Jake Alexander
He, him, his
New York, NY
Jake Alexander is an NYC-based playwright and actor, who has worked professionally with theatres in NYC, Boston, and CT.
Biography

Jake Alexander is CT-born playwright and theatre artist. He has participated in the BOOST Mentorship Program with Off the Lane Co., Foster’s Artistic Residency “Cultivating Curiosity”, and the Script Share program with The Playwright’s Realm. Jake’s work has been produced by Equity Library Theatre, Christopher Newport University, Soop Theatre Co., the Player's Theatre of the West Village, Jakespeare Virtual Theatre Co., NY Theatre Festival, Chestnut Street Playhouse, Broward College, NY Theatre Festival Summerfest, and Emerging Artist Theatre Co. Jake has been published in Qu Literary Magazine and Literature Today Webzine. He is a 2014 graduate of Boston College and works in the School of Journalism at NYU. Jake currently resides with his partner and cat, who he is training to speak (unsuccessful at this point).

Plays

by Jake Alexander

Pain, frustration, financial-insecurity: all for the love of the theatre. This one-person show tells the story of a previous small-town-actor turned NYC-failure turned semi-successful-playwright. Exploring the ups, downs, lefts and rights of pursuing a career in the arts, and how we fall in- and out- of love with theatre.

Cast:
by Jake Alexander

In a mysterious global-event, all of the Alex's (Alexanders, Als, Alexas, Alexandrias, Lexis, etc.) disappear from the face of the earth. Dealing with the fallout of the loss of their roommate, and the only real connection between them, three should-be friends and living companions face a year of change, adjustment, conspiracy, and love. The Last Day of the Alex's is about what ties us together, and how we face a world of sudden change. 

Cast:
NOAH, male-identifying, ALEX's friend from college JAMES, male-identifying, ALEX's childhood friend SARAH, female-identifying, ALEX's girlfriends DEBORAH, ALEX's mother
by Jake Alexander

A young theatre troupe enters the space for their tech rehearsal in a prestigious (?) NYC-based fringe festival. They encounter some strange festival guidelines, and an even stranger festival manager. What comes next is an exploration of love, hatred, and the reasons who make art.

Cast:
by Jake Alexander

An autobiographical account of the worst fight i've ever gotten into with my father. Chronicling growing up, capitalism, and the many things i've learned from my father, "Knock It Off, I Love You" is about story-telling, sandwiches, and the different ways we say "I Love You".

Cast:
Just me
by Jake Alexander

On a seemingly normal weekend in the fall, Chris runs away from Boston to his hometown looking for clarity and peace. What he finds instead is Bailey: his parent's new next-door neighbor, whose wedding it taking place later that day. As a hurricane barrels down towards the ceremony, driveways are crossed and champagne is shared, leaving all involved to consider what we remember about the "big days" in our lives, and whether they live up to those expectations at all. Exploring love, marriage, and perfect strangers, ANY OTHER DAY is about who we meet and when, and how our lives change, if at all.

Cast:
CHRIS, twenty-something, a little messed up HARRIET, his mother BRUCE, his father JONAH, the groom BAILEY, the bride
by Jake Alexander

An estranged brother-sister relationship, and one night that changed their lives forever. When Allie's brother David comes into town after being missing for several years, what starts as a quiet night with friends becomes an all-out brawl over manhood and owning up to your mistakes. Exploring themes of masculinity (both toxic and healthy), competition, and how we face the natural world, MOUNTAIN is about confronting our challenges, and whether we survive on the other side.

Cast:
ALLAN, late twenties ALLIE, late twenties PAT, late twenties DOREEN, late twenties DAVID, early twenties CORA, 20, indigenous person
by Jake Alexander

After a weekend-camping trip upstate, a young couple struggles to explain a paranormal experience, and whether what they saw outside their tent was real or trick of the mind. When the haunting becomes more and more real, Taylor and Brian are forced to confront traumatic parts of their past, and bring in a spiritual medium to advise them. As the lights begin to flicker, everyone questions their belief, trust, and whether they are responsible for the ghosts that haunt them.

