ​ ​ ​ ​ BIG LOVE GALLERY ​ ​ ​ ​ BAT BOY: GALLERY THE MUSICAL ​ ​ ​ CABARET GALLERY Kander / Ebb / Masteroff ​ ​ ​ HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH As a director who thrives on the energetic exchange of live performance, it’s been too long; I’m thrilled to return to live theatre-making with this ensemble on this show and to welcome you into the world we’ve created. I came of age during another plague, the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and ‘90s, which shaped my identify as a queer artst. I got to see Hedwig transform from an edgy, immersive downtown show in the late ‘90s, then to an art house film, and more recently to a polished Broadway entertainment. The ingenious creation of author John Cameron Mitchell and composer Stephen Trask, Hedwig transcends geography and time, earning her place as an iconic character in the queer theater canon. We meet her within the space of a bitter/sweet rock-show, and her powerful songs give voice to the experiences of so many LGBTQ folx: struggling with our own wicked little towns and striving all our lives to know that we’re whole. Classic plays (and musicals) invite interpretation, and this production is shaped by a new generation of young artists who are tearing down the walls of traditional gender strictures. Our rehearsals have been an inquiry into how this multifaceted role can be embodied by a diverse ensemble--and how this story continues to resonate, more than 20 years since its inception. I hope our Hedwig celebrates the diversity of gender expression in this community. Whatever your own personal journey, I thank you for being here tonight and wish you an exciting theatrical ride! (Program Note -- November 2021) GALLERY ​ ​ ​ ​ MACHINAL The theme of this season at Post Theatre Company is “Once Upon a Time Travel”, and Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal (Mah-SHEE-nal) takes us a back to the thrilling and turbulent decade known as the “Roaring ‘20s.” In the winter of 2017, I feel like our American time machine has just been hijacked by a gang of rogue men, determined to hurl us all backwards at least 50 years. Now more than ever, it seems crucial to look at our history, in order to understand where we’ve been and how we arrived at this moment. In 1928, Treadwell confronted Broadway audiences with her indictment of a society that perpetuates machine-like oppression against its female population. The play follows a kind of Everywoman through a life journey that is anything but free. Using theatrical expressionism, Treadwell pointed at abuses of power in the workplace, home, and the law. She exposed sexual harassment, earning inequality, and women’s lack of choice to control their bodies and the direction of their lives 90 years later, I’m saddened to hear these students say they feel nothing has changed. Indeed, while we rehearsed this revival, we’ve been fighting to save Planned Parenthood, an organization founded 100 years ago on the belief that women should have the information and care they need to live strong, healthy lives and fulfill their dreams.* The man driving our political machine snarls epithets like “nasty woman” and brags about behavior widely considered to be sexual assault. It’s easy to overlook the progress that has been made when, everyday, we feel renewed forces of misogyny, racism, and homophobia pushing upon us. What gives me hope in collaborating with these young actors is the bravery and generosity each of them brought to work on Treadwell’s play. In order to build their connection to the past, the cast looked at their own family histories, in addition to researching the 1920s. This exploration helped us process what Machinal might say to you, our audience, tonight. The young actors on this stage are using their bodies and imaginations to enact our collective past, but they also represent our future. I hope their generation will have the courage and commitment to take back control of the machine and help steer us on a more progressive course. GALLERY ​ ORIGINAL WORK INDIE THEATRE POST THEATRE CO VERMONT STAGE CO THEATRE ASKEW More

