Monday’s Bare Essentials Play Reading is False Awakening by Jacob Ryan Martinez. Read on to learn a little more about the playwright and the play we’ll be seeing on Monday!
Jacob Ryan Martinez is an actor, writer and director originally from San Antonio, Texas. He grew up as the son of a theatre teacher and has been acting since childhood.
Jacob graduated from Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi in 2022 with a B.A. in Acting/Directing through their Honors Program. Shortly after, he moved to Atlanta with his beautiful fiancé and their dog. He has since been collaborating on many projects in theatre, film, and education.
Here’s what we learned from Jacob Ryan about his upcoming reading with us this Monday night:
ET: Hi Jacob Ryan, what can you tell us about the play we’ll be hearing Monday night?
JRM: False Awakening is the story of a Latino man grappling with the loss of his family, the questioning of his sexuality, and the reality of his generational trauma, all viewed through the lens of a never-ending night terror. It began as a 10-minute play project in my playwriting class and later developed into a one-act as my thesis project my final year of college. It has had one staged reading before this, as an independent project at my university.
ET: Where did you get the idea for this play? What made you want to write it?
JRM: I was inspired by the relationship of my Latino grandfather and White grandmother, who grew up in an era of prejudice in the south. I began writing this play a few years after my grandmother passed away, and saw the heavy toll it took on my grandfather’s mental well being. At the time, I was having vivid nightmares that, upon my perceived waking, would still continue. I thought this would be a fantastic method of telling a deep and layered story.
ET: How did you get into playwriting?
JRM: I took my first playwriting class my junior year of college with the fantastic professor, Dr. Thomas Oldham. I had always had an interest in writing, but after that class, it became a new passion.
ET: What is the importance of staged readings in your own creative process and the creative development of your play?
JRM: It is absolutely essential for me to see my work on its feet and in front of real people before diving into a full production.
ET: What are you hoping to gain from the experience of the Essential Theatre Play Festival?
JRM: I am hoping to connect and collaborate with fellow creatives! As a newer resident to the Atlanta area I am so excited to be a part of this incredible community of artists. I cannot wait to see some great theatre!
False Awakening, by Jacob Ryan Martinez, will take place at 7:30 on Monday August 12 at 7Stages Theatre. Reserve your free ticket at EssentialTheatre.Tix.com!
