Interview: Tom Jacobson Waxes Poetic on Theatre, Church & Playwriting

Prolific playwright Tom Jacobson will have the world premiere of his latest theatrical work CAPTAIN OF THE BIBLE QUIZ TEAM opening August 27, 2016 (weekends only) through October 3, 2016. This immersive piece (with the audience as the congregation) will be presented at venues to include the Lutheran Church of the Master, St. Matthew's Lutheran Church and Hollywood Lutheran Church.

Tom, thank you for taking the time to interview with BroadwayWorld and myself.

How did the idea of staging CAPTAIN OF THE BIBLE QUIZ TEAM in various churches versus the traditional, stationary theatrical stage come about?

I intended it be performed in churches from the outset. Religious sanctuaries are inherently theatrical (if acoustically challenging) spaces, and there is relationship between theatre and Christian churches that goes back to the Middle Ages.

What spurred you onto interviewing LGBTQ Lutheran pastors in the first place?

My uncle was telling me on the phone about his dying church in rural Minnesota just before I arrived at my own church in Los Angeles one Sunday last year. The sermon at my church was given by a young seminarian who identifies as bisexual. His youth, erudition and energy reminded me of the young minister who rejuvenated my own church, and I realize he was exactly the person to save my uncle's church from dying. Except they wouldn't want him because he's bi. That Minnesota church had voted in 2009 on whether to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America because the national church had become welcoming of LGBTQ people. I wondered what would happen if an LGBT or Q minister was assigned to that tiny, conservative church. It seemed like an inherently dramatic situation, one that was likely to result in heartbreak or transcendence.

I interviewed seven LGBTQ ministers and one straight ally to see if the scenario I imagined would even be possible. They told me a number of ways the situation could occur, and along the way they told me the stories of their own passionate relationship with God and the church. Their stories were inspiring and even more dramatic than I had imagined, mostly because they never gave up on the church, even as it rejected them (in some cases) for decades. They gave me permission to incorporate their histories into my play, which they've all read. They live all over the country, but I hope some of them will get to see the show.

Was your primary intent for your pastoral interviews to be morphed into A CHORUS LINE for pastors (but, without the music or the dancing)?

Although I've incorporated all their stories in one way or another, it's the story of only one minister, a composite character. And by the way, there actually is music. No dancing yet, but you never know.

Would you consider yourself a religious man?

I am religious but questioning. I go to church every Sunday and have been deeply involved in Lutheran Church of the Master (the first venue for the play) for more than 30 years. The ritual and community mean a great deal to me even as I question who Christ really was, and the existence of God. I find inspiration and joy in church almost every week, and have recently come to the conclusion that God does exist: the universe itself is the manifestation of God, and it certainly exists (unless it's all a computer simulation, and then some kind of God must be the programmer).

How would you describe the plot of CAPTAIN OF THE BIBLE QUIZ TEAM?

Pastor Landry is a not-yet-ordained seminarian called to preside in the country church where s/he grew up. The circumstances are deeply personal because Landry's father, the regular pastor, is experiencing a severe health crisis. Landry has not spoken to his/her father for many years, and the conflict in their family spills over into the church. Landry discovers many secrets about the church, including impending foreclosure and a vote to leave the ELCA over the national church's inclusive welcome of LGBTQ people. Landry has some secrets of his/her own, and the resulting firestorm threatens to destroy both minister and church.

Was your first collaboration with director Michael Michetti in your play TAINTED BLOOD in 1998?

Michael and I had been each other's fans since I saw his production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM set in the British Raj and he saw my Shakespeare-meets-Marlowe tragicomedy THE BELOVED DISCIPLE. An entrepreneurial actress at The Road Theatre Company co-produced TAINTED BLOOD because there was a role in it for her. Michael's direction was elegant and hilarious, and we've tried to work together as much as possible ever since.

What kind of a short-hand do you two now have, this being your fifth show working together (OUROBOROS (2005), THE TWENTIETH-CENTURY WAY (2010), HOUSE OF THE RISING SON (2011))?

