Titans will premiere as part of the 2026 Clubbed Thumb SummerWorks series, directed by Tara Alliott. Season passes onsale now. SummerWorks will run May 14 - June 30 at The Wild Project. More information will be coming in the coming weeks!
Studio Theatre's NEW PAGES NEW STAGES: Interview with Jesse Jae Hoon →
Ella Talerico, Studio’s Artistic Producing Fellow, interviewed Jesse Jae Hoon, playwright of Do You Think I’m Annoying? which will be featured in the inaugural New Pages, New Stages Festival.
ELLA: So how did you fall in love with playwriting?
JESSE: I’ve always loved theater. But I really fell in love with playwriting it in my late twenties. After graduating, I worked in new play development as an actor and got to watch writers like Julia May Jonas develop work over several years. It was deeply inspiring.
ELLA: What do you enjoy specifically about the craft?
JESSE: Plays aren’t bound to one narrative structure. Every play demands its own form based on its themes and characters. I see playwriting as the most expansive and imaginative narrative art. Industry and institutional limits aside, theater remains one of the most egalitarian and pure forms of artistry we have. Other art forms are increasingly shaped by corporate ownership.
As a political writer, I write because I have something to say. Theater lets me be provocative and incisive in ways that film and TV, monopolized by corporate interests, often can’t. There’s hierarchy and censorship in theater too, but it’s inherently more democratic.
Studio Theatre's New Pages, New Stages Festival with Theater J →
Do You Think I’m Annoying? will be part of Studio Theatre’s New Pages, New Stages festival, thanks to Theater J. The reading will take place on January 25, 2026 at 5PM and will be directed by Shannon Tyo. Tickets are available here.
Studio Theatre, in conjunction with four other DC theatres, will host a three-day festival of readings from January 23-25, 2026. Produced by Studio, the inaugural New Pages, New Stages festival will feature new plays and public readings of two works-in-process from the Studio R&D Program alongside projects from local theatres Arena Stage, Theater Alliance, Theater J, and Solas Nua, offering audiences a front-row seat to new, dynamic playwrights in the DC area.
Studio R&D has supported commissions and development of new work since 2012 and boasts playwrights like Rachel Bonds, Aaron Posner, Kimberly Belflower, and James Ijames among its alumni, and plays from Studio R&D have gone on to productions on Broadway, Off Broadway, across the US, and internationally.
Part of The Civilians R&D Group →
The Civilians has revealed its 25th anniversary season. In addition to the world premiere of Anne Washburn’s The Burning Cauldron of Fiery Fire, in a co-production with The Vineyard Theatre, The Civilians will welcome the newest members of its R&D Group, as well as its third round of commissions for The Next Forever, a one of a kind partnership with Princeton University’s High Meadows Environmental Institute and Lewis Center for the Arts that creates new stories for a changing planet.
Now entering its 16th season, The R&D Group is comprised of playwrights, composers, and directors who work together as a writing group for nine months to develop new plays and musicals. The season culminates in Findings, a works-in-progress reading series, anticipated to take place in June 2026. The artists were selected from a competitive application process that included nearly 200 submissions.
The members of The Civilians’ 2025-26 R&D Group are Jason Aguirre, Andromache Chalfant, HyoJeong Choi, Nazareth Hassan, Jesse Jae Hoon, Jeanine Oleson, and Adam J. Rineer.
Saved, Part 2: Thanksgiving is the second play in a two-part drama about the South Korean adoption industry, from its Cold War origins to its transformation into a lucrative business empire built by systemic fraud and negligence. Three epic stories spanning six decades across Oregon, Washington DC, Vermont, Seoul, and Jeju Island, SAVED explores what happens when we kill the parents and raise the children. Saved, Part 1: The Girl and the Sky introduces the origins of industrialized adoption – Thanksgiving dives into the consequences.
From American Theatre Magazine: "Offscript: A Conversation About Our Theatre Futures"
Offscript is American Theatre’s flagship podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts (including Spotify and Apple Podcasts). I participated in this episode with Patricia McGregor (Artistic Director, NYTW), Lizzie Stern (Literary Director, Playwrights Horizons), and Deeksha Gaur (Executive Director, TDF), moderated by American Theatre editor-in-chief Rob Weinert-Kendt.
In Residency at Yangtze Rep →
Jesse Jae Hoon will be in residency as part of the newly announced 2025 Cohort for Project YZ at Yangtze Rep.
Read More
THE KOREA TIMES: Jesse Jae Hoon's ‘Saved’ explores political roots, emotional aftermath of adoption →
Written by Antonia Giordano for The Korea Times.
Though it had its premiere reading on the opposite side of the world from Korea, on a stage in New York City, Jesse Jae Hoon’s "Saved" spoke directly to the hearts of many in both countries.
Divided into two parts, the first part of "Saved," titled "The Girl and the Sky," debuted at The Public Theater in New York on April 21 as part of its Emerging Writers Group Spotlight Series. The one-night-only event offered audiences a glimpse into a bold new voice in American theater — one shaped by lived experience and a fierce commitment to truth-telling.