Cast:
BRIAN, 30 TAYLOR, 27 JUSTIN, 30 SANDRA, 50's, a paranormal investigator and medium
by Jake Alexander

What's the worst birthday a person can experience? Five friends go away for Sam's 30th, and what starts as a normal weekend trip, becomes a question of mortality and the choices we get to make. When Sam tells his friends he's terminal, and asks one of them to make the killing blow, everyone is forced to reconcile with how much they mean to one another, and whether we get to choose how we exit this life. Exploring suicide, love, and Hygge, Dirty Dirty is about the dirty thirty.

Cast:
SAMUEL, the birthday boy, turning 30, absolutely at peace SCARLETT, his girlfriend since college, did the most to plan this trip, sexy and self-sufficient TODD, his best friend, has often relied on SAMUEL, perhaps too much DENISE, a pity invite, works with SCARLETT HENRY, friends with SCARLETT and SAMUEL, although can get along with anyone ALBERTO, younger, has nothing to lose, HENRY’s boyfriend The HOST, the owner and maintenance worker of the AirBNB
by Jake Alexander

What would you say to your Dad if only your therapist was listening? Based on personal interviews and told through a series of vignettes, memories, psychological analyses, and multi-media presentations, Why Our Dads Need Therapy explores a generation of Dads who won't talk about their feelings, and the influences that made them that way. As their children explore the patterns and absolute anomalies of their relationships to their fathers, what starts as a way to cope becomes a devastating conversation on what we need most from our Dads, and what they simply can't give us.

Cast:
DAD A- early sixties, also plays YOUNG DAD A CHILD A- mid- to late-twenties, eldest child of DAD A CHILD A1- early- to mid-twenties, youngest child of DAD A DAD B- early-sixties CHILD B- early- to mid-twenties, child of DAD B DAD C- early sixties CHILD C- early- to mid-twenties, child of DAD C DAD D- early sixties, also plays INTERESTED BUYER CHILD D- early- to mid-twenties, child of DAD D CHILD E- early- to mid-twenties, father-less THE LISTENER- plays multiple roles, including many THERAPISTS, DAD A'S FATHER, CONSERVATIVE OPINION PUNDIT, LIQUOR STORE OWNER, 1980’s REALTOR, TALK RADIO HOST, etc.
by Jake Alexander

*Real-Housewives entrance music plays* "I may not be a real heiress, but my kids will inherit my world". Four children return home for a prime-time interview on the ten-year anniversary of their mother's death, Becky Most, Reality-TV star of "Making the Most of It". Becky lived the largest life in NYC, but at what cost? As her children recall their mother's life and their experiences in the limelight, past traumas and dramatic relationships come to the forefront. As the memories roll with the cameras, the four kids are forced to reconcile with how real their mother actually was, and how to move forward from a childhood that was produced, edited, and promoted for an audience.

Cast:
KYLIE, mid-forties, the eldest, female-identifying, her mother’s-daughter from her first marriage, never spent much time on camera, the only “official” Most-child, a work-a-holic, which clearly is used to cover up some trauma from her past JAMES, mid-thirties, second-oldest, male-identifying, leaned heavily into life on a reality series, but paid a price for it, struggled with drug-addiction, no real career to speak of TRINITY, mid-thirties, second-youngest, female-identifying, spent most of her life in the spotlight, a former actress and model, now a successful fashion designer in London. She might have a slight british accent, perhaps a put-on RENEE, early twenties, youngest, a peace-keeper, her mother died when she was young, wants to be a home-maker and housewife.
by Jake Alexander

A disappearance, four suspects, and a metaphysical shop. When Molly Clarkson, owner and manger of "Spot of Newt, Cauldrons Bubble"  Metaphysical and Wiccan-Supply Shop, goes missing, the detective from the state police precinct interrogates the three employees and one sandwich-eater who saw her last. As the afternoon turns to evening, and the question about where Molly is and who would want her gone goes unanswered, all are forced to face with what they know about each other, and whether we can believe the simple explanations at all. Exploring motive, opportunity, and the occult, If You Didn't Put It There, Don't Touch It is a site-specific production about the super-natural, the mystical, and the unexplainable. 

