May 30 – June 23, 2024
Island City Stage
www.IslandCityStage.org
By Denny Patterson
Skin Tight, the critically acclaimed production by Joshua Harmon, will make its South Florida debut at Island City Stage on May 30, 2024 and play through June 23.
Initially premiering Off-Broadway in 2018 at the Roundabout Theater in New York City, Skin Tight assays the nature of love, the power of attraction, and the ways in which a superficial culture persists in teaching its children that all that matters is what’s on the inside. The show follows Jodi Isaac, who is reeling from her ex-husband’s engagement to a younger woman. When she turns to her famous fashion designer father for support, she instead finds him involved with a much younger guy named Trey.
Harmon brings neurotic family drama to the forefront as father and daughter contend with the age-old questions of how to age gracefully in a world obsessed with youth and where love fits into it all.
Photo Courtesy of David Vance
OutClique had the opportunity to catch up with New York-based actor Jeff Brackett, who will play the role of Trey at Island City Stage, and talk more about his character, what makes Skin Tight worth seeing, and why he loves the South Florida theater community.
Denny Patterson: Jeff, how excited are you to perform in Island City Stage’s upcoming performance of Skin Tight?
Jeff Brackett: I’m very excited! This will be my first time performing at Island City Stage, and I very much love the team and the shows that are put on there. I’m looking forward to making my Island City Stage debut.
Denny Patterson: Without giving too much away, what can we expect from this production?
Jeff Brackett: Without giving too much away, I think we as a society, have an idea of what love looks like. Whether it’s heteronormative love, queer love, whatever it is, we have an idea and we want to put it into a box. I think Skin Tight allows us to look at what love is and the many ways in which it can show up, as well as the many ways it can fail and succeed.
Denny Patterson: Who do you play?
Jeff Brackett: I play Trey. He’s an okie boy who is in love with an older man named Elliot Isaac, a famous fashion designer, and he is played by Steve Schroko. There’s a significant age difference between the two.
Denny Patterson: What do you want to bring to your character?
Jeff Brackett: First off, I want to bring honesty and authenticity to the role. To this person who is not aware of different things in the world. He still has so much to experience, but what’s the thing that really draws him and Elliot together? I want to bring that to a very honest place, and of course, he’s very fun. I’ve been looking forward to showing the reality of their connection.
Denny Patterson: And what are you personally hoping to gain from this experience?
Jeff Brackett: One of my dear friends played Elliot at the Roundabout, and he actually helped me with my audition. This is a play that’s been on my mind for the last six years. I’m excited to further explore this relationship and society’s boundaries that are placed on love. I’m excited to gain a broader perspective on that. Also, the opportunity to work with Island City Stage. I’m looking forward to operating in a theater that truly pumps out some wonderful stuff.
Denny Patterson: You are based in New York but have been in several other South Florida productions. What keeps you coming back to the Sunshine State?
Jeff Brackett: I mean, the people are wonderful. I have stayed in contact with everyone that I’ve met and worked with, and it’s been meaningful to have those connections. Also, the weather in winter isn’t bad (laughs). I’ve been very lucky to perform in South Florida three times this last season. It’s such a wonderful, tight-knit community.
Denny Patterson: Have you always had a passion for acting and entertaining?
Jeff Brackett: I have, yes. I have one of those classic early-on theater bugs that bit me. Ever since I was a little kid, I was hungry to be on stage or in film. When I was in first grade, we went around and told everyone what we wanted to be when we grew up, and I thought everyone was going to say they wanted to be an actor. No one did. I was the only one, except for one other little girl in my class, and we ended up playing Harold Hill and Marian the Librarian in our high school production of The Music Man. I was so amazed that no one else said they wanted to be an actor because that was always my dream.
Denny Patterson: Have you performed on Broadway yet?
Jeff Brackett: Not yet. I’ve only done a handful of shows here in New York. I moved here, then the pandemic happened, so terrible timing. Now that everything has opened back up, I’ve had a lot of very cool auditions, and I honestly believe theater is the future. As we get more and more sucked into this artificial aspect of things, just being in the same place with other people can be so exciting and electric. There’s nothing like it, and it’s very profound. I think people are going to be craving those authentic experiences more and more.
Denny Patterson: Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you’d like to mention or plug?
Jeff Brackett: Just make sure to go see Skin Tight at Island City Stage! We open May 30. Also, check out Semper Civilian by Brett Edward Stout on Audible because I did the audio book recording. It’s the second book in the series, but it’s a self-contained story, so don’t let that freak you out. We’re going to be doing the whole series, and it’s about a gay marine in 2001. He just finished serving, and this was during Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, so he’s trying to understand who he is as a gay man, as a marine, and as a civilian. He’s trying to figure it all out. It’s a beautiful story full of wonderful drama, so definitely check that out. Semper Civilian by Brett Edward Stout, narrated on Audible by yours truly!
Stay up-to-date and connect with Brackett by following him on Instagram or visit his official website, JeffBrackett.com. For more information and to purchase tickets for Skin Tight, visit IslandCityStage.org.
