Jason Charles
Encyclopedia
Jason Charles is a London
-based playwright
, novelist, short-story writer, lyricist
, poet
, actor
and performance poet.
In February 2006 his play Steam performed to sold out houses and glowing reviews at the White Bear Theatre in Kennington. The play was revived the following year at the Barons Court Theatre where it did equally well. In April 2007 his play Rupture opened at the Kings Head Theatre in Islington, and in January/February 2008 his follow-up Counterfeit Skin directed by Kirrie Wratten and starring James Kristian became one of the fastest selling shows at the Courtyard Theatre in Hoxton. The play was revived there six months later with a different cast and director. His play Estranged opened there in April of the following year directed by Chris George
, the director of the West End production of Grumpy Old Women Live.
The new play by Jason Charles, Beyond Flesh and Blood, opened at the Tabard Theatre
on the 15th June 2009 for a two week run. Directed by Balazs Robert Suda, the play is a dark psychological study of a woman living with Dissociate Identity Disorder, exploring the themes of salvation, love, memory, sex, God and identity.
Jason Charles translated and adapted the musical Better Than Sex for the London stage which opened at the Courtyard Theatre on the 3rd August 2010.
Two short stories by Charles were published in the Polari Journal at the end of 2010.
Jason Charles also performs songs and poems under the name Jake Royston, and regularly has his work played on the experimental radio station Resonance FM.
In November 2010 Jason Charles became the first British playwright to land on the planet Pluto. In the same month he made his debut as a performance poet at the White Lion in Streatham.
As a performance poet he has gone on to perform at London venues such as the Rich Mix in Bethnal Green, the Poetry Cafe in Covent Garden, the Ritzy in Brixton and the RVT.
He is currently working on a novel and a new play.
MyLondonYourLondon was positive "It may be some time before I see a show like this on Shaftesbury Avenue, which is a pity.". As was Rainbow Network who praised the skilled writing "what starts out as a light comedy soon takes a dark turn - skeletons come clattering out of closets and before you know it Counterfeit Skin has become a tale of infidelity, rampant masochism and potential violence - certainly not a show for the faint hearted.". And BOYZ described the play as “so observant that it’s not a matter of identifying with one character, but with aspects of all of them. Jason Charles has created characters that are believable and tragic without allowing them to become caricatures. Overall Counterfeit Skin takes a bunch of unhealthy and destructive relationships and throws them under the microscope before picking them to pieces.”
However for The Stage
, Matt Truman wrote: "If drama is nothing more than conflict, Counterfeit Skin has it coming out of every pore. Mere opposition alone, however, does not make for dramatic tension...Though themes of dominance and submission, honesty and illusion are handled tidily, the plot is dragged down too many short and unnecessary scenes." He added: "There is potential here: Counterfeit Skin might make reasonable television, but if it is to survive on-stage it requires more than a little nip/tuck treatment." A more favourable reaction came from Sheila Cornelius in My Cultural Life magazine: "Sparkling dialogue is the trademark of Jason Charles, whose previous play ‘Steam’ played to sold-out houses and rave reviews. Mini-farces, such as Mach trying to get his lanky frame in view of the computer camera by lying under the desk at work or gyrating wildly to Madonna recordings add to the sound and visual entertainment."
