Meet the Team

Jason Marks is an award-winning singer, actor, and composer based in Richmond, Virginia. A lifelong lover of musical theatre and storytelling, he has written the music and lyrics for numerous original stage works, including Ellis Island: Gateway of Dreams, Have You Filled a Bucket Today?: The Musical, The Twelve Elves of Christmas, Pup N’ Adam, The Big Talent Competition, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Newton’s Apple, Croaker, and Over the Mountain. His work has been performed by theatre companies and schools across the country and is known for its heartfelt storytelling and accessible, melodic scores.

Marks has received multiple honors for his work in the arts, including three Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Artsie Awards, the Pollak Prize for the Performing Arts, and the 2010 Your Big Broadway Break Competition in New York City. As a performer, he has appeared in productions throughout Virginia and beyond, and he frequently works as a director and music director for regional theatre.

Gladys represents Marks’ most ambitious theatrical project to date. Inspired by the extraordinary life of Harlem Renaissance icon Gladys Bentley, the musical explores themes of identity, performance, and the courage to live authentically in a world determined to define you. Marks has spent years researching Bentley’s life and the vibrant cultural landscape of Harlem in the 1920s and 1930s in order to bring her powerful and largely forgotten story to the stage.

He currently lives in Richmond, where he continues developing new theatrical works while collaborating with artists and performers across the country.