Portrait of Jason
written and directed by Hilton Als
based on the film by Shirley Clarke
Produced, edited and designed by me

Shirley Clarke’s Portrait of Jason was a groundbreaking work of cinema verité when it was released in 1967. Captured over a single evening, the portrayal of gay African-American hustler and aspiring cabaret performer Jason Holliday interrogated race, class and sexuality in ways that were and still are ahead of its time. Pulitzer Prize-winning critic, artist, writer and curator Hilton Als adapted the film into an audio drama that captures the intimacy, vulnerability and rawness of the original piece while probing power and the price of storytelling.

Starring Mikéah Ernest Jennings, Jessica Almasy
and Hilton Als

Presented by New York Theatre Workshop