Jack Novak

J is writing the second issue of her self-published comic book. But while trying to move forward she keeps getting pulled back. Back into mixed-up, unreliable memories and fantasies of her past. She is processing something dark and difficult, retelling her own story over and over to make sense of it all, or just to survive. As she goes deeper into her story, she begins to parallel the character in her comic book, retreating from her body into the body of a spider. Will she finish her book? Will she be able to move forward? Or will she live the rest of her days in the body of a spider?

Kora is a young woman who is obsessed with death—its inevitability, its possibility lurking in every choice, every action. She has just come home from college after a significant loss. This sudden, unexpected loss has amplified her obsession to a point where she is retreating from life to avoid the possibility of death.

Kora’s return forces her and her mother, Rose, to re-examine their roles as mother and daughter, not to mention their feelings about Kelcey, a figure who was once integral to their lives, but is now absent. They both discover a way to relive happier times in their life, times they spent with Kelcey, through his favorite video game: Tekken 2.

Meanwhile, Cato, an idealistic young man, wakes up in a strange vehicle on the way to an unknown destination, piloted by a mysterious, powerful figure.

Kora, Cato, Rose, Kelcey, and even the Pilot are struggling to move forward. To avoid making this transferal, they will attempt impossible things: erasing a memory, eliminating emotions, reclaiming a family, reversing a death.

On a dark, quiet night, an unnamed security guard, working the graveyard shift at a former police station, encounters something strange. On the security cameras he is watching, he sees a mysterious Figure. When he goes to investigate, he finds no one. Then, just as he is starting to relax, he hears five loud gunshots echo through the building.

In addition to working in a possibly haunted building, the guard is navigating tensions in his relationship with his fiancé. They've just moved to a new city, and they rarely see each other because they are working opposite hours. Plus, she is doing exactly what she wants to do while he is still unsure of himself and his future.
The distance between them grows as more strange things happen in the building. There is definitely a presence, but it's unclear what the presence wants from them.

Finally, he has to make a decision that will affect the rest of his life. But will he be able to handle the results of his choice? Will he be able to protect the love of his life? Or will he be consumed by the darkness living in the walls of the police station?

Jack and his Dad have just moved across the country. It is a different and difficult time in their lives, and especially so for young Jack, who has never experienced such a significant upheaval of his life. Unsure how best to help Jack (and himself) through this difficult time, Dad weaves a series of fantastical bedtime stories in which Jack is the hero. Jack catches invisible Sandmen, tames the Tide Watcher, and faces off against the giant Time Managers. In doing so, he finds some answers to his real-life problems.

Based on bedtime stories told by one of the co-authors to the other many years ago, this play for young audiences celebrates the intimate creative act of bedtime storytelling. A boy’s bedroom is transformed into a fantastical wonderland, with many possibilities for music, puppetry, and all sorts of theatrical magic.

Written in collaboration with renowned storyteller David Novak.

Tales from the Decade of Wandering is a play cycle of five stories. They are modern folktales for the odyssey generation--the relatively newly emerged phase of life in between adolescence and adulthood, usually taking place in a person’s 20’s, starting towards the end of or after graduating from college, if he/she attended. In this phase of life, people travel, live in many places, hold jobs briefly, change careers often, and falter at the enormous intersection of overwhelming indecision and unending ambition. Like the phase of life itself, this play cycle is a collection of different experiences. Each experience is essentialized into the style of the folktale--a story of and for the people who create it, with unidentifiable origins, which is as far from the truth as it is close to the truth.

The first story is a cautionary tale. It examines an odyssey generational who seeks a solution to her questions about her identity in a very dangerous place, and as a result of her actions becomes even more lost.

The second story is a trickster tale, in which an older brother, who is living in his mom’s basement, attempts to hold onto his sister’s respect with a tall tale about outsmarting the devil.

In the third story--a tale of magical treasure--two friends compete for an unknown prize, judged by an unseen and mysterious force.

Before bringing the cycle to a close, it returns to the very beginning, with an origin tale. While many stories about the origins of the universe fall into the genre of mythology, folktales can also offer a take on how things came to be. This one examines the origin of loneliness, particularly that loneliness that comes from questioning whether your hopes are actually attainable.

Finally, the cycle comes to a close with a love story. In which the two young lovers escape a dark castle--or rather, a soul-crushing service job.

The cycle is tied together by interludes--little snippets of spoken word which can be spoken, performed, or otherwise used. Likewise, the stage directions of some of the stories are written in the voice of a storyteller, and could be spoken aloud by the actors or the ensemble. While there isn’t a distinct plot throughline, the play should feel like a singular experience.

