The Other Jack
by Dan O’Brien
Based on the novel by Charles Boyle
A play about books, mostly . . . and bonfires, clichés, dystopias, failure, happiness, jokes, justice, privilege, publishing, rejection, self-loathing, shoplifting, and umbrellas. An old, established, male English writer and a young, aspiring, female American writer meet in London cafés to talk about books—that’s the plot. There are flirtations, arguments, spilt coffee, deaths both in life and in fiction, generational and gender and cultural conflict, rain and laughter. Adapted from celebrated author Charles Boyle’s The Other Jack and 99 Interruptions.
Developed by The Alcove at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, directed by James Dacre. Performed by Jasmine Blackborrow and Nathaniel Parker, and produced by Caridad Svich.
Cast: Jasmine Blackborow & Nathaniel Parker
Digital Reading Premiere: April 8-22, 2025
About the Playwright:
Dan O’Brien is an American playwright, poet, memoirist,essayist and librettist. His most prominent works: the play The Body of an American and the poetry collection War Reporter. His play Newtown premiered at the GeVa Theatre in 2024, and his play The House in Scarsdale: a Memoir for the Stage received the 2018 PEN America Award for Drama. He has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, Hodder Fellowship, the Horton Foote Prize for Outstanding American Play, L. Arnold Weissberger Award, and many more honours and recognitions. He is under commission from the Lucille Lortel Theater Alcove New Play Development Program.
About the Director:
James Dacre is a British theatre, opera, and film director and producer. He was artistic director of Royal & Derngate Theatres in Northampton from 2013-2023 and prior to that held Associate Director roles at the New Vic Theatre, Theatre503 and National Youth Theatre. He directed Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop, which transferred to the West End, the UK premiere of Dan O’Brien’s The Body of An American, and the world premiere of The Two Popes by Anthony McCarten.
About the Author:
Charles Boyle is a British poet and novelist. He uses the pseudonyms Jack Robinson and Jenny Walker as well as his own name.. As Walker, he won the 20028 McKittrick Prize for nis novella 24 for 3. He is the author of six collections of poetry. He founded CB Editions, a small press dedicated to novellas, translations and writings on other genres often neglected by mainstream publishers.
About the Cast:
Jasmine Blackborow is a British actor. On television, she is known for her roles in the first season of the Netflix series Shadow and Bone, the Canal+ and BBC drama Marie Antoinette, and Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen (2024).
Nathaniel Parker is a British actor of stage and screen. He is best known for playing the lead in the BBC crime drama series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. His numerous stage credits include The Audience with Helen Mirren with Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II and Psrker as Gordon Brown directed by Stephen Daldry. He received a Tony Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his work as King Henry VIII in Wolf Hall. He won the Oliver Award for this role in London.