Jason
Jason was the son of Aeson, making his uncle Pelias - something that would prove to significantly complicate his life. Pelias sent Jason on a quest to find the Golden Fleece — something that would result in Jason rightfully taking his place on the throne of Iolcus in Thessaly, and which turned out to be a bigger endeavor than he could have predicted. Apart from that gargantuan undertaking, he’s most famous as the husband of Medea, who herself was instrumental in Jason’s acquiring the Golden Fleece. While on the isle of Lemnos he managed to forget Medea for enough time that he fathered twins with Hypsipyle, but it was his engagement to Creusa that put Medea over the edge and caused her to take drastic, disastrous action.
JASONS tells the story of mythological Jason by way of 20 real, famous Jasons. From Bateman, to Robards Sr, to Schwartzman, Allison Page seeks to explore one hero’s journey through his non-heroic namesakes, forcing them to play parts in mythological Jason’s journey to recover the Golden Fleece. An actor playing Matt Damon as Jason Bourne as Jason’s Mother? Yes. An actor playing Jason Momoa from Game of Thrones as Chiron the centaur? Definitely. Jason Voorhees cutting people’s heads off? TOTALLY NECESSARY. Not every person is a hero in their own story, and not every Jason has what it takes to get what they want. It’s time for Jasons to stop being polite, and start getting real. And it might also be time for Jason Mraz to get his head lopped off.
JASON or JASONS by Allison Page
Directed by Adam Sussman
Staged Reading on November 12, 2015
Molly Benson (Voorhees)
Megan Cohen (Momoa/London)
James Grady (Biggs/Schwartzman)
Danielle Gray (Jennifer Jason Leigh)
Ben Grubb (Mewes/Reitman)
Aaron Kitchin (Priestley/Bateman/Sudeikis)
Melanie Lindow (Segel/Lee)
Amanda Rosenberg (Statham)
Elena Ruggiero (Mraz/Derulo/Aldean)
Jeffrey Trescott (Robards)
Matthew Weinberg (Alexander)
Ryan Patrick Welsh (Bourne)
Allison Page is a writer/actor/comedian living in San Francisco, and writing for the Olympians Festival for the third time! She recently had her first full length as a playwright, HILARITY, produced by DIVAfest. She has written a smattering of other plays, including Hellhound, An Historically False and Completely Imagined Lunch Date Between Misters Shakespeare and Marlowe at the Maiden’s Head Pub For Aspiring Playwrights, Mrs. Youngblood, The Golden Apple of Discord, and April Showers. Born in rural northern Minnesota, she moved to San Francisco in 2008. In 2010 she joined up with sketch comedians Killing My Lobster, where she is now Creative Director. She is a regular columnist with San Francisco Theater Pub. Her non-dramatic writing has been featured in Women of Letters, Shipwreck, Write Club SF, Give Me Fiction, and Travel Tavern. This year she will also be performing a different monologue by Stuart Bousel, at the beginning of every night of the festival.
The image for Jason was designed by Ashley Kea Ramos!