BWW Q&A: Jake Brasch on THE RESERVOIR at Geffen Playhouse
Playwright Jake Brasch discusses his professional debut, the personal experiences that shaped The Reservoir, and bringing humor to difficult subjects.
By: Joshua Wright Jun. 20, 2025
Jake Brasch makes his professional playwriting debut with The Reservoir, now in performances at Geffen Playhouse through July 20, 2025. Directed by Shelley Butler, The Reservoir was developed in partnership with the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and Alliance Theatre, where Brasch was a finalist for the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition.
The play follows Josh, whose life is spiraling as he navigates early sobriety while helping care for his grandparents, whose own health and memory are in decline. What unfolds is a sharply funny, deeply personal look at family, aging, and healing—complete with Jazzercise classes and surreal theatrical moments. The Reservoir began previews on June 18, officially opened June 26, and runs through July 20, 2025.
Brasch is a writer, performer, composer, and clown. A graduate of The Juilliard School and NYU Tisch School of the Arts, he is the inaugural recipient of the Terrence McNally Recovery Commission and has received both national awards named for Paula Vogel (from The Kennedy Center and the Vineyard Theatre). His work is being developed at theaters across the country including Manhattan Theatre Club, Atlantic Theater Company, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and South Coast Repertory. Brasch is also one half of the musical comedy duo American Sing-Song and is currently developing a sitcom based on his time working as a birthday party clown in the tri-state area.
BroadwayWorld spoke with Brasch about the inspiration behind The Reservoir, how his background as a performer and clown shaped the show, and what audiences can expect when they experience this highly original new play.
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind "The Reservoir"?
The Reservoir is a love letter to my grandparents. The year I got sober, I was navigating the fog of early recovery just as two of my grandparents were beginning to experience dementia. Somehow, we were on the same plane. I knew for years I wanted to write about that time, but I dragged my feet. I finally tricked myself into writing it when I didn’t have a pitch for the Ensemble Studio Theatre/Sloan Project. Desperate for an idea, I stumbled upon the concept of Cognitive Reserve—the theory that certain activities can help protect against the onset of dementia. I pitched it, got the commission, and there was no turning back. I set out to write a drama about dementia science—and wound up with a semi-autobiographical comedy about recovery, memory, and Jazzercise. Whoops!
What are the main themes in "The Reservoir" and why did you choose to focus on them?
The play deals with Alzheimer’s disease and alcoholism… but it’s a comedy! In my family, humor is serious. We’ve survived through our comedy. My grandparents were some of the funniest people I’ve ever met, and I knew that to truly honor them, I had to land the jokes. That’s not to say the play trivializes these difficult conditions. In fact, I’ve found that comedy lets us metabolize the hard stuff. I've found that humor is a pathway to engagement. At its core, The Reservoir is a celebration of life—in all its hilarity, strangeness, difficulty, and beauty.
How did you incorporate your unique skill set as a writer, performer, composer, and clown into "The Reservoir"?
Oh baby, I put it all in there! The Reservoir doesn’t behave like a typical play. Spinach rains from the heavens. Grandparents morph into flowy rivers during movement interludes. Musical numbers manifest out of nowhere. I got to pull every trick out of the box for this one. And yes—I’ve worked for years as a birthday party clown. That experience has deeply informed my writing. I approach my plays the same way I approach my birthday parties. I always have to remember to keep it buoyant, switch it up, give everyone a way in, make ’em laugh, and always stay as open-hearted as humanly possible.
How do you hope audiences will respond to "The Reservoir"?
I hope folks laugh. Loudly! And then, I hope they think about their grandparents—or their grandkids. About the beautiful, complicated, intergenerational relationships that shape us. Ultimately, I want The Reservoir to feel like a big ol’ hug.
What's next for you after "The Reservoir"? Is there another project in the works?
Funny you should ask! There is and I’m sharing it in LA! I’m currently working on a queer, filthy, two-person musical called HOLE! We’re bringing it to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer, but first, we’re doing ONE NIGHT ONLY at The Elysian in LA. (Possible to link the tickets, Bway world? https://www.elysiantheater.com/shows/hole0628) Forgive the shameless plug! HOLE! is about a religious sect in Nebraska who wear buttplugs at all times because they believe that one day, all the unplugged will be sucked into the sky and burned on the face of the sun. The wild part is… they’re right. In the aftermath of The Great Sucking, the only people left on Earth are the fanatical Nebraskans—and anyone else who happened to be doing butt stuff at the time. My collaborator Nadja Leonhard-Hooper and I play hundreds of characters, and I perform all the music live. It’s unhinged in the best way. I’m thrilled to be sharing it in LA at the same time The Reservoir is running—it’s a totally different side of what I do!
SPONSORED BY THE LA PHILHARMONIC
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