GALLERY AFTER THE CHAIRS Video Images Fresh Fruit Awards Jason accepts the Fresh Fruit Award for Best Director, AFTER THE CHAIRS AFTER THE CHAIRS Add a Title David Koteles WINNER! Best Direction, Fresh Fruit Festival 2013 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. 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." David Koteles Fresh Fruit Festival AFTER THE CHAIRS 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. WINNER! Best Direction, Fresh Fruit Festival 2013 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 David Koteles Fresh Fruit Festival AFTER THE CHAIRS 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. WINNER! Best Direction, Fresh Fruit Festival 2013 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

My First Lady Promo

MY MISSION in teaching is to stimulate, challenge, and support students to realize their potential as artists, citizens, and humans. Their minds and hearts are the most critical resources we have, and I pursue the following approaches to foster their growth: TO EMPOWER students to recognize their potency as artists and citizens, I ask questions about leadership, citizenship, and the impact of their work. Whether in public high schools or private universities, I encourage young people to engage with the wider world and recognize the importance of cultivating their voices. I promote critical thinking, facilitate brave conversations about equality and diversity, and spotlight the many ways theatre can promote social justice. My experience of coming out before LGBT people had mainstream acceptance forged my connection to anyone facing oppression and my commitment to oppose racism, I bring these values to everything I do as an educator and an artist. TO FOSTER students’ ownership of their artistic process and responsibility to their collaborators and audience, I approach teaching as an exchange between creative artists. I believe we all bring unique ideas and experience into the room, and I value the growth that emerges from respectful exchanges. I create a safe working space where each student’s creative ideas are valued and welcomed. My approach to collaboration comes from training with Anne Bogart and Tina Landau; I use the Viewpoints work to build ensemble, heighten awareness to the present moment, and establish a working vocabulary for any project. I lead students through composition processes that challenge them to create the theatrical worlds for each project. TO NURTURE artistry and foster discipline and skills, I engage students in challenging projects which also stimulate my own growth as an artist. Whether through full productions or classroom activities/project-based learning, I create experiences for active learning. I ask a lot of questions, build trust, and encourage risk-taking. I strive to attend to each student's personal objectives: whether honing in on specific skills, habits, or approaches to the process. I hold students to high standards in their written work and research, and maintain accountability for deadlines and responsibilities to partners, groups, and themselves. TO BUILD analytical skills and historical knowledge, I ask students to conduct research and explore the background of plays, playwrights, and theatrical movements. I create assignments to activate academic research and apply it in real-world contexts. I love the classics and approach them as living texts that invite interpretation and adaptation. I believe that students will be empowered by a solid grasp of dramatic literature, and an understanding of how social, economic, and political forces influence theatre and theatre-makers. TO ENCOURAGE students’ introspection about themselves and their work, I ask students the same questions I ask myself and my collaborators when approaching a project: Why have I chosen this project? Why do I need to work on this play? What is my point of view? What do I want to say? Who is my audience and how do I want to impact them? By guiding students to connect to their own purpose and explore the essence of their creativity, I urge them to make choices that align with their own values and beliefs. DIRECTING PHILOSOPHY ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY MORNINGSIDE JKO COMMENCEMENT SPEECH

6ac27a2e-d806-4fdd-a054-d104fb346cdc BALD DIVA! THEATRE ASKEW GALLERY

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AFTER THE CHAIRS GALLERY AFTER THE CHAIRS Video Images Fresh Fruit Awards Jason accepts the Fresh Fruit Award for Best Director, AFTER THE CHAIRS

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.

JACQUELINE KENNEDY-ONASSIS 2020 HIGH SCHOOL COMMENCEMENT SPEECH

PUBLICATIONS MY MISSION in teaching is to stimulate, challenge, and support students to realize their potential as artists, citizens, and humans. Their minds and hearts are the most critical resources we have, and I pursue the following approaches to foster their growth: TO EMPOWER STUDENTS to recognize their potency as artists and citizens, I ask questions about leadership, citizenship, and the impact of their work. Whether in public high schools or private universities, I encourage young people to engage with the wider world and recognize the importance of cultivating their voices. I promote critical thinking, facilitate brave conversations about equality and diversity, and spotlight the many ways theatre can promote social justice. My experience of coming out before LGBT people had mainstream acceptance forged my connection to anyone facing oppression and my commitment to oppose racism, I bring these values to everything I do as an educator and an artist. TO FOSTER OWNERSHIP of their artistic process and dedication to their collaborators and audience, I approach teaching as an exchange between creative artists. I believe we all bring unique ideas and experience into the room, and I value the growth that emerges from respectful exchanges. I create a safe working space where each student’s creative ideas are valued and welcomed. My approach to collaboration comes from training with Anne Bogart and Tina Landau; I use the Viewpoints work to build ensemble, heighten awareness to the present moment, and establish a working vocabulary for any project. I lead students through composition processes that challenge them to create the theatrical worlds for each project. TO NURTURE ARTISTRY and foster discipline and skills, I engage students in challenging projects which also stimulate my own growth as an artist. Whether through full productions or classroom activities/project-based learning, I create experiences for active learning. I ask a lot of questions, build trust, and encourage risk-taking. I strive to attend to each student's personal objectives: whether honing in on specific skills, habits, or approaches to the process. I hold students to high standards in their written work and research, and maintain accountability for deadlines and responsibilities to partners, groups, and themselves. TO BUILD KNOWLEDGE both analytical historical, I ask students to conduct research and explore the background of plays, playwrights, and theatrical movements. I create assignments to activate academic research and apply it in real-world contexts. I love the classics and approach them as living texts that invite interpretation and adaptation. I believe that students will be empowered by a solid grasp of dramatic literature, and an understanding of how social, economic, and political forces influence theatre and theatre-makers. TO ENCOURAGE INTROSPECTION about themselves and their work, I ask students the same questions I ask myself and my collaborators when approaching a project: Why have I chosen this project? Why do I need to work on this play? What is my point of view? What do I want to say? Who is my audience and how do I want to impact them? By guiding students to connect to their own purpose and explore the essence of their creativity, I urge them to make choices that align with their own values and beliefs. TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

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