THEATRE ASKEW In 2004, I co-founded Theatre Askew to explore how to create "queer theatre" in New York in the 21st century. The company called for a radical new approach to the representation of "queerness" defining queerness as a metaphor for ALL those who stand outside of mainstream, consumerist models. Theatre Askew would make ever-evolving programming choices and create a diverse body of work of social impact and spiritual consequence that reflects the complexity of our experience. ​ Askew's early productions emphasized adaptation and the ways in which a queer perspective can illuminate classic texts. I co-created Bald Diva! an original absurdist farce inspired by Ionesco's The Bald Soprano. Directing The Tempest, I explored the Radical Faerie movement and interpreted Shakespeare's play as an expression of the healing capacity of the "gay spirit." Our episodic satire I, Claudius Live was a parody of the BBC series, irreverently adapted to address politics of the Bush II presidency, and told from the point of view of a disabled heterosexual character who could never be a "real" man by the standards of Roman culture. Our 2007 production of i google myself explored the social and emotional impact of the internet, and our first fully original play. ​ Fundamental to Askew's mission is the inclusion of LGBTQA youth as significant members and the future leaders of the community. In 2005, I co-founded the Theatre Askew Youth Performance Experience (TAYPE) to provide a creative forum to develop and empower the voices of this population. TAYPE is an arts skills program that encourages youth to build community, acquire responsibility, and experience leadership, teamwork, and the personal rewards of achievement – within the process of creating, producing, and performing theatre. In addition to theatrical skills, the program introduces youth to the New York theatre world, including working theatre artists who can inspire, guide, and serve as role models, and point them towards internships and opportunities beyond our projects. Theatre Askew has garnered positive notices from The New York Times, The Village Voice, Time Out New York as well as other media outlets; we have been nominated twice for the GLAAD media award, listed on Theatermania's best-of-the year lists, and in 2007 was named on NYTheatre.com's People of the Year list. In 2011, I left Theatre Askew in order to concentrate on my freelance work as a director, writer, and teaching artist. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ THEATRE ASKEW ​ i google myself is queer in the best sense of the word: self-consciously outside of the mainstream, looking in with intelligence and wit." Village Voice an insightful and entertaining window into our society's preoccupation with fame and recognition, and how Internet innovations like blogs and online chats promote one's quest to be known, even as the same technology can lead to a debilitating isolation that increases the need for connection." OffOff Online I GOOGLE MYSELF Three men. Same name. Who will be the first hit? GALLERY by Jason Schafer Stylishly directed by Jason Jacobs, who co-conceived the project with dramaturg Jamee Freedus, the show is flawlessly paced and brought to vivid life by the talented ensemble cast." TheaterMania Director Jason Jacobs... keeps the evening bouncing along and guides the performers well through the play's final, ironic moments." Backstage ​ BALD DIVA! Queer-Eyed boys get an absurdist makeover a la Eugene Ionesco in this tragic spectacle of la vie Chelsea, featuring sizzling firemen, probing detectives, saucy maids, steamroom escapades, provocative party games, low-rent musical numbers on fabulous cardboard sets, piping-hot celebrity dish, the latest fashion trends and beauty secrets, narrow escapes of reality, death-defying mental acrobatics and more Divas than you can shake your stick at! GALLERY By David Koteles ​ ​ ​ THEATRE ASKEW YOUTH EXPERIENCE (TAYPE) GALLERY ​ ​ ​ ​ THE TEMPEST GALLERY by Shakespeare Theatre Askew's politicized deconstruction of everyone's favorite BBC neoclassic is clearly destined for some legendary status of its own." Village Voice It is delicious fun watching evil people do awful things to one another. But I, Claudius Live is funner than fun...It is staged broadly and briskly like a farce, yet has been laced with thought-provoking political parallels to give us food for thought when we aren't laughing our heads off." Time Out New York When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in the East Village in a play about Rome, do it with gays, trannies and as little clothing as possible - especially when it’s I, Claudius Live!, a six-part parody of the epic 1976 BBC miniseries from Theatre Askew" HX Magazine I, CLAUDIUS LIVE GALLERY ​ ​ an insightful and entertaining window into our society's preoccupation with fame and recognition, and how Internet innovations like blogs and online chats promote one's quest to be known, even as the same technology can lead to a debilitating isolation that increases the need for connection." OffOff Online i google myself is queer in the best sense of the word: self-consciously