We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Megan Ann Jacobs. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Megan Ann below.

Megan Ann, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I am blessed to do a lot of work I find meaningful and impactful in the arts community, however, if we talk about most meaningful to me it would have to be everything related to the inaugural production of Theatre Unchained which was also the world premiere of my play “Coping with Autumn.” To get the whole picture of why this has been the most impactful endeavor in my life we have to break down the events into the different creative streams that came together for this project. There is my journey as a playwright, as a director, and as an arts administrator/Artistic Director.

I’ve been a writer for as long as I can remember. I still have old handwritten stories and printed copies of absolutely garbage writings from before I had any concept of the proper version of ‘there’ to use. I started writing novellas about the crazy adventures of a trio of friends and worked for years on a fantasy novel trilogy that has yet to see itself completed. I didn’t turn to playwriting until college. “Coping with Autumn” was not my first full-length, but it was the first story that I really felt I needed to tell. As storytellers, I think we find stories we love and enjoy, but only on rare occasions do we find something we truly need to get out of our heads and out into the world. This show was that for me as a writer. I spent two years actively working on writing, revising, and crafting this story. Then after I finished that so-called ‘final draft’ I spent another two years developing it and prepping the play for production. This was the most invested emotionally I have ever been in a piece of writing. The show itself is a very emotional piece about a young woman whose trauma has shaped her world and how it leads to the murder of her abusive boyfriend and the aftermath of such an event. It’s not a happy piece and while not an autobiography, for me, there is always some element of truth in my writings. I thought being so involved with this material for so long would depress and exhaust me and, while there were days, I was so blessed that my community and family really surrounded me during this time. I never had trouble finding enough people for a read-through or finding someone to help tell me through moments in the piece. They invigorated me. After its first public reading in 2018, I had someone message me through Facebook. I didn’t know them, and they didn’t know me, but they had organically found the event, attended, and were so moved they found me and they shared their story of domestic violence and said that this show changed them and helped them come to terms with things that had happened to them. They said it reframed how they saw themselves and it filled them with strength and hope. I cried when I got that message. I could not believe that something I wrote had manifested in someone else’s head and heart and that they were better for it. That was the first of now many stories I have heard as a result of this story. I started sending the script out into the world and it started getting traction and has since won several awards or special nominations, but in 2019, this show won the Fat Turtle Theatre’s New Works Project and was going to be produced in 2020! Well, as we all know, it was not produced that year and unfortunately, we lost the wonderful Aaron Cleveland year, who was the founder and Artistic Director of Fat Turtle Theatre. 2020 was a year of loss in all meanings of the word, but I think it also made us all determined to give attention to the things that really matter.