We often meet for breakfast at The Grinder near USC (also near Michael's house and the Natural History Museum where I work). We are both involved in The Boston Court Performing Arts Center, Michael as Co-Artistic Director and me as a board member. We always have a lot to talk about and projects to pitch each other. When we're working on a show, I go to as many rehearsals as I can, but I also trust Michael to communicate fully when I can't attend. We do a lot of our work over the phone and by email. Michael is one of the most dramaturgical directors I know, a fantastic partner for developing a new play. Certainly we know each others' sensibilities and don't have to negotiate much; we intuit how to get the best out of each other and cherish our personal, as well as professional friendship. The actors are a vital part of the process; for THE TWENTIETH-CENTURY WAY, the four of us argued for 45 minutes over a single word.

Are you less hands-on in a production with a frequent collaborator like Michael, than with a director you haven't worked with before?

Absolutely! In fact, most of the rehearsals for CAPTAIN OF THE BIBLE QUIZ TEAM take place during my work day, so I can't attend. If I didn't know the director well, that would freak me out, but I know Michael loves the play in the same way I do. We've also had the luxury of a year-long development process at Echo Theatre Company, with several readings and rewrites.

As the playwright, do you expect to have a say in the casting of the premieres of your work? Or, have you resolved to hand off your baby to the creative gods that be?

I almost always work under some version of the Dramatists Guild approved contract that formally guarantees me approval of the director, cast, designers and other artistic elements of the play. I usually go to most auditions and all callbacks. With this show, we knew we wanted to cast the amazing Deborah Puette because she'd done several readings of the play, and we also knew that Rogue Machine actors are phenomenal. So when the tight timeframe for mounting the show meant I would be out of town for the auditions, I felt like I was missing out on the fun of auditions, but not worried about the outcome. We got a super cast!

What would you pick as a common theme that runs through the plays you write?

I have many themes to which I frequently return, including history (SPERM, DEGENERATE ART, THE FRIENDLY HOUR); social justice (THE CHINESE MASSACRE (ANNOTATED), THE TWENTIETH-CENTURY WAY, MAKING PARADISE: THE WEST HOLLYWOOD MUSICAL); literature (TAINTED BLOOD, THE BELOVED DISCIPLE, SON OF OTHELLO, BUNBURY); religion (THE ORANGE GROVE, DIET OF WORMS, Cool My Tongue); and love (CYBERQUEER, HOUSE OF THE RISING SON). I'm developing two historical trilogies: THE VESUVIUS PROPHECIES (about Pompeii) and THE BALLAD OF BIMINI BATHS (about a segregated Los Angeles resort of the early 20th Century).

You've been involved with various theatre companies in non-writing positions (co-literary manager of The Theatre @ Boston Court, a founding member of Playwrights Ink, artistic director of Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA, and a board member of Cornerstone Theater Company and The Theatre @ Boston Court). Were these positions something you pursued? Were you the pursuer or the pursuee?

Because I'm a playwright, I tend to think of myself as the pursuer, but I guess that's not always true as I was pursued for the Boston Court, Cornerstone and EST/LA positions. I co-founded Playwrights Ink with three friends. Playwrights are rarely pursued. My other talents apparently are in more demand!

How does one go from writing plays to writing HOPSCOTCH, a full-blown opera?

I met Yuval Sharon through friends, and since we share an interest in Los Angeles history, he invited me to be part of the writing team for HOPSCOTCH. For me, it was a new process; very different from playwriting or musical writing. The librettist hands the libretto over to the composer who sets it to music. Yuval was very hands-on with the text before the composer received it. But once production began, there wasn't time to play with the words. There were a lot of other variables in play; including 36 stories, 24 locations, and 18 limousines.

So, back to CAPTAIN OF THE BIBLE QUIZ TEAM, what emotions or new insights do you want your audience to leave with after the final bows?

At the risk of sounding like an idiot, I'd like to remind the audience that even in the most upsetting and impossible circumstances, miracles occur every day. The question they can ponder is whether miracles come from God or from humans. The play revels in that ambiguity.

Thank you, Tom! And continued success in all your upcoming projects.

CAPTAIN OF THE BIBLE QUIZ TEAM produced by Rogue Machine will play at the aforementioned churches in Los Angeles.

For locations, schedule and tickets, log onto www.captainofthebiblequizteam.com