outside of the mainstream, looking in with intelligence and wit." Village Voice I GOOGLE MYSELF Three men. Same name. Who will be the first hit? GALLERY by Jason Schafer Stylishly directed by Jason Jacobs, who co-conceived the project with dramaturg Jamee Freedus, the show is flawlessly paced and brought to vivid life by the talented ensemble cast." TheaterMania ​ Director Jason Jacobs... keeps the evening bouncing along and guides the performers well through the play's final, ironic moments." Backstage BALD DIVA! Queer-Eyed boys get an absurdist makeover a la Eugene Ionesco in this tragic spectacle of la vie Chelsea, featuring sizzling firemen, probing detectives, saucy maids, steamroom escapades, provocative party games, low-rent musical numbers on fabulous cardboard sets, piping-hot celebrity dish, the latest fashion trends and beauty secrets, narrow escapes of reality, death-defying mental acrobatics and more Divas than you can shake your stick at! GALLERY By David Koteles ​ ​ ​ THEATRE ASKEW YOUTH EXPERIENCE (TAYPE) GALLERY: Watch a story-telling exercise by the kids of TAYPE. ​ ​ ​ ​ THE TEMPEST GALLERY by Shakespeare Theatre Askew's politicized deconstruction of everyone's favorite BBC neoclassic is clearly destined for some legendary status of its own." Village Voice When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in the East Village in a play about Rome, do it with gays, trannies and as little clothing as possible - especially when it’s I, Claudius Live!, a six-part parody of the epic 1976 BBC miniseries from Theatre Askew" HX Magazine It is delicious fun watching evil people do awful things to one another. But I, Claudius Live is funner than fun...It is staged broadly and briskly like a farce, yet has been laced with thought-provoking political parallels to give us food for thought when we aren't laughing our heads off." Time Out New York I, CLAUDIUS LIVE GALLERY ​ ORIGINAL WORK INDIE THEATRE POST THEATRE CO VERMONT STAGE CO THEATRE ASKEW More

ORIGINAL WORK Jason Jacobs book is heartbreaking and touching" - TimesSquareChronicles.com a nuanced story and a tour de force performance" - FrontRowCenter.com a fine tuned, superbly crafted piece of theatre" - Theatre Reviews Limited MISS BLANCHE TELLS IT ALL You never know a person 'til you walk in her heels. 1969 New Orleans: It’s standing room only at The Golden Lantern. The band strikes up and begins to play the opening number for “Miss Blanche”, the hottest drag act in the Quarter — but instead, a fiery young man takes the stage. With the aid of a mysterious wardrobe trunk, he explores clues of his family’s past, sings songs about his own life, and sets the course for a new future. Inspired by the imagination of Tennessee Williams, this intimate and seductive musical takes us on one man’s journey of desire, self-expression and liberation. Miss Blanche Tells It All (Official Website) GALLERY Jason Jacobs: Book & Lyrics ​ ​ ​ ANOTHER HORATIO ALGER STORY In an inner-city classroom, a teacher tries to save an at-risk student by introducing him to American novelist, Horatio Alger, Jr. As the play moves across two worlds—urban America today and 19th-century New York—the conflict between fact and fiction leads to hard lessons about the American dream and the myth that we can all pull ourselves self up by our bootstraps. Learn more at New Play Exchange GALLERY ​ Cousin and Jacobs’s aim is to rescue the work from all its accumulated baggage ...and to present Stowe’s — and Aiken’s — story center-stage. This they do, thanks to a knock-out student cast, without the slightest hint of irony or contemporary shading Pittsburgh City Paper ​ Jason Jacobs joins the cocktail conversation on ‘Burgh Vivant and discusses his collaboration with Tomé Cousin in adapting Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin" Burgh Vivant UNCLE TOM'S CABIN One of the most popular American plays from 1852 into the 1920s, it unfolds like our own, rough Shakespearean play: a sprawling epic that dramatizes a long, dark moment in our history. Tome and I began working on our adaptation as part of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab. We both felt the play's history had become misunderstood, and the term "Uncle Tom" had become an epithet that reduced the original character to a stereotype of aquiescence and betrayal of his own people. Our adaptation aims to restore Uncle Tom's name and re-envsion his story as one of self-assertion, faith, and human dignity. GALLERY co-adapted with Tome' Cousin, with original music by Douglas Levine. Jason Jacobs book is heartbreaking and touching" - TimesSquareChronicles.com a nuanced story and a tour de force performance" - FrontRowCenter.com a fine tuned, superbly crafted piece of theatre" - Theatre Reviews Limited MISS BLANCHE TELLS IT ALL You never know a person 'til you walk in her heels. 