Cast:
MOLLY, owner and daily manager of “Spot of Newt, Cauldrons Bubble” Metaphysical and Wiccan-Supply Shop, an undefinable age, female-identifying, queer; the one who “disappears” TAMARA, a tarot-card reader in the back room of “Spot of Newt, Cauldrons Bubble”, Molly’s oldest friend and former partner, female-identifying, an undefinable age, queer, BIPOC BLAIR, a part-time worker at “Spot of Newt”, was just hired last week, a student, female-identifying, early-twenties, deeply afraid of disappointment and the dark arts RIAN, a part-time worker at “Spot of Newt”, neighbor to Molly, seemingly does not buy into any of the occult or wiccan practices, firmly believes in the store making profit and nothing else, mid-twenties, female-identifying HARRY, a person experiencing homelessness, who lives on the street outside of “Spot of Newt, Cauldrons Bubble”, believes in the occult, suffers from some mental-health disorder that often manifests itself in outbursts and hallucinations, older, male-identifying DET. WELLINGTON, a detective investigating the disappearance and possible murder at the “Spot of Newt, Cauldrons Bubble”, hard-nosed, rough around the edges, knows the right questions to ask, thirties, male-identifying
by Jake Alexander

Three months after the loss of her husband, June agrees to sit and stay with her former Grandfather-in-law, CJ, a ninety-something-terminal-patient who always speaks his mind, for one night. Stuck in close quarters, and with nothing to do but watch the waves and birds of Noyak Bay, their relationship is tested in unintentional and irreversible ways. Exploring death and love, The Loon Cries at Night is about who takes care of us, how we define family, and how we face facts.

Cast:
JUNE, female-identifying, mid-thirties, Black, former wife of CJ's grandson. CJ, male-identifying, mid-nineties, suffering from a terminal disease.
by Jake Alexander

Who are we writing for, and when do we get to decide that? Sam is a creative-writing student at a prestigious university, until he writes something he shouldn't. When he's called before the Academic Board to defend what he wrote, he struggles to understand what he did wrong, and how he can make it better. To make matters worse, Aaliyah comes into his life unexpectedly, and their relationship is challenged in ways they didn't expect. Exploring race, intentions, and Matthew Salesses' "Craft in the Real World", Don't Bother is about who gets to make what Art, and who's listening along the way.

Cast:
PROF. ROBERTA GOODE, mid-40’s, BIPOC female-identifying, a creative-writing professor SAM, early-twenties, white male-identifying AALIYAH, early-twenties, Black female-identifying
by Jake Alexander

When his best friend Roger considers leaving the city, and pursuit of the arts, for a new relationship, Theo begins to unravel. As his world shifts around him, Theo has to face his own struggle with the future, a relationship that won’t grow, and his "best laid plans". 5 YEAR PLAN explores the dreams we wanted for ourselves at one time, and the way life shapes or destroys them along the way.

Cast:
THEO, twenty-something, male-identifying, Leah’s live-in boyfriend of several years, thinks he’s set for life ROGER, twenty-something, male-identifying, Rebecca’s new boyfriend, a struggling actor LEAH, twenty-something, female-identifying, Theo’s live-in girlfriend of several years, a professional REBECCA, early-twenties, female-identifying, Roger’s girlfriend, wants something else SCOTT, twenty-something, male-identifying, a long-time friend but hard to pin down

A young couple heads to the ER after one of them has broken their ankle, and what starts as a routine trip to get better, becomes an examination they hadn't expected. As Julian and Bryce start filling out the paper work, and Bryce suggests putting her mother as her Emergency Contact rather than Julian, they are forced to reconcile with where they are in their relationship, how they got there, and what comes next. This ten-minute explores love, broken bones, and how we define ourselves in relation to others.

