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Hello!
My name is Jake – I wrote the libretto, words, and music of this show. My training has been in film and television, specifically animation. I also have been writing songs since childhood. I've written non-fiction books about the animation industry, always seeking out the human story... because a good story is all about interesting characters striving against the odds.
Also I love theater and a good musical.
A Note from the Author: "SHUSHAN"'s Story
"SHUSHAN! the Musical" started as a "Purim spiel," which is a fun and celebratory Jewish tradition of reenacting the Book of Esther as a play on the holiday of Purim. The general expectation of a spiel is that it lasts about 20 minutes and will be pretty silly, often referential of pop culture. .... This is not that.
In 2017, my liberal synagogue, Romemu, asked me to write that year's Purim spiel since the regular spiel guy moved away. They knew I was prone to write silly songs and poems. I had also broken my leg, and had nothing better to do, so I agreed. I started with one song. And then another came. I dug deeper into the motivations of these characters whom I had grown up with. I wanted a play that was fun and catchy like my favorite musicals, but also exploring character motivations and real themes of the text, like of xenophobia, gender rights, and class disparity. Migrants, refugees – these were hot-button issues, and that's who these Biblical heroes were. Within ten days I had written a draft for what would become a full-length musical.
What was then called "Esther Unmasked' was performed as a volunteer workshop performance in 2018 entirely by synagogue members. Romemu was so pleased that I was asked to put it on again the following year, and so I polished it up a bit for a second volunteer workshop performance in 2019. It was hugely well-received by the hundreds in the pews. I was encouraged to take it further.
Finally, after life calmed down a bit, the time came, It was accepted in the SPARK Theater Festival for Emerging Artists, and was additionally given a stage at the 92nd Street Y. I'm thrilled for a wider audience to enjoy this production.