1969 New Orleans: It’s standing room only at The Golden Lantern. The band strikes up and begins to play the opening number for “Miss Blanche”, the hottest drag act in the Quarter — but instead, a fiery young man takes the stage. With the aid of a mysterious wardrobe trunk, he explores clues of his family’s past, sings songs about his own life, and sets the course for a new future. Inspired by the imagination of Tennessee Williams, this intimate and seductive musical takes us on one man’s journey of desire, self-expression and liberation. Miss Blanche Tells It All (Official Website) GALLERY Jason Jacobs: Book & Lyrics Matthew C. Pritchard: Music & Lyrics ​ ​ ​ ANOTHER HORATIO ALGER STORY In an inner-city classroom, a teacher tries to save an at-risk student by introducing him to American novelist, Horatio Alger, Jr. As the play moves across two worlds—urban America today and 19th-century New York—the conflict between fact and fiction leads to hard lessons about the American dream and the myth that we can all pull ourselves self up by our bootstraps. Learn more at New Play Exchange GALLERY ​ ​ Cousin and Jacobs’s aim is to rescue the work from all its accumulated baggage ...and to present Stowe’s — and Aiken’s — story center-stage. This they do, thanks to a knock-out student cast, without the slightest hint of irony or contemporary shading Pittsburgh City Paper ​ Jason Jacobs joins the cocktail conversation on ‘Burgh Vivant and discusses his collaboration with Tomé Cousin in adapting Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin" Burgh Vivant UNCLE TOM'S CABIN One of the most popular American plays from 1852 into the 1920s, it unfolds like our own, rough Shakespearean play: a sprawling epic that dramatizes a long, dark moment in our history. Tome and I began working on our adaptation as part of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab. We both felt the play's history had become misunderstood, and the term "Uncle Tom" had become an epithet that reduced the original character to a stereotype of aquiescence and betrayal of his own people. Our adaptation aims to restore Uncle Tom's name and re-envsion his story as one of self-assertion, faith, and human dignity. GALLERY co-adapted with Tome' Cousin, with original music by Douglas Levine. (Based on the play by George Aiken and the novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe.) ORIGINAL WORK INDIE THEATRE POST THEATRE CO VERMONT STAGE CO THEATRE ASKEW More

VERMONT STAGE COMPANY VERMONT STAGE COMPANY ..one of the Burlington professional company's most compelling and entertaining productions to date” Times Argus The parallels between the Victorians and how we're treating immigration today, as if it's somehow these people fault..." Promotional Video Dickens — and Bartlett in this adaptation — focused on the brutality toward the poor by 19th C society." Times Argus OLIVER TWIST An adaptation that really embraces 19th-century theatrical storytelling: theater as spectacle, theater as melodrama. GALLERY Adaptation by Neil Bartlett Jacobs conducts the talented ensemble cast with taut precision, which makes Hollinger’s smart script sing.” Seven Days ...feels amazingly authentic and is one of Vermont Stage's most even and consistent productions in recent memory. Times Argus A behind-the-scenes look at a string quartet: every scene, the stakes get higher. " OPUS As a world-renowned string quartet prepares for their highest-profile performance, passions rise, personalities clash, and the artists confront the ephemeral nature of their life's work. GALLERY by Michael Hollinger A smart, funny, respectful treatment of Uncle Vanya...An impressive achievement." Burlington Free Press Jacobs has staged the piece to take full advantage of the intimate playing space. We are caught up in the intensity of communication between the characters." North Country Public Radio ...a delightful piece of theater - witty, touching, fun and sad, in that order." Rutland Herald VANYA VERMONT I got a perspective on how Vermont is so different from anywhere else in America. I wanted to work on something that would speak specifically to this community in a really visceral, valid way. GALLERY adapted from Chekhov by Kathryn Blume Personal transformation is a focus of director Jason Jacobs’ interpretation of Shakespeare’s comedy…The 16-character cast is played in this production by just seven actors, some of