With nuance and emotional depth, the play explored the complexities of adoption — not merely as a legal process or an act of “saving” a child, but as a personal journey shaped by love, loss, identity and history. It served as a reminder that questions of origin and belonging are deeply human — and often entangled in geopolitical forces far beyond an individual’s control.
EWG Spotlight Series Reading of "Saved, Part One: The Girl and the Sky"
The Public Theater presented two sold-out readings of Saved, Part One: The Girl and the Sky as part of their EWG Spotlight Series on 21 April 2025. The reading was directed by Taylor Reynolds and featured Kelley Curran, Michael Gaston, Heesun Hwang, Daniel K. Isaac, Zoë Kim, Jully Lee, Liz Leimkuhler, Kelly McAndrew, Joe Tapper, Shannon Tyo, Jeena Yi, and Estelle Lee. It featured dramaturgy by Harris Kiernan.
Thanks to everyone who came out!
Conversation with Tony Kushner about "Saved" →
In conversation with Tony Kushner, Jesse Jae Hoon discusses being trapped in the fog, and writing inside of a cultural moment. The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Read More
"SAVED, PART ONE: THE GIRL AND THE SKY" in the Public Theater's EWG Spotlight Series →
The Public Theater will present a reading of Saved, Part One: The Girl and the Sky as part of the 2025 Emerging Writers Group Spotlight Series. The reading will take place on 21 April 2025 at 1:30PM and 6PM. Taylor Reynolds will direct, Harris Kiernan will be dramaturg, and the cast of 12 includes Kelley Curran, Michael Gaston, Christine Heesun Hwang, Daniel K. Isaac, Zoë Kim, Jully Lee, Liz Leimkuhler, Kelly McAndrew, Joe Tapper, Shannon Tyo, Jeena Yi, and Estelle Lee. Tickets are available here – both readings are “sold out,” but there will be a standby list prior to each performance and patrons often get in that way, so it’s recommended to come 15-30 minutes before the performance begins.
The EWG Spotlight Series will also feature readings from Karina Billini, Tommy Endter, Humaira Iqbal, Celeste Jennings, Nina Ki, Gloria Oladipo, Valen-Marie Santos, Amita Sharma, and Al Sierra. Please come and see these fantastic, exciting new plays by these brilliant writers. The series will run 21 April through 20 May.
—
Saved, Part One: The Girl and the Sky is the first play in a two-part drama about the South Korean adoption industry, from its Cold War origins to its transformation into a lucrative business empire built by systemic fraud and negligence. Three epic stories spanning six decades across Oregon; Washington D.C.; Vermont; Seoul; and Jeju Island, Saved explores what happens when we kill the parents and raise the children.
A Weekend in 2025
A few updates from the beginning of 2025:
On February 2, I workshopped a small selection of Do You Think I’m Annoying? at Theater J as part of the culminating event for their “Expanding the Canon” cohort. The selection was directed by Shannon Tyo and featured Sun Mee Chomet, Sydney Lo, and Alex Palting.
On February 3, New York Theatre Workshop hosted a Monday @ 3 Reading of I’ve Got A Sinking Feeling in the Pit of My Stomach. The reading was directed by Iris McCloughan and featured Blake DeLong, A.J. Ditty, Sam Gonzalez, Emma Kikue, Alex Lin, Nadine Malouf, and Ben Langhorst.
McNally Reading of I'VE GOT A SINKING FEELING IN THE PIT OF MY STOMACH at Rattlestick
On 10 September 2024, Rattlestick Theater, in association with The Terrence McNally Foundation and Tom Kirdahy Productions, presented a reading of I’ve Got A Sinking Feeling in the Pit of My Stomach, directed by Tea Alagić and featuring Ryan Andes, Leela Bassuk, A.J. Ditty, Emma Kikue, Ashton Muñiz, Yên Sen, and Ben Langhorst. The reading was presented as a culmination the Terrence McNally New Works Incubator, alongside Sam Mueller and Eliana Theologides Rodriguez.
DO YOU THINK I'M ANNOYING? workshopped in D.C.
After coming back from the O’Neill, I went to Theater J to workshop my commissioned play called Do You Think I’m Annoying? It culminated in a small invited reading, directed by Shannon Tyo and featuring Sydney Lo, Momo Nakamura, Sarah Suzuki, and Grace Carter.
Photo by Emma Brown / The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.
12 CHAIRS at the O'Neill
I spent a month at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center as part of the National Playwrights Conference. I workshopped 12 Chairs with my director Charlotte Murray, dramaturg Charles Haugland, literary associate Aysha Zackria, and the cast – featuring Amanda Centeno, Arielle Gonzalez, Shawn Jain, Ben Langhorst, Angel Lin, Frankie Placidi, and Jack MacGregor. The workshop culminated in two presentations on July 4 and 6, respectively.
The Lehrstücke at Ma-Yi + 2g
In June, Ma-Yi Theater Company and 2g presented readings of my Lehrstücke BAGS and Always Eat the Food at the GLOW Cultural Center in Flushing, Queens. A culmination of my 2-year Creatives Rebuild New York residency with the Artist Employment Program at Ma-Yi Theater Company, the plays were presented directly to working-class Asian American community members, with food provided and panel discussions organized by Nancy Bulalacao and led by State Senator Julia Salazar, organizer and former Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou, organizer Rima Begum, and organizer Hailie Kim.
