JACOB OFFEN has played many roles at OpenStage Theatre & Company – actor, staff member, board member, and now director and Producing Artistic Director. Misery marks his directorial debut at OpenStage. Jacob taught Acting at the University of Houston during his tenure as an MFA candidate, and recently at the University of Northern Colorado. He designed a comprehensive curriculum rooted in Stanislavsky, Hagen, Meisner, Roy Heart and Cecily Berry, and coached actors in scene work/audition preparation. Further, Jacob has created acting, voice, and Shakespearean text workshops at the Texas Shakespeare Festival, Houston Shakespeare Festival, and for acting students of all ages. While he served as the Company Development Administrator (2011 – 2015), he produced and directed entertainment for OST&C’s spring fundraisers (Casino Royal: The Sting, Viva Las Vegas, Oceans 11, le Cirque Rouge!). He is thrilled to put his years of experience as a performer and teaching artist to work for Misery and for many future productions to come!

JENNIFER R. BRAY is delighted to continue her journey with OpenStage. She holds a B.A. in Performing Arts with an emphasis in Acting/Directing from Iowa State University and an MBA in Nonprofit Management from Oklahoma State University. Recently, Jen appeared with OpenStage as the Congregant in The Christians and Grandma/Captain Smollet in Treasure Island. Her experience spans numerous onstage and offstage roles with theaters such as Bas Bleu Theatre, Encore! Encore!, Windsor Community Playhouse, Loveland Community Theatre, Iowa State University Theatre, Ames Community Theatre, Rapid City Community Theatre, The Black Hills Playhouse, and The Alameda Civic Light Opera Company. When not performing, Jen enjoys roller skating, cross-stitching, and spending time with her horse, chickens, and cats. She dedicates this performance to her boyfriend, Brian, for his endless love and support and for keeping the internet running during late-night rehearsals.

SARAH RUHL, Sarah Ruhl’s plays include In the Next Room, or the vibrator play, The Clean House, Passion Play, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Melancholy Play, For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday, The Oldest Boy, Stage Kiss, Dear Elizabeth, Eurydice, How to Transcend a Happy Marriage, Orlando, Late: a cowboy song, and a translation of Three Sisters. She has been a two-time Pulitzer prize finalist and a Tony award nominee. Her plays have been produced on and off Broadway, around the country, and internationally, where they have been translated into over fifteen languages.

Originally from Chicago, Ms. Ruhl received her M.F.A. from Brown University, where she studied with Paula Vogel. She has received the Steinberg Award, the Samuel French Award, the Susan Smith Blackburn Award, the Whiting Award, the Lily Award, a PEN Award for mid-career playwrights, and the MacArthur Award. You can read more about her work on www.SarahRuhlplaywright.com. Her new book 100 Essays I Don’t Have Time to Write was a New York Times notable book of the year, and she most recently published Letters from Max with Max Ritvo. She teaches at the Yale School of Drama, and she lives in Brooklyn with her family.