Jonathan Cook

Jonathan Cook

Jonathan Cook is heavily involved in the fine arts as an actor, writer, and filmmaker based in South Carolina. Many of his short plays have been produced in theatres around the World and and his full length play INSURGENTES was a semi-finalist in the 2020 Screencraft Stage Play Contest and the SE Texas Festival of New Plays. He is a five-time recipient of the Porter Fleming Literary Award in the playwriting...
Jonathan Cook is heavily involved in the fine arts as an actor, writer, and filmmaker based in South Carolina. Many of his short plays have been produced in theatres around the World and and his full length play INSURGENTES was a semi-finalist in the 2020 Screencraft Stage Play Contest and the SE Texas Festival of New Plays. He is a five-time recipient of the Porter Fleming Literary Award in the playwriting category and some of his works have been published in anthologies by Smith & Kraus, Black Bed Sheet Books, and Ardneh. Aside from playwriting, he has also written and directed several short films that have been presented in regional film festivals as well as distributed internationally on ShortsTV. He is also the host and producer of the radio theater podcast GATHER BY THE GHOST LIGHT. Launched in 2020, GATHER BY THE GHOST LIGHT is a collection of stage plays adapted to an audio only format performed by voice actors and edited with appropriate sound effects and music.

Plays

  • Lenora
    A man visits a therapist regarding his daughter’s strange dreams that have started to
    manifest into reality.
  • Memento Mori
    It’s the late 1800’s. A post mortem photographer who has a mystical ability to reanimate the recently deceased is conflicted with a dark secret revealed to him by the corpse of a teenage girl. Surreal drama.
    (approx 10-15 mins)
    *Good opportunity for a teenage actress.
  • Transferring Kyle
    A glimpse “behind the scenes” of the life of Kyle Henley. He is not on the right path in life, so management decides that he must be replaced with another version of himself. Surreal comedy.
    (approx 10 mins)
  • Lobster Man (Full-length version)
    *SEMI-FINALIST - Princess Grace Award
    *SEMI-FINALIST - SE Texas Festival of New Plays
    Mark and Christa, two survivors of a post-apocalyptic world, struggle with whether they are the last two people alive. As her health deteriorates, Christa urges Mark to travel and explore in hopes to discover others, but Mark is reluctant to leave their comfort zone. When a mysterious stranger arrives at their...
    *SEMI-FINALIST - Princess Grace Award
    *SEMI-FINALIST - SE Texas Festival of New Plays
    Mark and Christa, two survivors of a post-apocalyptic world, struggle with whether they are the last two people alive. As her health deteriorates, Christa urges Mark to travel and explore in hopes to discover others, but Mark is reluctant to leave their comfort zone. When a mysterious stranger arrives at their residence one day, Mark is unprepared for the invitation he offers Christa.
  • Reflections
    After the bizarre disappearance of their daughter, a man and woman are assigned to a grief counselor to help cope with their sadness, but their story leaves the counselor wondering what is fact and fiction.
    (approx. 10 mins)
  • Marigold
    A man enjoying a day at the park encounters two strangers who both mistake his identity – a deal is made, money is transferred, and the man is left confused on what he was just a part of. Dark Comedy
    (approx 5-10 mins)
  • Celebration of the Fox Moon
    A celebratory dinner party is disrupted by two uncompromising criminals that break in looking for a hideout from the police. Edgy Drama.
    (approx 10-15 mins)
    *Premiered at Le Chat Noir Theatre as part of the anthology "Some Place Called Mayor's Income, Tennessee".
  • Digital Christmas
    Santa Claus is ready to retire and has launched a new online store to help aid in the process, but when the website crashes on Christmas Eve and all the orders get mixed up, he scrambles to make things right.
  • Don't Call Me Cupid
    Katheryn is completely smitten with a new man in her life and is eager to show him off to her roommate. Love takes a tragic backseat, however, when the god Eros (aka Cupid) appears and accidentally shoots her new boyfriend with the wrong arrow. Dark Comedy.
    (approx 10-15 mins)
  • A Play by Theodore Janus
    Playwright, Theodore Janus, visits an actress that is performing one of his plays the day before they close the show. He tries to convince her to change the ending for the final performance – to turn her character’s tragic death into a finale where she survives. Free will versus a scripted fate.
    (approx 10 mins)
  • Settle and Reach
    (10 MINUTE PLAY) Botanist Adam Wilson has been chosen for a colonization mission to a new planet. The program administrators conducted a mate matching assessment for this one-way trip and paired him with a lovely fellow scientist. She has a secret, however, that is rather unsettling to Adam.
  • The Tear in the Roof
    On this night, a married couple is celebrating their wedding anniversary in their home as a heavy storm brews outside. What they aren't expecting is the unimaginable horror that comes crashing through their roof.
  • When the Sun Goes Down
    Estranged sisters reconcile their differences and relive childhood memories only moments before a doom hanging over them strikes, destroying all life on Earth. Apocalyptic drama.
    (approx 10-15 mins)
    *all female cast
  • Wages of Sin
    Felix has been collecting a long trail of sins his entire life. Wanting to become a better person, he decides to go to a pawn shop to see how much they’ll pay to take them off his hands.
  • You're F*cked, Pal
    An ominous fortune from a fortune cookie creates paranoia and suspicion between two
    friends.
    *contains adult language, but a non-vulgar version can be provided if interested*
  • Kingdumb
    *Premiere will be in October as part of the Gather by the Ghost Light LIVE Event at Le Chat Noir Theatre in Augusta, GA*
    Kingdumb is a fun story full of absurdist humor and illogical behavior. There’s a new King in the land that has initiated a mysterious new tax on the citizens. Outraged, the region’s finest Clock fixer, aka “Time Repair Specialist”, recruits some of the most unlikely rebels to help him...
