Selected Publications
Breaking News! (Poetry) The Caterpillar, 2022, Forthcoming
Their Eyes Take Time, (Poetry) Naugatuck River Review, Issue 26, Fall 2021
Haiku, (Poetry) Presence, Issue 68, Nov 2020
In Search of the Writer’s Physical Voice, (Nonfiction) Acumen, Issue 97, May 2020
Three Poems, (Poetry) Agenda, Altered Distances, Apr 2020
The Bell, (Poetry) LIT Magazine, Sept 2019
Sahara, (Poetry) The Moth, Issue 36, Spring 2019
The View From Here, (Poetry) HCE Review, Nov 2018
Their Eyes Take Time, (Poetry) Naugatuck River Review, Issue 26, Fall 2021
Haiku, (Poetry) Presence, Issue 68, Nov 2020
In Search of the Writer’s Physical Voice, (Nonfiction) Acumen, Issue 97, May 2020
Three Poems, (Poetry) Agenda, Altered Distances, Apr 2020
The Bell, (Poetry) LIT Magazine, Sept 2019
Sahara, (Poetry) The Moth, Issue 36, Spring 2019
The View From Here, (Poetry) HCE Review, Nov 2018
The following three poems first appeared in Agenda (Altered Distances, 2020). Thanks to editor, Patricia McCarthy.
Avalanche
You
had a
bleed the
doctor said.
Think of it like
an avalanche, your
brain the border town
where it came down, white
veil at a liminal frontier between
standing and never standing again,
knowing my name, never speaking it
again. We have to wait now for the snow
to thaw to know what damage has been done
to the place you grew up in, some of whose back
lanes I’ve come to know myself. Think of the blood
like sludge, the doctor said. It will eventually drain and
then we’ll see what buildings have been pulverized, what
cars crushed and, of course, the miracle of what survived the
sudden fall. Until then, we’re here beneath its enormous weight.
Reflection
She doesn’t recognize her own
reflection in the bathroom mirror,
just stares, wishing things were clearer,
or different. When you were on the phone
the doctor said the self was prone
to seek a primal place of shelter,
and knowing that was key to feeling near her
now all she wants is to be left alone.
He never warned that caring bore a risk
of catching it, that your primal place
is present every time you snap,
he never said remember who kissed
and bathed you next time you see that face
and your reflection staring back.
Leaving
I marveled at new ways you find
to turn the handle for a while
with portal, hatch, and opening,
exotic aperture, once egress
until at last, they took their exits too
leaving you to cross a threshold
silently. How does it work,
this thing, you ask me more than once,
this wooden thing, this block?
And for the umpteenth time that day
you watched with tears and full of awe
the opening and closing of a door.
Avalanche
You
had a
bleed the
doctor said.
Think of it like
an avalanche, your
brain the border town
where it came down, white
veil at a liminal frontier between
standing and never standing again,
knowing my name, never speaking it
again. We have to wait now for the snow
to thaw to know what damage has been done
to the place you grew up in, some of whose back
lanes I’ve come to know myself. Think of the blood
like sludge, the doctor said. It will eventually drain and
then we’ll see what buildings have been pulverized, what
cars crushed and, of course, the miracle of what survived the
sudden fall. Until then, we’re here beneath its enormous weight.
Reflection
She doesn’t recognize her own
reflection in the bathroom mirror,
just stares, wishing things were clearer,
or different. When you were on the phone
the doctor said the self was prone
to seek a primal place of shelter,
and knowing that was key to feeling near her
now all she wants is to be left alone.
He never warned that caring bore a risk
of catching it, that your primal place
is present every time you snap,
he never said remember who kissed
and bathed you next time you see that face
and your reflection staring back.
Leaving
I marveled at new ways you find
to turn the handle for a while
with portal, hatch, and opening,
exotic aperture, once egress
until at last, they took their exits too
leaving you to cross a threshold
silently. How does it work,
this thing, you ask me more than once,
this wooden thing, this block?
And for the umpteenth time that day
you watched with tears and full of awe
the opening and closing of a door.
