"Jekyll & Hyde", 2010
PERSONAL STATEMENT
Theatre is the language of life. It breathes, renews, builds confidence, and creates positive and fulfilling experiences for both performers and audience members through the engagement and active participation it requires in order to exist. Through theatre and performance, we tell our own stories, learn from others', and unite to create further narratives of the human condition.
The merging of education, design, and performance to me is key to the development of young people and adults no matter their age, social background or developmental/learning styles. As an educator with over a decade's experience, I have worked with diverse and exceptionally talented groups and individuals of all ages and backgrounds and interest. I am thrilled to say that I have witnessed incredible transformations; some of my students or youth actors have arrived guarded, withdrawn, and not confident in their abilities. They know deep down they have the enthusiasm and desire to perform, but have not been awarded the opportunities to shine. Others have been "born in a trunk"-- true performers ready for the bright lights and big stages. Honing their skills and further developing their craft through classes, coaching, and productions, these young people show leadership and support for their peers. They gain compassionate mentoring skills that will surely shape their future experiences in theatre and in life.
With support, advocacy and the structures associated with dramatic story-telling, students and young people learn social responsibility, self-advocacy, resilience and confidence. Theatre is organic collaboration at its finest; a grand scale community effort which, with genuine teamwork and endurance yields the most remarkable results.
Directing and designing in theatre, particularly for young people, is wondrous. For some with whom I have worked, it has been their first experience – others, particularly my students, are far more used to my flying contraptions, revolving scenery, and blustery imaginings. But for those who first walk into the space and see the potential or an actualised vision of things, it is the first pragmatic, visual representation of their imaginations. There is a immediate and electric connection between their creativity and the chance to see it live; for me, the transition from the theoretical to the practical, and their enthusiasm to help create that world, makes every moment worth-while.
“I have not forgotten the importance of meeting young actors in their element onstage. To ask them to take risks requires demonstration that we will do the same. I recently shared the stage with a young actor whose spark truly inspired a further performance within me. Her Mary Lennox, at age 12, lead me to discover further crafting of my own work at 29. I offer this video below as a visceral reminder of how important duality of role and mutual trust is within performance, and the wondrous mutual benefits of both – at any age. That connection is, truly, as the song is named, Wick.”
Rehearsal Footage of "The Secret Garden". Featuring A. Vittum as Mary Lennox and Jake Egan O'Hara as Dickon. Book and Score by Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon, respectively.
Jake holds a Bachelors (Hons) in Drama, Applied Theatre,and Education from the Royal Central School of Speech of Drama, and has completed Masters coursework through Harvard University and the Harvard University Extension School with a concentration in the Dramatic Arts. He is a licensed Theatre teacher (all levels) through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Additionally, he is a master teacher and adjudicating member of the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild, and a member of the New Hollywood LGBT, a leadership group and think tank comprised of entertainment professionals dedicated to giving back to the community and helping shape the future of the film, television and theatre industries.