BAGS was directed by Chongren Fan and featured Sonnie Brown, Katie May Porter, Jillian Sun, and Anzi DeBenedetto.
Always Eat the Food was directed by Aneesha Kudtarkar and featured Purva Bedi, Golam Sarwar Harun (who also translated the play into Bangla), Jasmine Sharma, and Arjun Dhawan.
ON THE CLOCK at Egg & Spoon Incubate NYC
A reading of On the Clock will be presented by Egg & Spoon Theatre Collective on 7-8 June 2024 @ 7:30PM at the Secret Theater in Queens. The reading will be directed by Colm Summers.
Presented this year in Queens & The Bronx, Egg & Spoon Theatre Collective’s INCUBATE NYC develops and presents workshop performances from writers who reside/have roots to NYC's outer boroughs.
12 CHAIRS part of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's 2024 Summer Season →
12 Chairs will be workshopped as part of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s 2024 summer season, its 60th anniversary! Staged readings of the play will take place on July 4 and 6.
The National Playwrights Conference — the O’Neill’s founding program — is a national laboratory offering resources vital to creative risk-taking. Every year, innovative, unproduced works are selected from a pool of 1,300+ submissions to be developed with the support of a professional company of actors, designers, dramaturgs, and directors. For this development, the Conference proudly implements a staged reading process born of the workshop model developed early in the O’Neill’s history by its founder, George C. White, and NPC’s inaugural artistic director, Lloyd Richards. The remaining time in each writer’s four-week residency is self-directed — to think, create, and interact with other artists. This year’s talented group of writers join a cadre of O’Neill playwright alumni who have reimagined the American theater in fundamental ways, including August Wilson, David Henry Hwang, Wendy Wasserstein, Jeremy O. Harris, Dominique Morisseau, Martnya Majok, and more.
Rattlestick Theater's Terrence McNally New Works Incubator →
Rattlestick Theatre, the Terrence McNally Foundation, and Tom Kirdahy Productions revealed the Terrence McNally New Works Incubator Cycle 2 Fellows: playwrights Jesse Jae Hoon, Sam Mueller, and Eliana Theologides Rodriguez.
As a continuation of Terrence McNally’s singular legacy of mentorship, and his commitment to fostering bold new voices in the American theater, the Incubator is designed to support these ambitious early-career playwrights by giving them time and space to develop their work, professional mentorship with veteran playwrights, and access to the community of artists and work being developed at Rattlestick and Tom Kirdahy Productions. Inaugural fellowships were awarded in 2023 to Molly Herron Bicks, HyoJeong Choi, and Haygen-Brice Walker.
“We are thrilled by the success of our inaugural cohort in 2023, and could not be more excited to develop the work of the exceptional playwrights in our second cohort,” saya Will Davis, Rattlestick Theater Artistic Director. “We are so thankful to partner with the Terrence McNally Foundation and Tom Kirdahy Productions to offer this crucial, one-of-a-kind fellowship to emerging writers in New York."
The Cycle 2 Fellows were selected from a pool of 500 applications, in consultation with the Playwrights Advisory Council, which includes: Sheila Callaghan, Halley Feiffer, Madeleine George, Mike Lew, donja r. love, Rehana Mirza, and Lynn Nottage. This year's Incubator Finalists include Marvin González De León, Mary Hamilton, Chad Kaydo, Stefani Kuo, Elia Monte-Brown, Gage Tarlton, and Max Yu.
Part of Egg & Spoon Theatre Collective's Incubate NYC Series
Jesse Jae Hoon and Christin Eve Cato are named Egg & Spoon Theatre Collective’s INCUBATE NYC Playwrights.
Presented in Queens & The Bronx, INCUBATE NYC develops and presents workshops from writers who reside/have roots to NYC's outer boroughs. This program is generously supported by NYC Department of Cultural Affairs.
Photo: Marco Quezada. Pictured: Danielle Zarbin, Annie Jin Wang, JJH, Charlotte Murray, Ben Langhorst, Miranda Cornell, Durra Leung.
The 2023 Idea Awards for Theatre →
The Bret Adams and Paul Resich Foundation gave out the 2023 Idea Awards for Theatre December 4 at a private ceremony held at The Players. The evening saw three categories of grants awarded to new voices in playwriting and musical theatre along with the visionary playwrights that inspired them. See photos from the event below.
The Tooth of Time Distinguished Career Award went to Beth Henley (Crimes of the Heart), which includes a $25,000 prize.
Jesse Jae Hoon took the Ollie New Play Award, while Brandy Hoang Collier, Grace McLean, and the team of Clare Fuyuko Bierman and Erika Ji both received Vivace Musical Theatre Awards. Each recipient of those honors also receives a $25,000 prize.
All six Idea Award winners also received a stone statuette hand carved by Bruce Ostler.
Visit BretnPaulFoundation.org.