Nonfiction Books
The Actor's Complete Shakespeare Sonnet Bible Smith & Kraus, 2018
From Courts to Dungeons: Classical Monologues, Ed. Smith & Kraus, 2018
ESL Shakespeare: 101 Everyday Phrases Smith & Kraus, 2013
To Play or Not to Play: Games for Acting Shakespeare Smith & Kraus, 2012
From Courts to Dungeons: Classical Monologues, Ed. Smith & Kraus, 2018
ESL Shakespeare: 101 Everyday Phrases Smith & Kraus, 2013
To Play or Not to Play: Games for Acting Shakespeare Smith & Kraus, 2012
Plays
Tabula Rasa Santa Monica Playhouse, 2019
Antigone, (Trans.) Mark Taper Auditorium, LA, 2017
After Chekhov, (Co-written) Soho Theatre, West End, 2014
Plays for Children & Young Audiences
MacGregor and Beth Bruntwood Prize, UK Top 100 plays, 2014
House Spectacle Theatre Company, UK, 2000
Hide & Seek Spectacle Theatre Company, UK, 1999
Guto, (Bilingual English/Welsh production) Spectacle Theatre Company, UK, 1998
Tabula Rasa Santa Monica Playhouse, 2019
Antigone, (Trans.) Mark Taper Auditorium, LA, 2017
After Chekhov, (Co-written) Soho Theatre, West End, 2014
Plays for Children & Young Audiences
MacGregor and Beth Bruntwood Prize, UK Top 100 plays, 2014
House Spectacle Theatre Company, UK, 2000
Hide & Seek Spectacle Theatre Company, UK, 1999
Guto, (Bilingual English/Welsh production) Spectacle Theatre Company, UK, 1998
The Actor's Complete Shakespeare Sonnet Bible
Latest Book Now Available in Store & Online
December 15th 2018
Publication day for my latest book, which focuses on Shakespeare's Sonnets and includes a side-by-side contemporary 'translation' of all 154 of the sonnets and 101 acting exercises that target nine key areas of actor training. Order online here or buy in stores nationwide.
Latest Book Now Available in Store & Online
December 15th 2018
Publication day for my latest book, which focuses on Shakespeare's Sonnets and includes a side-by-side contemporary 'translation' of all 154 of the sonnets and 101 acting exercises that target nine key areas of actor training. Order online here or buy in stores nationwide.
From Courts to Dungeons: Classical Monologues for Men and Women
Book Launch & Signing: June 2nd, 2018, Samuel French, Hollywood
Book Launch & Signing: June 2nd, 2018, Samuel French, Hollywood
My new book for actors, educators, and theatre makers is a classical monologue collection with a unique angle, tackling the issues of race and gender in the casting of classical drama and unifying speeches from the world of Elizabethan and Jacobean drama by setting.
Each speech comes from a character fighting for justice in a court of law or languishing in a prison cell. It's the first time a classical monologue book has examined the criminal justice system from the sharp end of the Elizabethan worldview.
A treasure trove of diverse moods and woes from Shakespeare and his contemporaries. A great collection of self-contained monologues. Dathan B. Williams, Associate Artistic Director, Harlem Shakespeare Festival.
This book is a must have for actors auditioning for classical theatre today. A succinct and approachable introduction to classical text, theatre audition technique, and modern casting/performance considerations. I can't imagine a more needed monologue book, especially for women. Jennifer Sandella, Artistic Director, Random Access Theatre.
What a breath of fresh air this book is! Jago has taken classical monologues out of mothballs and made them relevant, urgent, and accessible to all. Actors will love it. Directors and casting directors will be happy this book landed in the hands of their auditionees. Sabra Williams, Actor & Founding Director of The Actors' Gang Prison Project.
This is an incredible collection. The next time you’re looking for a classical monologue, you need look no further than this book. I can’t wait to see the next edition because this kind of treasure trove demands a sequel.
Rob Nagle, Actor & Co-Artistic Director, Antaeus Theatre Company.
An invaluable resource of classical material for student actors and professionals alike.
Suzanne Hunt, Co-Artistic Director, Classical Theatre Lab, Los Angeles.
This excellent selection of classical monologues has all the hard work taken out. Jago’s notes and analysis provide brilliant tips for actors, as well as valuable insight about what it feels like to be on the casting director’s side of the desk. Dr. Bernie C. Byrnes, Community Projects Manager, New Theatre Royal, England.
Actors seeking powerful, arresting audition material virtually guaranteed to be unfamiliar to casting directors need seek no further than Martin Jago's original, inspired, and eminently useful collection. Bravo!
Stuart W. Howard, Actor & Director.
Each speech comes from a character fighting for justice in a court of law or languishing in a prison cell. It's the first time a classical monologue book has examined the criminal justice system from the sharp end of the Elizabethan worldview.
A treasure trove of diverse moods and woes from Shakespeare and his contemporaries. A great collection of self-contained monologues. Dathan B. Williams, Associate Artistic Director, Harlem Shakespeare Festival.
This book is a must have for actors auditioning for classical theatre today. A succinct and approachable introduction to classical text, theatre audition technique, and modern casting/performance considerations. I can't imagine a more needed monologue book, especially for women. Jennifer Sandella, Artistic Director, Random Access Theatre.
