I was interested in interviewing Jacob because of the high praise he received from a colleague Gregory Crafts , while in rehearsals and performance at Theatre Unleashed . This theater company and director caught my attention in large part because they always donate a portion of their ticket income to a related cause, much like Voices From Chornobyl .
JS: When I was approached to direct Birthday Boys, the first concern I had was 
finding the right cast. I needed 3 actors strong enough to act without use of their hands, feet, or eyes. And I needed an actor to play the terrorist who could scare the life out of you, then charm you to death in a matter of seconds. I was lucky enough to find those 4 men in auditions (Sean Fitzgerald, Jim Martyka, Greg Crafts, and Gabriel Reed), but knew we would still have a LOT of work to do.
One of the images that stuck in my head was that of a video circulating on the internet a few years of a man being beheaded by the Mahdi Militia. The horrifying imagery of 3 guys holding him down while another beheaded him is haunting even in the telling of it, and I encouraged the actors to keep that in mind while working on this show. While there are a lot of funny moments in Birthday Boys, there is an impending doom that cannot be forgotten.
Another theme was that at it’s core, this wasn’t a play about war. It was a play about the relationship between 3 men. Granted, they are under the most extreme of circumstances, but when it comes down to it it’s just about guys.
JS: I personally prepared by reading up on the Marines, the war, and Mahdi Militia. I wanted there to be a true sense of realism if an actual Marine came to see the show. For him/her to feel like we did them right.
I prepared the actors physically at first. We ran before and after rehearsals (I even ran with them). I had them doing push-ups and sit-ups in rehearsal, and they had exercise homework each night as well. I wanted them to feel exhausted every day, as well as build a comraderie that would carry throughout the rehearsal process and into performance.
CMJ: I heard there was a contingency plan in case the bound actors got free. How did you prepare for it and were there other contingency plans in place?
Basically the plan was: If you get one hand free, try like hell to get the other one out. Then yell like hell to the other guys that you’ve got a hand loose, or your blindfold is off, or whatever the case may be. One of our terrorists, Lee Pollero was in charge of listening for this backstage, and knowing where the duct tape and zip-ties were so he could come on, in character, and get the marine re-bound.
We had to use this plan only once in performance (thankfully), it took a few minutes, and Marine Greg Crafts got roughed up a little, but then the ship was righted, and the show went on:)
The second challenge was to really play the comedy in such a dark piece without taking the subject matter too lightly. The answer to that was to not play the jokes for jokes at all. You should never wink at the audience for a punchline, but to get a laugh in a life-or-death situation like this one requires a commitment to NOT being funny. This challenge was met by ALWAYS playing the scariness of the situation first and foremost. Just flat-out trust that playwright Aaron Kozak’s jokes would hit given the deadly set-up.
JS: The biggest challenge for me is the pay scale. Directing a show for me becomes a full time job. Combine that with my other job, it makes for a long process, and not much free time. But in the end, it is always so rewarding to stand in the back, and really watch the show affect people.
Another challenge in L.A. specifically is competing with the movies, TV, and Netflix. Entertainment and storytelling are so readily available for so cheap, it’s a hard sell to get someone to wear a nice shirt and watch it live. Luckily, working with Theatre Unleashed, we have a great team in place that finds ways to fill seats.
I went to college at Cornell College in Iowa where I had the luck to work with some of the most amazing faculty in the country. The well-rounded theatre education gave me insight to all facets of production, and they have all made me into a better director. Prof. Scott Olinger was a design genius, and the chair of the department while I was there, making me see truly what lights and set can do to a production. And Prof. Mark Hunter was my directing professor for 2 classes that really made me see things from a directors point of view. He knew how to get first class performances out of any actor, and I hope to one day be able to do the same.
I hope to keep directing interesting, powerful, and funny work. I want to get to peoples emotions through theatre. And I’d love to one day quit my day job, and direct year round. Basically, I want to devote the rest of my life to this craft that I love, and reach as large of an audience as I can.
CMJ Note: Since I sent these questions to Jacob, coincidentally I 
was assigned by LA Stage Times to interview the next Theatre Unleashed director, Vance Roi Reyes for their production of Julius Caesar. You can read all about it here.
Second note: Al so since I interviewed Jacob (this post has long been in my Drafts, ashamedly), I secured Aaron Kozak, writer of The Birthday Boys, to direct my own play at the Hollywood Fringe Festival.
Hey, LA Theatre is a small community when you know what you like and you like what you know.
