Jacob's Wake explores the relationship of a father, Winston, with his three sons, Wayne, a corrupt politician, Alonzo, a cynical business man, and Brad, a failed priest. It quickly moves from an apparently realistic family drama to nightmarish, expressionistic drama of 20th century failure as an approaching storm begins to dominate the stage. Once again, ritual lies at the heart of this play; Cook establishes clear patterns of behaviour that are transgressed and broken by the gathered family. The whole play, not merely the last few moments, is a wake, specifically for Jacob, the lost son of the title, but more generally for Newfoundland.

A Maritime family’s tragedy, set in a raging storm. Cast of 2 women and 5 men.

Michael Cook
Originally from London, England, Michael Cook began writing plays during the 1950s while serving in the British army in Europe and the Far East. He studied teaching and drama at Nottingham University in the early 1960s and emigrated to St. John’s, Newfoundland, in 1965 where he began directing plays and teaching at Memorial University. He has written more than 50 plays, many of them exploring Newfoundland’s history and culture?the most notable of which, Jacob’s Wake, was published in 1975. After moving to remote outport of Random Island, Cook wrote the one-act dramas collected in Tiln & Other Plays (1976). In the 1980s, Cook divided his time between Newfoundland and Stratford, Ontario, where he was playwright-in-residence in 1987. Michael Cook moved back to St. John’s shortly before his death in 1994 at the age of 61.

Michael Cook's profile page