What a breath of fresh air this book is! Jago has taken classical monologues out of mothballs and made them relevant, urgent, and accessible to all. Actors will love it. Directors and casting directors will be happy this book landed in the hands of their auditionees. Sabra Williams, Actor & Founding Director of The Actors' Gang Prison Project.
This is an incredible collection. The next time you’re looking for a classical monologue, you need look no further than this book. I can’t wait to see the next edition because this kind of treasure trove demands a sequel.
Rob Nagle, Actor & Co-Artistic Director, Antaeus Theatre Company.
An invaluable resource of classical material for student actors and professionals alike.
Suzanne Hunt, Co-Artistic Director, Classical Theatre Lab, Los Angeles.
This excellent selection of classical monologues has all the hard work taken out. Jago’s notes and analysis provide brilliant tips for actors, as well as valuable insight about what it feels like to be on the casting director’s side of the desk. Dr. Bernie C. Byrnes, Community Projects Manager, New Theatre Royal, England.
Actors seeking powerful, arresting audition material virtually guaranteed to be unfamiliar to casting directors need seek no further than Martin Jago's original, inspired, and eminently useful collection. Bravo!
Stuart W. Howard, Actor & Director.
To Play or Not to Play: 50 Games for Acting Shakespeare by Martin Jago
with a foreword by Alfred Molina
|
Martin Jago at his recent book launch, Samuel French on Sunset Blvd., Hollywood.
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What The Industry Experts Say
An intelligent book that combines an advanced methodology for understanding how Shakespeare's language works with an accessibility that will appeal to experienced theater arts educators and those students who are serious about the Bard. Jonathan Moscone, Artistic Director, California Shakespeare Theater
An insightful and essential guide for actors, directors, teachers and anyone interested in Shakespeare.
Guy Roberts, Artistic Director, Prague Shakespeare Festival
Mr Jago has put together some wonderful exercises but what's most extraordinary about what Mr Jago has done is that virtually all the work here is based on the text, not superfluous theatre games! "Character is in the text, is made of the text, and is born out of the text." Succinct and exactly right! Marco Barricelli, Artistic Director, Shakespeare Santa Cruz
The author invites us on a journey from Shakespeare zero to Shakespeare hero...a must-have manual for students and professionals alike. Professor Paul McDonald, Chair of Creative Industries, University of Nottingham, U.K.
Jago sets out a practical no-nonsense approach to the language of Shakespeare, and his exercises are highly beneficial in the classroom or in rehearsal. I highly recommend it.
Mike Pacey, Senior Lecturer and Course Leader for MA Performance, University of Central Lancashire, U.K.
Jago's approach is clear, understandable, and most of all, fun! This book is a serious resource for those who are serious about the craft of acting. Lois Hunter, Theatre Department Chair, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
An insightful and essential guide for actors, directors, teachers and anyone interested in Shakespeare.
Guy Roberts, Artistic Director, Prague Shakespeare Festival
Mr Jago has put together some wonderful exercises but what's most extraordinary about what Mr Jago has done is that virtually all the work here is based on the text, not superfluous theatre games! "Character is in the text, is made of the text, and is born out of the text." Succinct and exactly right! Marco Barricelli, Artistic Director, Shakespeare Santa Cruz
The author invites us on a journey from Shakespeare zero to Shakespeare hero...a must-have manual for students and professionals alike. Professor Paul McDonald, Chair of Creative Industries, University of Nottingham, U.K.
Jago sets out a practical no-nonsense approach to the language of Shakespeare, and his exercises are highly beneficial in the classroom or in rehearsal. I highly recommend it.
Mike Pacey, Senior Lecturer and Course Leader for MA Performance, University of Central Lancashire, U.K.
Jago's approach is clear, understandable, and most of all, fun! This book is a serious resource for those who are serious about the craft of acting. Lois Hunter, Theatre Department Chair, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Also From Publishers Smith & Kraus
ESL Shakespeare: 101 Everyday Phrases
Martin Jago has created an accessible and valuable resource to help integrate Shakespeare into our teaching and learning of English. Drawing on a career working with Shakespeare in the theatre, he has identified a wealth of everyday phrases and idioms that originated with Shakespeare - fight fire with fire; in a pickle; wild goose chase, and 98 others. This book offers supplementary material for intermediate to advanced students, by harnessing some of the practical, everyday language that animates English conversation around the world.
Martin Jago has created an accessible and valuable resource to help integrate Shakespeare into our teaching and learning of English. Drawing on a career working with Shakespeare in the theatre, he has identified a wealth of everyday phrases and idioms that originated with Shakespeare - fight fire with fire; in a pickle; wild goose chase, and 98 others. This book offers supplementary material for intermediate to advanced students, by harnessing some of the practical, everyday language that animates English conversation around the world.