    *Premiere will be in October as part of the Gather by the Ghost Light LIVE Event at Le Chat Noir Theatre in Augusta, GA*
    Kingdumb is a fun story full of absurdist humor and illogical behavior. There’s a new King in the land that has initiated a mysterious new tax on the citizens. Outraged, the region’s finest Clock fixer, aka “Time Repair Specialist”, recruits some of the most unlikely rebels to help him develop a plan to overthrow the King. Their plotting takes them on a comedic journey through perilous mountain tops all the way to the palace itself where they confront this vile King face to face. Medieval comedy. *large diverse cast with many roles that can be gender swapped; great opportunity for highschools and universities
  • Insurgentes
    Staff Sergeant Eddie Wilson, a deployed American soldier, loses his best friend along with his entire squad from unexpected sniper fire while also getting critically wounded himself. After recovering months later, he returns home for a new assignment. During his visit, he reconnects with his best friend's widow and daughter, but when she discovers that he has aggressive PTSD from the traumatic event, she’s...
    Staff Sergeant Eddie Wilson, a deployed American soldier, loses his best friend along with his entire squad from unexpected sniper fire while also getting critically wounded himself. After recovering months later, he returns home for a new assignment. During his visit, he reconnects with his best friend's widow and daughter, but when she discovers that he has aggressive PTSD from the traumatic event, she’s conflicted on allowing him to be a part of their lives unless he gets help.
  • That Night 'Butcher' Pete Wilcox Got Knocked Out By Jessie 'The Canon" Tesori
    World class heavyweight champion fighter, “Butcher” Pete Wilcox, is at the peak of his career – a living legend with a winning streak to brag about. He never expected, however, that his undefeated record would end in an exhibition match with Jessie “The Cannon” Tesori – a lightweight female from the women’s fighting division.
  • State of Dominion
    Bryce discovers that he has an extreme fear of change. He’s obsessed with strict routines and they are the only thing that brings balance to his life. His fear of altering his routines becomes challenged when he has a difficult time dating a new girl in his life all because of her name.
  • Lucky Lou
    Kara and Wendell want nothing more than to have a baby, but that has proven to be difficult. After trying various medical procedures without success, they reach out to an unlikely source – a man called Lou and he has the unique ability to bring anything he touches good luck.
  • Some Place Called Mayor's Income, Tennessee
    SOME PLACE CALLED MAYOR’S INCOME, TENNESSEE is a full-length play that is made up of a collection of short episodic plays. Each play represents a bizarre occurrence that once took place or will take place in this mysterious town known as Mayor’s Income, Tennessee. The Narrator character in the play is there to guide the audience through each of these moments.
    (FULL LENGTH PLAY - approx 2 hours)
  • Brackish
    Six months ago, the outlaw Brackish Noble was murdered by one of his acquaintances. His sister, Cadence, has been hunting down his murderer ever since. She finally has her day and stands face to face with the felon, but revelations in their confrontation awaken her perception of what kind of man her brother really was. Perhaps Brackish deserved to die after all...or maybe his murderer is one of the best con-...
    Six months ago, the outlaw Brackish Noble was murdered by one of his acquaintances. His sister, Cadence, has been hunting down his murderer ever since. She finally has her day and stands face to face with the felon, but revelations in their confrontation awaken her perception of what kind of man her brother really was. Perhaps Brackish deserved to die after all...or maybe his murderer is one of the best con-artists the American old west has ever seen.
    *Early work currently only listed for tracking purposes. Planning to rework and make available at a later date.
  • Close to Home
    A married couple are at home winding down for the night when a strange man shows up at their door claiming to be an alien from another planet in need of assistance. Since this man looks very human, they are forced to question whether he’s telling the truth or if he’s just mentally unstable.
    *Early work currently only listed for tracking purposes. Planning to rework and make available at a later date.
  • Punch-line
    Jimmy Jam thinks he is caught having an affair with Charlie’s girlfriend. Jimmy Jam finds that Charlie was actually unaware as he confesses everything. Revelations surface line by line and...punch by punch.
    *Early work currently only listed for tracking purposes. Planning to rework and make available at a later date.
  • The Murder Boys
    A haunting tale about three best friends that have a fascination with murder. They made that fascination a reality in their early high school days with a shared first victim. They have since gone their separate ways, but have formed a secret pact, which requires them to still meet once a year to score each other on how good they've gotten at their favorite hobby.
    *Early work currently only listed...
    A haunting tale about three best friends that have a fascination with murder. They made that fascination a reality in their early high school days with a shared first victim. They have since gone their separate ways, but have formed a secret pact, which requires them to still meet once a year to score each other on how good they've gotten at their favorite hobby.
    *Early work currently only listed for tracking purposes. Planning to rework and make available at a later date.
  • Lobster Man (10-Min version)
    Two survivors of a post-apocalyptic world struggle with whether they are the last two people alive until a mysterious stranger arrives at their residence resembling a person from one of the survivor's dreams.
    Fantasy drama.