The six graders of South Haven Middle School are obsessed with their fandoms. Fandom defines the social structure of the school--you're not allowed to sit with the "Couch Potatoes" fans unless they decide you're a REAL fan. This world that revolves around fandom leaves some people ostracized as outcasts, though. After tension between the fandom groups and the outcasts reaches a boiling point, fandoms are banned from the school! How will they go on without their fandoms? Can their friendships survive this blow? And, most importantly, will their parents let them go to Adventure Con?

Nothing of any consequence has ever happened in the small, quiet town of Paris, Idaho. The kids in this town escape the monotony through the internet--their window to the exciting world they are so far away from. However, the temptation of internet stardom drives some to take extreme measures. The young people of Paris soon find themselves dealing with hackers and cyber-bullies which threaten their internet-dependent way of life.

On this historic night, four distinguished professionals will bring you the kind of in-depth reporting you rely on. They will stay with you through the end of the night when, we hope, we will know for sure whether or not there is a large, deadly pendulum slowly lowering over their heads.

Two teenagers are facing an unexpected obstacle to the lives they hoped to lead. They are trying to strike a balance between the yearnings and fantasies of youth, and the desire to be responsible in their sudden transition to adulthood. They want this baby, and they understand the sacrifice it requires, but they just thought it would be easier. If only Sarah's parents would let her and Abe live at their house, they might be able to finish school. What will their desperation drive them to do?

Debbie, the receptionist, observes Pete and his ten-year-old son, Andy, sitting in the waiting room of a talent agency. Andy is about to audition. Pete is unsure of his son's talent--he's afraid Andy is about to have his hopes crushed, and this is a particularly bad time in their lives for yet another trauma. Pete suddenly feels the strong fatherly urge to give his son a pep talk. Will he be able to protect his son from the sting of failure?

In this forum on some of the most pressing, controversial issues facing our society today, your questions will be answered--more or less--by an unlikely group of "expert" panelists: four middle-school boys playing videogames. Questions about race, gun violence, immigration, and sexuality will be illuminated in ways you never thought possible, if the panel can manage to maintain anything close to a focused, rational discussion.

Mary has predicted the end of the world before, but this time she's absolutely sure she's got it right.

In a country recovering from a revolution, there is still a great deal of instability. Now, a new threat to this country's hard-won freedoms has forced many people to flee from the southern part of the country. But the government, fearing this sudden influx of people into the states surrounding the capital, has put a stop to the migration. Numerous hastily-assembled camps have been established, where the "transitionals" wait to have their cases reviewed before they are either allowed into the north, or put on a bus and sent back to the south.

In one of these camps, Asya pleads her case to Marko, a former revolutionary whose experiences under the old regime have left an indelible mark on him. They both believe they are doing what is right--but what is "right"? This play, inspired by numerous contemporary issues--such as the Syrian refugee crisis and the North Carolina HB2 law--examines how people can become so sure they are doing the right thing, even when it seems obviously wrong to others.

Crazy, Weird, Antisocial, Creepy, Awkward, Fat, Senile, Quiet--these are words we sometimes use to describe people with mental health issues, mental illnesses, those with cognitive/developmental disabilities, and many others whose brains work differently from ours. We know we need to address mental health issues in our nation, but when faced with them directly, we have a hard time knowing what to do, so the individuals who need help end up getting marginalized, shunned, outcast, ignored, written off. They are largely invisible to us.

Something terrible has happened, and this is a play about people seeking understanding and healing, but not knowing exactly where to look.

Ted and Chrissie have been married for a year, and it's been... ok. But Chrissie has a secret. She is in love with someone else. Someone more exciting than Ted. Someone who leads a life full of adventure, so much better than the boring life Chrissie leads. This man is the one and only... Captain America. Sure, he's a fictional character, but Chrissie thinks she's found a way to get around that little obstacle, with the help of a certain Sorcerer Supreme.

Richard is surfing the internet when he indulges in a common vanity--he does a search for his own name. What he finds is shocking, strange, and wonderful--it is a Wikipedia article about him, and it looks as if it were written years after his death. It contains many accurate details, and predicts many interesting events in his life, including that he will marry his platonic friend and roommate, Kelly. Is this an elaborate prank? Some kind of physics miracle, with information traveling back in time through the internet? Or is it something more mystical and sacred?

The Cowboy who rides an Ostrich was a citizen of the Island of Misfit Toys… until today. He (along with his Ostrich) is setting out to discover his origins. He wants to know who the hell made him, and why. However, the answers he finds might be difficult to accept.

Inspired by the classic Rudolph TV special, this short play is itself a holiday special, featuring its own (somewhat depressing) musical breaks.