PRESS
Theatre Work
Sofa King Queer Review – Strikingly Authentic. Splash Magazine.
“The songs nail the pop-punk feel the show is aiming for and are infused with an intense emotionality. The title song, performed just before intermission, is especially catchy and feels like a queer anthem in a way that other musicals have aimed for and failed to achieve. The show’s greatest strength is its striking authenticity; on every level, it lets queer people speak for themselves instead of speaking for them. One of art’s incredible powers is its ability to heal, and this is a show with healing powers for anyone who’s ever felt lonely, disempowered, or afraid of vulnerability. If you need an infusion of queer joy, check out Sofa King Queer.”
Homocore to the core. Sofa King Queer is a rousing pop-punk musical. Chicago Reader.
“Kevin Sparrow’s new pop-punk musical, Sofa King Queer, is raw, shaggy, sardonic, passionate, and just right for this moment. Directed by JD Caudill and featuring a young and diverse queer cast, this production by Nothing Without a Company hits a lot of the right emotional notes as it follows a group of queer friends, lovers, and family members through one day’s couplings, quarrels, and revelations….Both as a period piece about late-aughts homocore culture in Chicago and as a rousing cri de coeur for right now, this big-hearted show deserves an attentive audience.”
THEATER ‘Sofa King Queer’ examines LGBTQ+ rights as a political token in elections. Windy City Times.
Always Greener Receives MAP Fund 2019
Melancholy Play: “Jacob Watson’s scenic design emphasizes otherworldly beauty: the portal behind the onstage musicians is covered in white curtains, and dim chandeliers dangle over the actors.” - Chicago Critic
Tell Me What You Remember: "Finely acted and evocatively staged by Erasing the Distance, this one-hour play asks some of the hard questions we encounter in the course of growing up and growing old." - Chicago Reader
Education
Scholastic Media: Lyric Opera Empowers Youth During COVID-19 - Newcity Stage, April 2020
After The Stage Goes Dark, Teen Performers In Chicago Find Their Way Online - WBEZ, May 2020
Jacob Watson and the Heroes of Piccolo Elementary - Urban Gateways, March 2014
Community Engagement
Can harm reduction, the philosophy that stems HIV transmission and heroin overdoses, help curb a Thanksgiving COVID-19 meltdown? - Chicago Tribune, November 2020
Program helps people tell their stories through musical theater - ABC News, September 2017