whom play cross-gender roles.” Seven Days ​ It's a journey into the forest. It's a forest of discovery, a forest of liberation." AS YOU LIKE IT From the opening invocation of “all the world is a stage” to the final prologue, which seals the compact of cast and audience, the production illuminates the reality of theatrical space, the transformative power of the actor, and role of the viewer’s imagination to create the theatrical event. Starting as the victim of oppression, Shakespeare's Rosalind embraces theatrical strategies to face her challenges: through improvisation and performance, she discovers her strength and power. Leaving a troubled everyday world to venture into the unknown, Rosalind becomes actor, director, stage manager, and spectator. The production celebrates the power of the actor at her/his most joyous best, and suggests that real liberation is not about disguise, but how we bring ourselves – body, hear, and soul, to play our part in the world. GALLERY Wm. Shakespeare ..one of the Burlington professional company's most compelling and entertaining productions to date” Times Argus The parallels between the Victorians and how we're treating immigration today, as if it's somehow these people fault..." Promotional Video Dickens — and Bartlett in this adaptation — focused on the brutality toward the poor by 19th C society." Times Argus OLIVER TWIST An adaptation that really embraces 19th-century theatrical storytelling: theater as spectacle, theater as melodrama. GALLERY: Watch Jason Talk about this adaptation Adaptation by Neil Bartlett Jacobs conducts the talented ensemble cast with taut precision, which makes Hollinger’s smart script sing.” Seven Days ...feels amazingly authentic and is one of Vermont Stage's most even and consistent productions in recent memory. Times Argus A behind-the-scenes look at a string quartet: every scene, the stakes get higher. " OPUS As a world-renowned string quartet prepares for their highest-profile performance, passions rise, personalities clash, and the artists confront the ephemeral nature of their life's work. GALLERY: Promotional Video by Michael Hollinger A smart, funny, respectful treatment of Uncle Vanya...An impressive achievement." Burlington Free Press Jacobs has staged the piece to take full advantage of the intimate playing space. We are caught up in the intensity of communication between the characters." North Country Public Radio ...a delightful piece of theater - witty, touching, fun and sad, in that order." Rutland Herald VANYA VERMONT I got a perspective on how Vermont is so different from anywhere else in America. I wanted to work on something that would speak specifically to this community in a really visceral, valid way. GALLERY adapted from Chekhov by Kathryn Blume Personal transformation is a focus of director Jason Jacobs’ interpretation of Shakespeare’s comedy…The 16-character cast is played in this production by just seven actors, some of whom play cross-gender roles.” Seven Days ​ It's a journey into the forest. It's a forest of discovery, a forest of liberation." AS YOU LIKE IT From the opening invocation of “all the world is a stage” to the final prologue, which seals the compact of cast and audience, the production illuminates the reality of theatrical space, the transformative power of the actor, and role of the viewer’s imagination to create the theatrical event. Starting as the victim of oppression, Shakespeare's Rosalind embraces theatrical strategies to face her challenges: through improvisation and performance, she discovers her strength and power. Leaving a troubled everyday world to venture into the unknown, Rosalind becomes actor, director, stage manager, and spectator. The production celebrates the power of the actor at her/his most joyous best, and suggests that real liberation is not about disguise, but how we bring ourselves – body, hear, and soul, to play our part in the world. GALLERY: Promotional Video Wm. Shakespeare ORIGINAL WORK INDIE THEATRE POST THEATRE CO VERMONT STAGE CO THEATRE ASKEW More

