Jonathan Edmondson

Jonathan Edmondson

Jonathan is a queer director and playwright from the Greater Philadelphia Area. His work as a freelance director has been featured on stages throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Select directing credits include: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, If/Then, Funny Girl, Proof, Rent, and The Heiress. As a playwright, his work has been produced with The Strides Collective, Frigid NY, Revolution...
Jonathan is a queer director and playwright from the Greater Philadelphia Area. His work as a freelance director has been featured on stages throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Select directing credits include: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, If/Then, Funny Girl, Proof, Rent, and The Heiress. As a playwright, his work has been produced with The Strides Collective, Frigid NY, Revolution Shakespeare, Jersey Fringe Festival, The College of New Jersey, Langhorne Players, The Ritz Theatre Company, and The Venice Island Performing Arts Center. Jonathan's plays highlight the modern queer experience, emphasizing that our shared humanity transcends our differences.

Select playwriting credits include: Whirlpool, The Diamond Peak Studio Sessions, Ignite, and Strides. Most recently, Jonathan has been working on the pigeon., which will have it's World Premiere through the Collective in Philadelphia in October 2022. After receiving his BA in Journalism and Professional Writing at The College of New Jersey, he completed the rigorous Professional Apprentice Program at Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia. He is a proud member of The Dramatist Guild and The Foundry, a Philadelphia playwright development program. jonathanedmondson.com

He can reached via email at jonathanedmondson94@gmail.com

Plays

  • Whirlpool by Jonathan Edmondson
    Recommendations: 7
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
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    Keyword: young adult, LGBTQ + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, experimental, movement/physical
    Keyword: young adult, LGBTQ, queer, gender, sexuality, masculinity, colleges and high schools, gay, two-hander, small cast
    Memories come flooding back when, after not speaking for years, Caleb and Blake reconnect at a party in the same small town that brought them together. Weaving in and out of time from high school to present day, they revisit pivotal moments in their lives to try and make sense of a shattered relationship. By examining key elements of adolescent friendship and exploration of sexuality, "Whirlpool"...
    Memories come flooding back when, after not speaking for years, Caleb and Blake reconnect at a party in the same small town that brought them together. Weaving in and out of time from high school to present day, they revisit pivotal moments in their lives to try and make sense of a shattered relationship. By examining key elements of adolescent friendship and exploration of sexuality, "Whirlpool" takes an honest look at a complicated time and questions our ability - or inability - to move on from our past.
  • the pigeon. by Jonathan Edmondson
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 5 more
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    Keyword: queer, LGBTQIA+ + 7 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, experimental, mystery/thriller, romantic comedy, science fiction
    Keyword: queer, LGBTQIA+, gay, modern, ensemble cast, magical realism, contemporary, centers a LGBTQ character, college
    Declan Barkin is missing. When his brother Adam shows up in Denver to investigate the disappearance, he connects with Nate, who swears he barely knows Declan… but when a perplexing building manager, a curious roommate, and a bird on the fire escape interfere, Nate finds himself face-to-face with the very thing he has been trying to avoid. the pigeon. examines the truths we hide, the lies we craft, and the world...
    Declan Barkin is missing. When his brother Adam shows up in Denver to investigate the disappearance, he connects with Nate, who swears he barely knows Declan… but when a perplexing building manager, a curious roommate, and a bird on the fire escape interfere, Nate finds himself face-to-face with the very thing he has been trying to avoid. the pigeon. examines the truths we hide, the lies we craft, and the world we wish was right outside our window.

    Content Warning: Play contains use of profane language, as well as references to homophobia, death of a family member, alcohol, and mild sexual activity. Recommended for audiences age 16+.
  • Playback (A One-Act) by Jonathan Edmondson
    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: queer, one act + 2 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: queer, one act, dramatic one act, college actors
    Zora is a dynamic, world-renowned popstar. Ashton is an audio engineer at a small recording studio in western Oregon. When Zora arrives announced to the studio, old wounds mix with startling revelations. Playback is a one-act play about the price of ambition, the pitfalls of fame, and the way in which we always find our way back home.
  • Expressed // Suppressed by Jonathan Edmondson
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: dark comedy, experimental + 3 more
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    Keyword: afterlife, after death + 7 more
    Genre: dark comedy, experimental, movement/physical, mystery/thriller, science fiction
    Keyword: afterlife, after death, Surreal, genderqueer, gender nonbinary, big choices, Moral Questions, philosophy, a short drama
    Expressed - verb. to convey a thought or feeling in words.
    Suppressed - verb. to forcibly put an end to.