praised the play for being a "sharp, snappy observation on family dysfunction, played out against frequently cringing laughs and wincing one-liners". However, in The Stage
, Jonathan Lovett wrote: "Jason Charles’ script - a curious mixture of sex comedy and kitchen-sink drama - urgently needs to skip along gaily to compensate for the longueurs and crude stereotypes...With little change in tone, this essentially lightweight fare needs to be darned funny. But, apart from a volley of catty one-liners, we’re left with missed opportunities of promising situations set-up that quickly develop into nothing." Phil Willmott
for Rainbow Network praised Charles' writing technique noting that "Jason Charles is an obviously talented writer. He has the rare ability to detonate the scenarios he sets up in funny and engaging ways. His last play, Counterfeit Skin, was a top seller at this same venue and I always look forward to seeing his work. He’s also a romantic at heart and you always leave one of his plays with a belief in the redemptive power of love, even when it eludes the central characters." While Extra Extra
recommended the play as a fun night out "Jason Charles has successfully created six individual characters with such different motives, backgrounds and relationships that it is astonishing how much we are able to learn about each character in such a short period of time. Just like some of the outlandish characters, this play was a lot of fun. It was funny yet tense and touched upon some incredibly important issues such as being tied down by family and needing to desperately be free. For a night when you want to get away from your own family problems, Estranged can show you a family that is bound to be more dysfunctional than your own." QX Magazine gave the play a 4 star rating describing it as "unaccountably satisfying" and enjoying the "killer one-liners" and the Islington Gazette
enthused that the play is "bursting with talent" and that "Jason Charles turns the microscope on the fear and the inner turmoil of his characters and just like the cast he is fresh on the London stage."
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, novelist, short-story writer, lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and performance poet.
In February 2006 his play Steam performed to sold out houses and glowing reviews at the White Bear Theatre in Kennington. The play was revived the following year at the Barons Court Theatre where it did equally well. In April 2007 his play Rupture opened at the Kings Head Theatre in Islington, and in January/February 2008 his follow-up Counterfeit Skin directed by Kirrie Wratten and starring James Kristian became one of the fastest selling shows at the Courtyard Theatre in Hoxton. The play was revived there six months later with a different cast and director. His play Estranged opened there in April of the following year directed by Chris George
Chris George
Christopher Coleman George is a Major League Baseball pitcher. He played most of his career with Kansas City Royals . He was a first round draft pick by the Royals in 1998....
, the director of the West End production of Grumpy Old Women Live.
His work to date includes
- Steam at the White Bear Theatre, London (2006)
- Steam at the Barons Court TheatreBarons Court TheatreBarons Court Theatre is a small theatre of only 57 cinema style seats located in the basement of The Curtains Up public house in Comeragh Road in West London...
, London (2007) - Rupture at the Kings Head Theatre, London (2007)
- Counterfeit Skin at the Courtyard Theatre Studio, London (2008)
- Counterfeit Skin at the Courtyard Theatre Main House, London (2008)
- Estranged at the Courtyard Theatre Main House, London (2009)
The new play by Jason Charles, Beyond Flesh and Blood, opened at the Tabard Theatre
Tabard Theatre
The Tabard Theatre is an intimate, 80 seat theatre located in Chiswick in the London Borough of Hounslow. Close to Turnham Green Underground station, it is situated above the Tabard public house which was built in 1880 by the architect Norman Shaw for the Bedford Park Estate...
on the 15th June 2009 for a two week run. Directed by Balazs Robert Suda, the play is a dark psychological study of a woman living with Dissociate Identity Disorder, exploring the themes of salvation, love, memory, sex, God and identity.
Jason Charles translated and adapted the musical Better Than Sex for the London stage which opened at the Courtyard Theatre on the 3rd August 2010.
Two short stories by Charles were published in the Polari Journal at the end of 2010.
Jason Charles also performs songs and poems under the name Jake Royston, and regularly has his work played on the experimental radio station Resonance FM.
In November 2010 Jason Charles became the first British playwright to land on the planet Pluto. In the same month he made his debut as a performance poet at the White Lion in Streatham.
As a performance poet he has gone on to perform at London venues such as the Rich Mix in Bethnal Green, the Poetry Cafe in Covent Garden, the Ritzy in Brixton and the RVT.
He is currently working on a novel and a new play.
