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 xxxORIGINAL WORK xxxINDIE THEATRE xxxPOST THEATRE CO xxxVERMONT STAGE CO xxxTHEATRE ASKEW More

Jason Jacobs accepts the Best Director Award for After the Chairs.

A cumulative story-telling exercise performed by the kids of Theatre Askew Young Person Program, edited by Rob Tate. JACQUELINE KENNEDY-ONASSIS 2020 HIGH SCHOOL COMMENCEMENT SPEECH

OPUS Promo for Vermonst Stage Company

Oliver Twist Promo for Vermont State Company

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 xxxORIGINAL WORK xxxINDIE THEATRE xxxPOST THEATRE CO xxxVERMONT STAGE CO xxxTHEATRE 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 xxxORIGINAL WORK xxxINDIE THEATRE xxxPOST THEATRE CO xxxVERMONT STAGE CO xxxTHEATRE ASKEW More

A cumulative story-telling exercise performed by the kids of Theatre Askew Young Person Program, edited by Rob Tate. JACQUELINE KENNEDY-ONASSIS 2020 HIGH SCHOOL COMMENCEMENT SPEECH

POST THEATRE COMPANY: LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY POST THEATRE COMPANY: LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more." ~publication Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more." ~publication Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more. Add a Title WORK TITLE Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more. GALLERY WORK TITLE Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more." ~publication Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more." ~publication Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more. Add a Title Add a Title Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more. GALLERY WORK TITLE Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more." ~publication Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more." ~publication Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more. Add a Title Add a Title Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more. GALLERY WORK TITLE ORIGINAL WORK INDIE THEATRE POST THEATRE CO VERMONT STAGE CO THEATRE ASKEW More ORIGINAL WORK INDIE THEATRE POST THEATRE CO VERMONT STAGE CO THEATRE ASKEW More

MY FIRST LADY GALLERY MY FIRST LADY Video Images My First Lady at Metropolitan Founders Festival The REAL First Ladies of Washington City give the dish on the 1801 Election. Partisanship is so bad these days! Video by Leah Reddy

AFTER THE CHAIRS ANOTHER HORATIO ALGER STORY AS YOU LIKE IT BALD DIVA! BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL BIG LOVE CABA RET HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH I GOOGLE MYSELF I, CLAUDIUS LIVE LAVENDER SONGS MACHINAL MARAT / SADE MISS BLANCHE TELLS IT ALL MY FIRST LADY OLIVER TWIST OPUS POST-MOD ERN LIVING T A Y P E THE TEMPEST THE BOYCOTT UNCLE TOM'S CABIN VANYA VERMONT Filter by CATEGORY All Productions

HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH Video Images Watch

LAVENDER SONGS GALLERY LAVENDER SONGS Video Images Watch