David Jacobi

David Jacobi

David’s plays have been performed and developed in the U.S and abroad, including Sideshow Theatre, Ojai Playwrights Conference, JAW Festival, RISK IS THIS, Great Plains Theatre Conference, Kennedy Center MFA Playwright’s Workshop, SLC Playwrights Lab, Sewanee Writers Conference, and PlayPenn. He is a winner of the Holland New Voices Award, Kennedy Center Theatre for Young Audiences Award, a Relentless Award...
David’s plays have been performed and developed in the U.S and abroad, including Sideshow Theatre, Ojai Playwrights Conference, JAW Festival, RISK IS THIS, Great Plains Theatre Conference, Kennedy Center MFA Playwright’s Workshop, SLC Playwrights Lab, Sewanee Writers Conference, and PlayPenn. He is a winner of the Holland New Voices Award, Kennedy Center Theatre for Young Audiences Award, a Relentless Award semifinalist, and has been nominated for the Weissburger. David was the 2015 Shank Fellow at Pig Iron Theatre Company and is currently commissioned by South Coast Rep and EST/Sloan. He received a BFA in Dramatic Writing from Purchase College and an MFA from UC San Diego.

Plays

  • Ready Steady Yeti Go
    In the aftermath of a hate crime, Junior High pariah Goon befriends one of the victims, Carly, the only black girl in school. While the town plans a rally "to destroy racism forever," a youthful romance blossoms and the two must navigate the pitfalls of falling in love while dealing with the town's prying eyes, especially those of Wikipedia Jones, the crime-solving son of the Chief of Police....
    In the aftermath of a hate crime, Junior High pariah Goon befriends one of the victims, Carly, the only black girl in school. While the town plans a rally "to destroy racism forever," a youthful romance blossoms and the two must navigate the pitfalls of falling in love while dealing with the town's prying eyes, especially those of Wikipedia Jones, the crime-solving son of the Chief of Police. Passive-aggressive antics, bad parental advice, and ill-informed gestures of kindness create a "White Guilt Perfect Storm" that threatens to make the course of true love a rocky road indeed.

  • Mai Dang Lao
    During a tense shift at McDonald's, a young employee gives her notice to her oppressive managers. As she is subjected to humiliation and abuse after being accused of theft, the ubiquitous fast food restaurant becomes a warzone where self-improvement, denial and brutal labor practices are used as weapons.
  • Widower
    Jonas is home alone. His drug addict father has disappeared. Hattie, a former professional wrestler who has fallen on hard times, shows up out of the blue. Stuck together in a home in the middle in the New Mexico desert, Jonas and Hattie wrestle with the truth of who they are and the lies they tell to get by. When the Exterminator arrives, Jonas and Hattie soon realize that the only allies they have may be each...
    Jonas is home alone. His drug addict father has disappeared. Hattie, a former professional wrestler who has fallen on hard times, shows up out of the blue. Stuck together in a home in the middle in the New Mexico desert, Jonas and Hattie wrestle with the truth of who they are and the lies they tell to get by. When the Exterminator arrives, Jonas and Hattie soon realize that the only allies they have may be each other. Widower explores what happens when villains turn into heroes, enemies turn into allies, and loss is transformed into something approximating redemption.
  • Ex Machina
    Two coworkers, a security guard, and a woman about to rob the factory collide in this play about manual factory labor, the thrill of rebellion, dancing, old people candy, language, unions, and meaningful handshakes.
  • Misfit Christmas
    Horrible people gather to celebrate Christmas. While going through the motions of yet another empty yuletide holiday, they accidentally summon an ancient, evil, murderous, drug addicted fairy.
  • French Pig
    In Medieval Europe, criminal trials weren’t just for humans. Animal “criminals” were also put before a judge and jury. After her sister is killed by their pig, a peasant farmer wades through the miry bureaucracy of the 15th century criminal justice system in order to get her pig back. French Pig is Sarte meets Lecoq Mime meets My Cousin Vinny. It’s a play about mourning, existential pigs, hiding in plain sight...
    In Medieval Europe, criminal trials weren’t just for humans. Animal “criminals” were also put before a judge and jury. After her sister is killed by their pig, a peasant farmer wades through the miry bureaucracy of the 15th century criminal justice system in order to get her pig back. French Pig is Sarte meets Lecoq Mime meets My Cousin Vinny. It’s a play about mourning, existential pigs, hiding in plain sight, and the eternal struggle to give meaning to/prove the pointlessness of tragic events.
  • The Couches
    Ethan Couch has lived in a bubble of pampered privilege for his entire life, so when he’s convicted of killing four people while driving drunk, he and his mother Tonya flee to a resort in Mexico rather than face the consequences. In this self-imposed state of limbo, Ethan pays hotel clerk Daniel $1000 to be his friend and help maintain the facade of his prior life. But as the unlikely pair drink, sing, and...
    Ethan Couch has lived in a bubble of pampered privilege for his entire life, so when he’s convicted of killing four people while driving drunk, he and his mother Tonya flee to a resort in Mexico rather than face the consequences. In this self-imposed state of limbo, Ethan pays hotel clerk Daniel $1000 to be his friend and help maintain the facade of his prior life. But as the unlikely pair drink, sing, and stumble through the night, delusions of how the world works melt away as quickly as their cash flow.