Steam
Charles' first play, Steam, received favourable reaction: "Charles has a strong academic background in playwriting and it shows - Steam’s structure is neat and nicely balanced, even if he occasionally struggles to get his characters on and off stage with the naturalism the set-up otherwise demands. He has a fine ear for dialogue, and for all the sex talk the play is never crass." While The Spectator described it as "a powerful début, a psychological thriller with moments of high comedy"Counterfeit Skin
It seemed the critics either loved or hated Charles' second play, Counterfeit Skin.MyLondonYourLondon was positive "It may be some time before I see a show like this on Shaftesbury Avenue, which is a pity.". As was Rainbow Network who praised the skilled writing "what starts out as a light comedy soon takes a dark turn - skeletons come clattering out of closets and before you know it Counterfeit Skin has become a tale of infidelity, rampant masochism and potential violence - certainly not a show for the faint hearted.". And BOYZ described the play as “so observant that it’s not a matter of identifying with one character, but with aspects of all of them. Jason Charles has created characters that are believable and tragic without allowing them to become caricatures. Overall Counterfeit Skin takes a bunch of unhealthy and destructive relationships and throws them under the microscope before picking them to pieces.”
However for The Stage
The Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
, Matt Truman wrote: "If drama is nothing more than conflict, Counterfeit Skin has it coming out of every pore. Mere opposition alone, however, does not make for dramatic tension...Though themes of dominance and submission, honesty and illusion are handled tidily, the plot is dragged down too many short and unnecessary scenes." He added: "There is potential here: Counterfeit Skin might make reasonable television, but if it is to survive on-stage it requires more than a little nip/tuck treatment." A more favourable reaction came from Sheila Cornelius in My Cultural Life magazine: "Sparkling dialogue is the trademark of Jason Charles, whose previous play ‘Steam’ played to sold-out houses and rave reviews. Mini-farces, such as Mach trying to get his lanky frame in view of the computer camera by lying under the desk at work or gyrating wildly to Madonna recordings add to the sound and visual entertainment."
Estranged
Reviews for Estranged were on the whole positive. In its four star review the Pink PaperPink Paper
The Pink Paper is a UK publication covering gay and lesbian issues. Founded in 1987 as a newspaper, since June 2009 it has been available only on the Internet....
praised the play for being a "sharp, snappy observation on family dysfunction, played out against frequently cringing laughs and wincing one-liners". However, in The Stage
The Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
, Jonathan Lovett wrote: "Jason Charles’ script - a curious mixture of sex comedy and kitchen-sink drama - urgently needs to skip along gaily to compensate for the longueurs and crude stereotypes...With little change in tone, this essentially lightweight fare needs to be darned funny. But, apart from a volley of catty one-liners, we’re left with missed opportunities of promising situations set-up that quickly develop into nothing." Phil Willmott
Phil Willmott
Phil Willmott is a British director, playwright, arts journalist, teacher, and founder of London based theatre production company, The Steam Industry.He was the Artistic Director of the Finborough Theatre in London's Earl's Court from 1994 to 1999....
for Rainbow Network praised Charles' writing technique noting that "Jason Charles is an obviously talented writer. He has the rare ability to detonate the scenarios he sets up in funny and engaging ways. His last play, Counterfeit Skin, was a top seller at this same venue and I always look forward to seeing his work. He’s also a romantic at heart and you always leave one of his plays with a belief in the redemptive power of love, even when it eludes the central characters." While Extra Extra
Extra extra
Extra extra or Marginella extra is a species of minute sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk or micromollusk in the family Cystiscidae. Some malacologists place this genus more simply in the family Marginellidae.- Taxonomy :...
recommended the play as a fun night out "Jason Charles has successfully created six individual characters with such different motives, backgrounds and relationships that it is astonishing how much we are able to learn about each character in such a short period of time. Just like some of the outlandish characters, this play was a lot of fun. It was funny yet tense and touched upon some incredibly important issues such as being tied down by family and needing to desperately be free. For a night when you want to get away from your own family problems, Estranged can show you a family that is bound to be more dysfunctional than your own." QX Magazine gave the play a 4 star rating describing it as "unaccountably satisfying" and enjoying the "killer one-liners" and the Islington Gazette
Islington gazette
The Islington Gazette is a weekly paid-for newspaper covering news relating to the borough of Islington in north London, UK. There are two editions, the Islington Gazette and the Islington Gazette EC1 that covers the south of the borough which used to be known as the borough of Finsbury...
enthused that the play is "bursting with talent" and that "Jason Charles turns the microscope on the fear and the inner turmoil of his characters and just like the cast he is fresh on the London stage."