An ingenious piece, full of wit, heart, and more than a little poignance. How many plays have you read or seen that can be performed/read backward as well as forward -- and have an impact either way? But this is far more than just clever structuring. There's a story about real people and real hurts and joys, no matter what order you take it in. Simple to stage, packed with fat roles for actors, and a lot to think about after you reach either end. Quite an achievement!

Our world-premiere production of Ouroboros won The Road lots of awards and was one of our most ambitious because the play moves forward and backward in time simultaneously. That meant we could stage it in rep with itself by reversing the order of the scenes: one direction was a comedy, the other a tragedy without changing a word of text. Although this sounds complicated, it's a deeply engaging experience for the audience, and many of them came twice. The roles are meaty and fun for actors. Intelligent without pretension, a joyful and memorable experience for all of us!

In Ouroboros, Jacobson's characters are deeply flawed and vital and compelling, the plot is a twisty who done what when, the pace is driving, the setting and stagecraft impeccable, but the play construction -- the play construction is spectacular! This is a play about time, and free-will v. predestination, especially for people who believe in something (god, art, love, an afterlife). So how to structure it? Make the play itself into an ouroboros, a snake eating its own tail (or tale). Start at either end, it's an amazing ride!