Cast:
JULIAN, the boyfriend BRYCE, the girlfriend NURSE, a medical professional working the night shift
by Jake Alexander

Written during the Corona-Virus Pandemic in March 2020, this ten-minute disaster play tells the story of two strangers, stuck together in crisis, and forced to face their priorities during the time of chaos. As the explosions get closer, Stephen and Nina have to consider the ramifications of communal tragedy, and how to move forward.

Cast:
STEPHEN, early thirties, a father and husband NINA, early thirties, a recluse and a loner
by Jake Alexander

Two friends go to see a friend in new play festival, and it sucks. The one-minute play explores new art, bad writing, and lying.

Cast:
by Jake Alexander

Written as a series of video-posts on a fundraising page, Ben recalls the life he had with his wife Hannah, an avid and popular-vlogger. The mystery of Hannah's medical drama, and the choice Ben made that ultimately ended her life, come center-stage in this one-man play about our relationship to the followers we don't really know, and the guilt we suffer when another life is in our hands.

Cast:
BEN, mid-thirties

What if the person you always thought would be "the one" turned out not to be? Two old "friends" get together to catch up, and underneath the layers of awkwardness and multiple coats, must face what they once meant to each other, and what still remains between them. Exploring, love, loss, and not-so-perfect strangers, Easy Does It is about just how difficult it can be to let go.

Cast:
PETER, male-identifying, twenty-something, old friends with NAOMI NAOMI, female-identifying, twenty-something, old friends with PETER

A writer needs to finish a play, but can't. It's not writer's block: it's a time loop. Each night as Stef wraps up a first draft for a new piece, the pages disappear and she starts all over again. As her manager and agent Reg tries to help, the mystery unravels in a way that time won't. Exploring writing, craft, time, and first drafts, Thirty-Four Empty Pages might not have the ending you expect.

Cast:
STEF, a writer, caught in a time loop REG, her manager and agent
by Jake Alexander

Set in the year 2171, biological Men are extinct as the “y” chromosome has disappeared from the gene-pool. In a deeply divided country, government forces have "mandated" that all women who are able to, must reproduce by the age of 35, in an effort to combat a growing concern of extinction of women. But some rebel groups have encouraged "uploading" as a way to preserve the mind and consciousness, while disposing of the biological form. After a long school year, six friends go to a remote cabin on a private island in the Ozarks. As the drinking starts, the group is forced to reconcile with what extinction means, the world they live in, and what ideals they choose to uphold. Exploring sisterhood and choice, Yland (pronounced "island") is about what we want for our futures, and what price we are willing to pay to get it.

Cast:
CARLIE, 22, female-identifying, a natural born leader and peace-keeper. Girlfriend of Beth SARA, 22, female-identifying, party-animal, always down for a good time. Opinionated ISABELLA, 19, female-identifying, more sheltered than the rest, conservative GRETA, 21, female-identifying, Heidi’s sister although not biologically, protective of those she loves HEIDI, 21, female-identifying, Greta’s sister although not biologically, the mediator, close with Beth BETH, 22, female-identifying, conflicted, tortured. Girlfriend of Carlie GLORIA, an ageless female A.I.; a voice-over, is nested within the cabin and can power/control most functions, like Siri or Google but capable of so much more

Successes

PRODUCTIONS & READINGS:

But Did I Leave the Oven On? Equity Library Theatre Winter Festival, Apr. 2021 (Finalist); Christopher Newport University Theatre Dept., Dec. 2021

Yland Quarantine Reading Society, Mar. 2021

Emergency Contact SOOP Theatre Co. One Act Festival, Nov. 2021(Finalist); Player's Theatre of the West Village New Play Fest- LUV, Feb. 2022

It Was, You Know, What It Was Jakespeare Virtual Theatre Co. One Moment in Time One-Minute Play Festival, Feb. 2022

RESIDENCIES: Foster’s Theatrical Artist Residency Cultivating Curiosity, Summer 2021 (Playwright)

SELF PRODUCED: Forgive Me Streaming on Youtube

PUBLICATIONS: Emergency Contact, Qu Literary Magazine, Winter 2022 Publication