When theatre confronts contemporary tragedy, it frequently collides with a modern cultural dilemma: the instinct to reduce systemic collapse into safe, predictable talking points. With Jeff Perlman’s gripping new drama, SAY MY NAME: A Reckoning in Two Movements, the creative team bypasses easy polemics to examine the generational trauma, spiritual limbo, and bureaucratic complicity left in the wake of an American catastrophe.

Among the ensemble navigating this intricate terrain is actor Jake Minter, who brings a grounded, forensic perspective to the complex institutional machinery operating inside the story.

A Reckoning in Two Movements: The Story of Marcus Deshawn Thompson

Written by Jeff Perlman, SAY MY NAME spans two decades, interrogating the emotional and spiritual aftershocks of a fatal police encounter.

The tragedy begins on an ordinary evening: Marcus Deshawn Thompson, a 15-year-old Black teenager walking home from a school dance, is shot and killed by a police officer. Rather than fading into an abstract news cycle, Marcus’s spirit remains caught in a metaphysical threshold between life and death. He is a young soul fighting against historical erasure, demanding to be remembered as a full, breathing person rather than an empty statistic or political weapon.

The dramatic structure unfolds across two fluid, non-realistic movements:

1. The First Movement: The suffocating, claustrophobic night of the shooting itself, as city officials, grieving family members, faith leaders, and law enforcement scramble to construct narratives and survive the shockwave.
2. The Second Movement: A devastating reunion twenty years later, tracing the long half-life of trauma, the costs of political compromise, and the elusive road toward spiritual liberation.

The tapestry of perspectives surrounding Marcus’s ghost is expansive:

• Mayor James “Jim” Jenkins: The only living official capable of perceiving Marcus’s spirit, who ultimately torches his own political ambition by tearing up scripted remarks and delivering the raw truth.
• Sarah: Jenkins’s pragmatic political strategist, wrestling with the ethics of institutional self-preservation.
• Rhonda Thompson: Marcus’s mother, enduring profound maternal grief inside a suddenly hollow home.
• Reverend Harry Clayton: A community pastor navigating spiritual doubt while shepherding a devastated congregation.
• Officer David Reynolds: The young officer whose fatal panic extinguishes a child’s life.
• The Ancestors: A choral Greek-style ensemble that frames the stage with traditional spirituals, grounding modern injustice in historical memory.

Anatomy of the Institutional Insider: Jake Minter’s Clinical Approach

Stepping into a dramatic ecosystem fraught with defensive postures and administrative self-defense requires an actor to reject caricature. For Minter, avoiding flat, one-dimensional archetypes begins with finding the granular humanity of the individual inside the machine.

“I think a piece of any good approach—aside from including physical mannerisms tied to the position itself, such as weapon handling—always includes finding exactly what the character believes, and then committing to choices that surround that,” Minter explains. “It keeps the specificity of real people.”

By rooting his choices in tactical, lived belief rather than dramatic judgment, Minter humanizes the friction between public protocol and private panic.

When addressing the ethical crosshairs of institutional circles, Minter gravitates directly toward Mayor Jenkins’s climactic speech:

“I like the quote by Jenkins at the end of the play: ‘I am blaming all of us. All. Of. Us. Our fear of each other. Our biases. Whatever you want to call it. It kills people. It killed a child tonight.’ Personally, of course the officer pulling the trigger is responsible. It’s a betrayal of duty to not even take more than two seconds of consideration for a human life. If you are that careless with a weapon, you don’t deserve one.”

Yet, Minter is quick to articulate the dual realities that Perlman’s text demands audiences hold simultaneously:

“Many things can be true at once. It is the erosion of comprehensive training for officers across the land, with society holding culpability as well for letting biases fester within inequality.”

Stepping Into the Ensemble

For an actor joining a production tackling high-stakes societal grief, arriving in the rehearsal room demands respect for both the material and the company. While Minter has tracked the project’s evolution through archival footage and intensive script study, entering the physical workspace remains an anticipated step:

“One exciting thing to note is that I haven’t met the rest of the ensemble yet! I can’t wait to join with the rehearsal,” says Minter. “I have seen footage and studied the script, however, and I can tell they’re all dedicated to this important piece.”

Industry Presentation Details & Inquiries

The industry presentation of SAY MY NAME: A Reckoning in Two Movements is tailored for industry professionals seeking bold, structurally ambitious American work that bridges classic dramatic tradition with immediate cultural dialogue.

• Title: SAY MY NAME: A Reckoning in Two Movements
• Playwright: Jeff Perlman
• Presentation Date: Friday, October 16, 2026
• Location: Open Jar Studios (1601 Broadway, 11th Floor, entrance on 48th St), New York, NY 10019
• Industry Reservations & Producing Access:Jay Michaels Global Communications (JMGC, LLC)Contact: Anya Kai | Phone: 646-338-5472Email: info@jaymichaelsarts.comOffices: 525 84th Street, Suite 300, Brooklyn, NY 11209

Immediate Action Checklist

1. Media Distribution: Format and distribute this feature across theatre publications, independent arts blogs, and regional development desks.
2. Guest List Confirmation: Have Anya log inbound RSVP confirmations for the October 16 presentation slots directly through the JMGC desk.
3. Actor Press Kit: Bundle Minter’s commentary with the director’s notes and Perlman’s script synopsis for the producer packets distributed on-site at Open Jar Studios.