Jason Grasl on Hear U.S. Now New Play Festival by San Diego REP

"It considers issues like the pervasiveness of colonized thought in higher academia, the normalization of extreme viewpoints, and at the center of it all, it puts a Native American character working at very high levels of STEM and academia" -Jason Grasl, playwright of "The Normal Force" in this year's Hear U.S. Now New Play Festival Nov. 12-14 Online. www.sdrep.org/...
Jason Grasl is an actor/playwright/director of Blackfeet descent. He is an ensemble member with Native Voices at the Autry in Los Angeles. As a playwright, his plays include The Blame of Love, Emergency Management, The Wheels On the Bus Come Off, and Lying With Badgers, which had its world premiere at Native Voices in 2020. As an actor, Jason was most recently seen on the Native Voices' stage in Fairly Traceable. Other theatre credits include Laughter on the 23rd Floor at Garry Marshall; Cherokee at Woolly Mammoth; The Blame of Love; Trophies; Sliver of a Full Moon (touring); Urban Rez at Cornerstone (assistant director); and Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding.
"The Normal Force" by Jason Grasl centers on Logan, a Native American PhD student in particle physics who is on the precipice of a scientific breakthrough, yet confronted with fundamentalist protests that consider his research a threat to their religious beliefs. Meanwhile, secrets from the past and unexpected discoveries could challenge everything he holds to be true. This play explores colonialism and ethics in science as well as the under-represented voices and realities of Native Americans in STEM fields. Jason Grasl is an actor/playwright/director of Blackfeet descent who is an ensemble member with Native Voices at the Autry in Los Angeles. As a playwright, his plays include The Blame of Love, Emergency Management, The Wheels On the Bus Come Off, and Lying With Badgers. A long time ago, Jason worked as a control systems engineer and rocket scientist. Directed by Elizabeth Frances.