    Mac and Cam are best friends. They meet for coffee. Mac tells Cam about the horrific day they've had - they watched someone get run over by a train. Well, sort of.

    Cam listens. Then, Cam poses a question: what would it be like to have a second chance, even if it...
    Expressed - verb. to convey a thought or feeling in words.
    Suppressed - verb. to forcibly put an end to.

    Mac and Cam are best friends. They meet for coffee. Mac tells Cam about the horrific day they've had - they watched someone get run over by a train. Well, sort of.

    Cam listens. Then, Cam poses a question: what would it be like to have a second chance, even if it meant losing everything you knew in the process?
  • More Flowers. by Jonathan Edmondson
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    1
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    Genre: adaptation, drama
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    Keyword: grief, Mourning + 3 more
    Genre: adaptation, drama
    Keyword: grief, Mourning, family, monolouge, based on Shakespeare
    Violet recounts the passing of her beloved grandmother to her new partner, and describes how an unexpected gift changed the way she viewed grief - and flowers - forever.

    Modern adaptation/interpretation of Shakespeare's Sonnet 99
  • Request from Roanoke by Jonathan Edmondson
    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: comedy, drama
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    Keyword: A Family issue, last request + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: A Family issue, last request, birth sisters, southern
    Meredith and Cecilia Fox return to their childhood home in Roanoke, Virginia to visit their ailing father and their step-mother, Savannah. By the time tea is served, Savannah begins to tell a story from the family's past, and makes a shocking request that leaves Meredith and Cecilia speechless.
  • Strides by Jonathan Edmondson
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    6
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    Genre: comedy, drama
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    Keyword: LGBTQ, gay + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: LGBTQ, gay, Mental Health, modern, masculinity, Relationships, young adult, college, ensemble, queer
    After getting rejected by his best friend who he is in love with, Logan seeks the counsel of his roommate and friends who attempt to drag him out of his depressive spiral with a night in the city. The result, however, is a horrific hate crime that causes Logan to come to terms with his own identity and his true romantic feelings. "Strides" examines what it is like to live as a gay man today and...
    After getting rejected by his best friend who he is in love with, Logan seeks the counsel of his roommate and friends who attempt to drag him out of his depressive spiral with a night in the city. The result, however, is a horrific hate crime that causes Logan to come to terms with his own identity and his true romantic feelings. "Strides" examines what it is like to live as a gay man today and comments on how far we have come, and just how far we have to go, in the journey to achieving compassion and equality for all.
  • Ignite by Jonathan Edmondson
    Cast: 
    10
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    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 2 more
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    Keyword: LGBTQ, college + 4 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, immersive, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: LGBTQ, college, campus culture, gay youth, fire, interactive
    Sparks fly when ten students at Alexandria College, a prestigious, private institution in Newport, Rhode Island, find themselves immersed in a fall semester full of new relationships, old secrets, and a shocking discovery that threatens to change campus life forever. With access to an online database of hidden audio recordings, voicemails, phone calls, video clips, and more, audience members have the ability to...
    Sparks fly when ten students at Alexandria College, a prestigious, private institution in Newport, Rhode Island, find themselves immersed in a fall semester full of new relationships, old secrets, and a shocking discovery that threatens to change campus life forever. With access to an online database of hidden audio recordings, voicemails, phone calls, video clips, and more, audience members have the ability to freely explore each student's story. When a fire erupts on campus just days before winter break, it will be up to you to figure out how it all unraveled. IGNITE is a virtual theatre experience that explores what happens when we speak up, what happens when we stay quiet, and how one tiny spark can set everything ablaze.
  • Drowning by Jonathan Edmondson
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: grief, child loss + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: grief, child loss, LGBTQ, Mental Health, parenthood, family
    In the early summer of 2015, Annabel and Jack Savage suffered a tragic and unexpected loss. Now, four months later, everyone who was affected by the loss is trying desperately to move on, but the circumstances surrounding the accident are still a mystery. When Annabel's brother Lucas and his friends Tyler, Iris and Jessica invite the couple over to Lucas' apartment for dinner, tensions are high as the...
    In the early summer of 2015, Annabel and Jack Savage suffered a tragic and unexpected loss. Now, four months later, everyone who was affected by the loss is trying desperately to move on, but the circumstances surrounding the accident are still a mystery. When Annabel's brother Lucas and his friends Tyler, Iris and Jessica invite the couple over to Lucas' apartment for dinner, tensions are high as the blame surrounding the accident is passed from person to person, and long-hidden secrets come to the surface. "Drowning" explores the raw way humans interact with grief, and provides hope for happiness after tragedy.