@ellisja876
Jason A. Ellis
Our resident playwright and artistic director, is a native Jamaican who has been heavily involved in the arts, and performing since the age of two. He has trained, and performed with three arts companies in Jamaica, and competed in national performing arts competitions. When he moved to the United States in 2001, he quickly got engaged in the theater scene, first in Memphis, TN and now in the DC metro suburbs of Alexandria, VA. He is a student of practical aesthetics based on the teachings of Stanislavsky and credits his heavy dance background as well as his years of vocal performances for his present musical theater sensibilities.
His passion for working with minority groups and those from a lower economic status has informed his writing, which he views as a tool to educate and empower. Though not expressly religious, his productions do take on a moral and faith-based tone, and generally lean on the side of comedic. Having a background in theater, dance and voice, it is no surprise that he seeks to infuse all these art forms in his theatrical productions, which never belie a distinctly Caribbean flavor. His prior experiences performing in numerous theater productions such as “Seven Guitars”, and “A Soldier’s Play” had also help develop both his writing style and presentation acumen.
In recent years he can be found doing choreography work for community theater companies along with serving as a judge for both WATCH and ACTSO. In 2018 he was recognized by the city of Alexandria as a Living Legend for his work as a playwright, and later recognized by the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce as one of their 40-under-40 recipients for the same work. His commitment to serving youth, is also evidenced professionally. He serves as the Executive
Director of Momentum Collective Inc. and has over 25 years experience working in resident and social services.