This leads me to the next creative endeavor, starting my own Theatre Company. I had been managing a self-production company called Rapture Theatre, which was just an entity that allowed me to better track my theatrical investments. However, before I relocated to Indianapolis for work, I had been planning on opening a theatre company in my home state Wisconsin. It was always something I wanted to do, and when the world stopped it was something I couldn’t shake out of my head. When connecting was safe once again, I knew that I wanted to finally push forward with that dream. At this point, I had connected with so many fellow artists and we came together and Theatre Unchained was born. We spent six months starting the company from the ground up, wishing to be a theatre created by artists for artists focusing not only on the art itself but those who bring it to life. We spent 6 months developing our brand and mission and before we knew it our ducks were in a row and we were ready to pick our first season. It felt right to start with a world premiere by a local artist and everyone on the board had come in contact with “Coping with Autumn” and we decided that we would introduce ourselves with that show.
During the first two years of development of the script, I was adamant that I did not want to direct its world premiere. That was one of the reasons I was SO excited when Fat Turtle selected it. However, in the two years that followed, my closeness to the script began to separate and I was able to see it as a play rather than as my play. One day, after reading, something settled over me rather suddenly and I felt like not only could direct it but suddenly that I needed to. We held auditions and were overcome with the sheer talent that showed up wanting to be involved. The production team I ended up with is now full of people I truly consider my friends, even though many were strangers up until that audition. I am a very open and collaborative director and the process of exploring these characters and impulses of the team was instrumental in its final leg of development. No show is perfect. I don’t think perfection exists, but I will say that the team made it perfect for me. I was able to witness this thing I typed up come to life and become something beyond me. That show isn’t my show, it is all of ours because truly it was created together. Theatre is my favorite form of art, because of the collaboration and life that goes into it. You have to trust the others around you and each day you discover something this process truly helped me grow as a director. It is to this day, that has been my favorite directing experience and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
All three of these things came together and then at the end of 2021, we had another surge of the virus in our area and a cast member fell ill the week of opening. It was not the time. Yet, we persevered. Everyone wanted to make it work and while, logistically, we had to make some changes, at the end of the day, we had extra time to work on the piece and when it did premiere in 2022, it was READY to be shared. It was truly ready to be seen and the responses from reviewers, audience members, and my personal circle of trust…I finally felt seen. This production was monumental in my confidence as a playwright, helped solidify my style as a director, and invigorated the need to create that I had become so desperate for during the pandemic. I don’t think those involved have any idea how much their help in this process means to me and I likely will never have the words to fully express it. There are some moments in life that shape you and become core memories…this was certainly one for me and was easily the single most impactful experience to me as an artist.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have always believed in the power of stories. From quirky situations that arise in my head to tackling serious topics such as depression and suicide, I have a very eclectic sense of style when it comes to my writing. I believe that theatre is the truest form of expression and am amazed by the variety of opportunities it provides. As we continue to delve deeper into the world of technology, there is something increasingly tantalizing and authentic about a live performance on the stage. I strive to create plays that have meaning and cause a ripple that outlasts the applause. I believe that truth can only be found through conversation and human interaction. I believe that theatre is life and that those who disagree have simply not yet seen the right show. My goal is to create stories that help people fall in love with theatre.

After studying both theatre and English at Wisconsin Lutheran College, I embarked out into the vast world of playwrighting. It’s still surreal now to say that I am an award-winning playwright and that I’m a proud member of both the Dramatists Guild of America and the New Play Exchange because it was a long journey for me to really feel like I could call myself a writer. I began my theatrical pursuits as an actor and then director, and have been blessed to with many different companies and artists throughout the years. I’m passionate about helping others find their voices and developing new works in the community and am a founding member of the Indiana Playwrights Circle and continue to help many artists develop their voices.

Currently, I am the founder and Artistic Director of Theatre Unchained and am so blessed to have my writing validated with several awards and productions throughout the United States. My full-length show, “aMUSEd,” has seen the dazzling lights of production 5 times before being picked up by By/For Publishing, LLC in early 2020 and is available on Amazon. Her work can also be found by fellow NPX users here: https://newplayexchange.org/users/22721/megan-ann-jacobs. I’m always hungry for new opportunities and connections and hope to someday have a theatre connection in every state!

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Go out and see it live! Support us with their presence. Attend a show. Take a chance on a show you may never have heard of before. Make an effort to find some local companies and become their fans! We all have music we love, movies we enjoy, and celebrities we invest our energy into learning about. I promise you to have equally talented groups and people in your city! You may just discover the next big hit and you are sure to create memories that will last a lifetime!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The mission and vision of Theatre Unchained reflect core values and missions of myself personally and the board who helped bring it to life. I’ve shared them below and more can be found at theatreunchained.org!

MISSION
We are the catalyst for a thousand tales, blazing a path for stories people want to see with the messages our communities need to hear.

VISION
To create a space where:

Seeing a show is as natural, affordable, and accessible as seeing a movie.

Recruited talent is treated with respect, shown appreciation, and provided transparency of compensation, empowering them in future pursuits.

Thought-provoking performances ignite impactful conversations and lasting change.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theatreunchained.org/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meganjacobsactress
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-nagel-929071160/

Image Credits
@ANKH Productions (https://www.ankhproductions.org/) @IndyGhostLight (https://www.indyghostlight.com/)