Courtesy of 360 Media

By Jeremy Brown
VOX Staff

I arrive in the midst of a dress rehearsal — “tacking,” they call it — in a seemingly small room lit by three stage lights and two exit signs. I enter as quietly as I can, trying not to throw the star, and only, actor of “Waiting For My Growth Spurt” out of his groove. Thirteen-year-old Jason David is in the middle of explaining how he managed to make his parents angry at him for aligning teams for neighborhood games by religion.

Such is the life of the half-Jewish, half-Catholic eighth grader who’s making history as the youngest known performer/author of a one-man show. VOX got a chance to ask Jason a few questions as he prepared for the comedy’s opening night.

VOX: What was the inspiration behind “Waiting For My Growth Spurt?”
Jason: My director asked me if I could perform a one-man show for her acting company [Metropolis Port Theater], and I agreed. She asked if someone else could write it, but I thought it would be better if I wrote it.

VOX: What is the play about?
Jason: The play is about the difference between Irish and Jewish families and how being a teenager affects my views on life.

VOX: What is the significance of the title?
Jason: As you can tell, I’m pretty short and have been waiting on my growth spurt for a while.

VOX: Are there any recurring themes in the play?
Jason: How family tries to deal with each other. How my dad is like a Jewish mother and how parents have trouble with their children leaving for college. And the issue of me being short comes up every now and then.

VOX: What were the difficulties you had in making the play?
Jason: Definitely finding out what was funny. I thought things were going to kill that didn’t. I thought that things that were going to suck, killed. And I thought things that wouldn’t work, did. So it would definitely have to be that.

VOX: Do you think other kids will be able to relate to your story?
Jason: They won’t admit it, but they probably will.

VOX: What do you want your audience to take away from your play?
Jason: I want the audience to realize that this is a very sincere effort that people have worked hard on. I also want the audience to gain a respect for what parents go through.

“Waiting for My Growth Spurt” is playing at the 14th Street Playhouse in Midtown Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:00 p.m. through May 10. Student tickets $15.