With a professional career spanning over 3 decades, Jason is certainly no new kid on the block. Starting as a dancer / singer / actor then transitioning into choreography / direction and most recently writing, he has a wealth of experiences to draw from.
The Littlest Prince
It’s safe to say that theatre has always been a driving force in Jason’s life. He was 5 years old when he was lifted onto the stage to sing ‘Delta Dawn’ at his first audition for ‘The King and I’. He got the show and was cast as the littlest prince. Jason continued doing shows with local theatre groups including The Grand Theatre, London, ON and The Port Stanley Summer Theatre.
“I remember how excited I was following ‘The King and I’. I loved the feeling of being onstage and couldn’t wait to share that with my friends. One afternoon while my parents were busy socializing upstairs, I gathered a group in my basement. I directed, for lack of a better word, a very abridged version of the show. Everyone seemed to love it. I was hooked!”
School Years
Upon entering high school, Jason’s involvement with theatre continued. During these years Art Fidler, his drama teacher, encouraged Jason to be an active part of the drama department at Oakridge Secondary School. He became drama club president and choreographed his first musicals, ‘Viet Rock’ and ‘Bye Bye Birdie’. Art also organized an annual March break trip to New York City in which Jason participated for several years.
“The New York trips were life changing for me, really. Art shared his passion, knowledge and appreciation of theatre with us at every moment. I remember one particular New York trip we went to see ‘Cats’. After the performance I waited at the stage door to get autographs. One performer, Paige Dana, took the time to not only sign an autograph but to actually talk to me. I told Art about the incredible experience to which he suggested that perhaps I could thank her in some way. The next day I dropped off roses and a thank-you card at the stage door thinking that would be the last contact with her but much to my surprise, a week or so after I returned from the trip I received a card from her. Wow. I still look at that card from time to time. Thank-you Paige and thank-you Art!.”
Fresh Out of the Gate
Upon graduation it became clear to Jason that pursuing a career in theatre was the next logical step. Quickly, he started building his resume. The movie musical ‘Sing’ starring Patti LaBelle was his first professional credit. Jason also began dancing at Canada’s Wonderland and for Royal Caribbean International, both associations that would continue for many years.
“I spent many years performing in musical revues. I’m not sure whether my love for them grew out of this or not but I can say with absolute certainty that I love these types of show. It’s really out of this love that I feel fortunate enough to create them. To me, revue shows provide an audience with a short burst of pure entertainment. No long drawn out plot lines, no filler, just the best of the best. They’re under appreciated in my opinion.”
Sharing the Love
In early 2004, after Jason’s career had already taken him to New York, London’s West End and around the world, an opportunity to teach and choreograph at a youth summer program in Vancouver, BC presented itself. He jumped at the chance to teach and inspire young performers like so many people had done for him. This opened the door to many more teaching experiences which included most notably The Randolph Academy of Performing Arts in Toronto.
“It was very important for me to give back as they say, so when I was offered the choreographer position at Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance!, I was very excited. It was a new direction for me but one that I fell into rather easily. After all, I had been inspired by so many wonderful people throughout my life and career. David H. Bell, Vicki Davis, Tracey Flye, Sarah Charles, Chet Walker and David Connolly are just a few names that instantly come to mind.”
A New Direction
For the next decade or so, Jason’s focus shifted from performance to teaching, choreography and direction. His work on ‘Debbie Does Dallas – the musical” earned him the Ovation Award for Outstanding Choreography of a Musical. That same year a staged concert production of ‘Sunday in the Park with George’, which Jason directed, won the Ovation Award for Outstanding Concert.
“Winning the Ovation Awards were a very unexpected but pleasant surprise. It was the first recognition of my work as part of the creative team. ‘Debbie…’ was total fun and an unusual challenge to choreograph so it was great that people liked my work on it enough to give me this award. I was also very proud of ‘Sunday in the Park …’ because of the way I was able to present it through video and staging. To this day, both of those productions stick out in my mind.”
Evolution of a Passion
Recent years have seen Jason’s career shift once again with an emphasis on show creation and writing. The first show he created, ‘Come Together’, was based on the music of the Beatles and played at The Segal Centre in Montreal, QC in 2014. More recently two shows that Jason wrote, directed and choreographed, ‘Music Awards’ and ‘A Love Story’, have played at Hillside Beach Club, Turkey for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Jason’s musical revue called ‘Get Happy – Celebrating Judy Garland’ is set to be presented late 2019. In addition to ‘Get Happy’, Jason is currently writing an original musical and continues to create entertainment for various companies around the world.
“I think one of my strengths as a writer is the ability to create shows for specific audiences and markets which has been the case with my work at the resort in Turkey. I really make an effort to tailor my show concepts every time. Just because something is a success in one place does not mean that it will get the same response in another. The feel of each venue is different, the audience that it attracts is different not to mention changes in trends and what people want to see. I take these factors into consideration right from the get-go and hopefully audiences can sense that.”