Jamie Wax Named Inaugural Playwright-in-Residence at The Hanover Theatre Repertory

The Hanover Theatre Repertory (THT Rep) has named Jamie Wax its inaugural Playwright-in-Residence. Wax returns to THT Rep after his commanding performance in Doubt: A Parable and fresh off his first Broadway play, Call Me Izzy. His four-week residency will culminate with two staged readings of his new play, High Risk Ward, directed by THT Rep artistic director Livy Scanlon. The readings will take place on March 13 at 7:30 pm ET and March 15 at 2 pm ET at the BrickBox Theater in Worcester. 

"In Worcester, I found a home-away-from-home that fosters the collaborative, professional, supportive environment needed to develop new work,” said Wax. “The Hanover Theatre  and THT Rep are special, and I am excited to bring this important, personal piece to life with them.” 

The residency builds on THT Rep’s commitment to fostering new voices and theatrical development. During the residency, Wax is using the theatre’s creative resources for focused writing time alongside a live, collaborative rehearsal and presentation process that will feature his Doubt castmate and Broadway star Johanna Day.

“I am thrilled that THT Rep will welcome Jamie back to Worcester to develop his new play,” said Scanlon. “As we continue our mission to share compelling stories and create world-class theatre in Worcester, having Jamie as a part of our THT Rep family ensures we grow the theatrical canon with the fresh voices of today’s artists.”  

Wax’s new play, set in 1963, follows three "high-risk" expectant mothers and two overworked nurses in the maternity wing of a newly integrated Louisiana hospital. As the nation reels from JFK’s assassination and the hospital’s orderlies unionize and strike, these five very different women are thrown into an intimate pressure cooker. Facing fear, uncertainty, and a world in rapid transition, they lean on one another’s humor, heart, and resilience, forming bonds and sharing moments that will change their lives forever.

An Emmy-winning journalist, Wax has been a contributor for CBS News for over a decade. He began his career touring as a stand-up comic in his teens and later performed acclaimed solo shows nationwide. With composer Paul Taranto, he created the musical Evangeline, seen nationally on PBS. They received an NEA grant to create Passages, which also became an award-winning special. Acting roles include Puck for director Barry Kyle of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Charles Thomas in Wine Lovers in New York and tour, Toy in Guns for the Mark Taper Forum, and creative consulting and acting in Soul Doctor at NY Theater Workshop.