INDEPENDENT THEATRE Some of my favorite projects in New York's indie theatre spaces Koteles and Jacobs, who also brought the award-winning comedy Bald Diva! The Ionesco Parody Your Mother Warned You About to the very first Fresh Fruit Festival 10 years ago, are returning with another Ionesco-inspired play. Broadway.com ​ WINNER! Best Direction, Fresh Fruit Festival 2013 AFTER THE CHAIRS Inspired by the Eugene Ionesco absurdist tale, David Koteles' After the Chairs tells the story of two men, Marc and Richard, alone in a quiet hospital room waiting for what happens next. A visit from friends? The telling of stories? Results from a doctor? A big performance? End of life as they know it? It is a play about family, marriage in sickness and in health, death, drag, drugs and (like the Ionesco play) many, many, many chairs. GALLERY: WATCH JASON'S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH by David Koteles Fresh Fruit Festival ​ ​ Jacobs believes the choice of first-person perspective gives the audience an immediate point of entry. It's "that very human, individual response" missing from statistics-heavy news stories." Seven Days THE BOYCOTT Inspired by the ancient anti-war comedy Lysistrata, actor-activist Kathryn Blume plays Kathryn Blume, a woman trying to fight global warming and save the world — by writing a screenplay about the First Lady of the United States launching a national sex strike to fight global warming and save the world. Aided by her impassioned daughter, a high tech Secret Service agent, and a plucky Brazilian tree frog she meets on the Astral Plane, Lyssa bumps and lurches her way into an unexpected, wildly comic, and ultimately successful campaign. GALLERY by Kathryn Blume Arclight Theatre An evening of Jewishly inflected, queer songs brings Weimar Germany back to life with humor and music." Tablet a beautifully realized evocation of a club in Germany in the ‘30s ... a thrilling reminder of the power and strength of cabaret at its best.” NitelifeExchange.com Out of this minimal landscape, director Jason Jacobs creates a vibrant, small-scale panorama with his precise staging. Lawrence glides around, often stands still totally, but remains mesmerizing due to Jacobs’ command of visual technique." TheatreScene.net LAVENDER SONGS 2008 Bistro Award Winner! Originally produced in 2008 and revised in 2016 in response to the Trump ascendency, this cabaret theatre piece had an extended run at Pangea. Featuring songs originally written and performed by queer aertists in Weimar-era Berlin (with new English lyrics by Jeremy), the piece was based on an evening created by Alan Lareau for the U.S. Holocaust Museum om Washington DC. GALLERY by Jeremy Lawrence Pangea As the story quickly moves from situation to situation, cleverly staged by Jason Jacobs on a minimalistic set ... (Sheinmel) begins to discover the meaning behind initially irrelevant occurrences and that life is full of unexpected." Theatre Is Easy ​ The antidote to the surfeit of soulless synthetic musical comedies on Broadway awaits you at The Club at La MaMa, in the form of Post Modern Living, a musical (kind of) by Richard Sheinmel, with songs by Clay Zambo, whose casual informality, honesty, and warmth are rivaled only by its dazzlingly high entertainment quotient." NYTheatre.com POST-MODERN LIVING (2010)/LOST IN STATEN ISLAND (2013) I had the pleasure to direct two installments of Sheinmel's "Modern Living" play cycle, which began in 2006 at La MaMa. Much like Armistead Maupin's "Tales of The City", this series of related plays center on Mitch, a gay "downtown" New York performance artist (played by Sheinmel), as he writes plays about his life. The plays incorporate original songs and music by Clay Zambo. GALLERY by Richard Sheinmel LaMama An afternoon of pleasantries quickly turns into a boiling teakettle of tension...he ending of the play is subtle and numbingly powerful." Letters From the Mezz The REAL First Ladies of Washington City give the dish on the 1801 Election." I want the audience to look at the Founding Fathers through a lens that includes class, race and gender." Call Me Adam MY FIRST LADY Presented as part of the Metropolitan Playhouse Founders Festival , My First Lady takes a funny and unexpected turn towards a battle of race, class, and gender in the new American republic when First Ladies Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, and Thomas Jefferson’s daughters gather for a "friendly" tea. The gloves come off when Jefferson's enslaved mistress Sally Hemmings claims her rightful place at the table. GALLERY: WATCH OUR HILARIOUS PROMO by David Koteles Metropolitan Playhouse ORIGINAL WORK INDIE THEATRE POST THEATRE CO VERMONT STAGE CO THEATRE ASKEW More Koteles and Jacobs, who also brought the award-winning comedy Bald Diva! The Ionesco Parody Your Mother Warned You About to the very first Fresh Fruit Festival 10 years ago, are returning with another Ionesco-inspired play. Broadway.com ​ WINNER! Best Direction, Fresh Fruit Festival 2013 AFTER THE CHAIRS Inspired by the Eugene Ionesco absurdist tale, David Koteles' After the Chairs tells the story of two men, Marc and Richard, alone in a quiet hospital room waiting for what happens next. A visit from friends? The telling of stories? Results from a doctor? A big performance? End of life as they know it? It is a play about family, marriage in sickness and in health, death, drag, drugs and (like the Ionesco play) many, many, many chairs. GALLERY: WATCH JASON'S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH by David Koteles Fresh Fruit Festival ​ ​ Jacobs believes the choice of first-person perspective gives the audience an immediate point of entry. It's "that very human, individual response" missing from statistics-heavy news stories." Seven Days THE BOYCOTT Inspired by the ancient anti-war comedy Lysistrata, actor-activist Kathryn Blume plays Kathryn Blume, a woman trying to fight global warming and save the world — by writing a screenplay about the First Lady of the United States launching a national sex strike to fight global warming and save the world. Aided by her impassioned daughter, a high tech Secret Service agent, and a plucky Brazilian tree frog she meets on the Astral Plane, Lyssa bumps and lurches her way into an unexpected, wildly comic, and ultimately successful campaign. GALLERY by Kathryn Blume Arclight Theatre An evening of Jewishly inflected, queer songs brings Weimar Germany back to life with humor and music." Tablet a beautifully realized evocation of a club in Germany in the ‘30s ... a thrilling reminder of the power and strength of cabaret at its best.” NitelifeExchange.com Out of this minimal landscape, director Jason Jacobs creates a vibrant, small-scale panorama with his precise staging. Lawrence glides around, often stands still totally, but remains mesmerizing due to Jacobs’ command of visual technique." TheatreScene.net LAVENDER SONGS 2008 Bistro Award Winner! Originally produced in 2008 and revised in 2016 in response to the Trump ascendency, this cabaret theatre piece had an extended run at Pangea. Featuring songs originally written and performed by queer aertists in Weimar-era Berlin (with new English lyrics by Jeremy), the piece was based on an evening created by Alan Lareau for the U.S. Holocaust Museum om Washington DC. GALLERY by Jeremy Lawrence Pangea As the story quickly moves from situation to situation, cleverly staged by Jason Jacobs on a minimalistic set ... (Sheinmel) begins to discover the meaning behind initially irrelevant occurrences and that life is full of unexpected." Theatre Is Easy ​ The antidote to the surfeit of soulless synthetic musical comedies on Broadway awaits you at The Club at La MaMa, in the form of Post Modern Living, a musical (kind of) by Richard Sheinmel, with songs by Clay Zambo, whose casual informality, honesty, and warmth are rivaled only by its dazzlingly high entertainment quotient." NYTheatre.com POST-MODERN LIVING (2010)/LOST IN STATEN ISLAND (2013) I had the pleasure to direct two installments of Sheinmel's "Modern Living" play cycle, which began in 2006 at La MaMa. Much like Armistead Maupin's "Tales of The City", this series of related plays center on Mitch, a gay "downtown" New York performance artist (played by Sheinmel), as he writes plays about his life. The plays incorporate original songs and music by Clay Zambo. GALLERY by Richard Sheinmel LaMama An afternoon of pleasantries quickly turns into a boiling teakettle of tension...he ending of the play is subtle and numbingly powerful." Letters From the Mezz The REAL First Ladies of Washington City give the dish on the 1801 Election." I want the audience to look at the Founding Fathers through a lens that includes class, race and gender." Call Me Adam MY FIRST LADY Presented as part of the Metropolitan Playhouse Founders Festival , My First Lady takes a funny and unexpected turn towards a battle of race, class, and gender in the new American republic when First Ladies Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, and Thomas Jefferson’s daughters gather for a "friendly" tea. The gloves come off when Jefferson's enslaved mistress Sally Hemmings claims her rightful place at the table. GALLERY: WATCH OUR HILARIOUS PROMO by David Koteles Metropolitan Playhouse ORIGINAL WORK INDIE THEATRE POST THEATRE CO VERMONT STAGE CO THEATRE ASKEW More

Jacobs_Classroom Residency Sample.pdf Interview with Jason Roundabout Theatre Jacobs_High School Theatre Residency2017.pdf Little Amal Education & Activity Pack - New York City 2022.pdf

My First Lady Promo

CABARET ​

VERMONT STAGE COMPANY ​ Previous Item Next Item OLIVER TWIST

POST THEATRE COMPANY ​ Previous Item Next Item CABARET

A Story-Telling Exercise: the kids are improvising a story, each picking up the details from the previous person. It was shot and edited by Rob Tate.