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Jack Serio

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jack Serio
Born1996 (age 2930)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
EducationNew York University (BFA)

Jack Serio (born 1996)[1] is an American director known for his work Off-Broadway on such productions as 2023's revival of Uncle Vanya,[2] along with his collaboration with playwright Bubba Weiler on Well, I'll Let You Go[3] and The Saviors,[4] both in 2026. For his work, he has been nominated for two Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Director of a Play.[5][6]

Early life

[edit]

Serio was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and attended Boston College High School, crediting his arts teacher there for encouraging him to pursue a career in the arts.[7] Serio went on to attend New York University's Tisch School for the Arts, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in directing in 2018.[8]

Career

[edit]

Serio first met his future collaborator, Bubba Weiler, while studying at New York University, where Weiler was a TA for Serio's freshman playwriting class. Serio's first Off-Broadway directing credit came in 2022 for This Beautiful Future which premiered at Cherry Lane Theatre.[9][10] Weiler recalls seeing this production and wanting to work with him, leading to him reading Weiler's first plays, The Saviors and Well, I'll Let You Go, which he would later direct Off-Broadway as well.[11] Serio also became a mentee of David Cromer and has developed a reputation for minimalistic productions.[12]

Next, Serio would direct a new revival of Uncle Vanya at Loft in the Flatiron District in 2023, lit only by candlelight,[13] and Samuel D. Hunter's Grangeville Off-Broadway at Signature Theatre Company in 2025.[14] For the former, The New York Times praised Serio's direction as "stunning", calling the visuals a "hallmark of Serio’s work."[15] For the latter, Vulture praised the show as "compact and effecting."[16]

In 2025, he also served as associate director of the Off-Broadway play, Prince Faggot by Jordan Tannahill[17] and director of Samuel D. Hunter's Clarkston at the Trafalgar Theatre on the West End, the latter starring Joe Locke.[18] For the latter, The Guardian called his direction "necessarily perfunctory."[19]

In 2026, Serio was named as director for two world premieres of Bubba Weiler's plays. The first, Well, I'll Let You Go premiered Off-Broadway at The Space at Irondale in Brooklyn, New York, starring Quincy Tyler Bernstine.[20] The production received positive reviews, with The New York Times calling it "quietly absorbing."[21] The show would transfer to Studio Seaview Off-Broadway for a reprise run later that year, receiving similar praise, specifically for Serio's restaging of the play on a thrust stage.[22]

The second of 2026's collaboration between Serio and Weiler is the latter's play, The Saviors, which is set to premiere in July 2026 at the Atlantic Theatre Company, directed by Serio.[23]

Stage credits

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Year Title Role Venue Ref.
2022 This Beautiful Future Director Off-Broadway, Cherry Lane Theatre [24]
2023 Uncle Vanya Off-Broadway, Loft at Flatiron
On Set With Theda Bara Off-Off-Broadway, The Brick Theater
2024 The Animal Kingdom Off-Off-Broadway, Connelly Theater
2025 Grangeville Off-Broadway, Signature Theatre Company
Prince Faggot Associate Director Off-Broadway, Playwrights Horizons
Clarkston Director West End, Trafalgar Theatre
2026 Well, I'll Let You Go Off-Broadway, The Space at Irondale
Off-Broadway, Studio Seaview
The Saviors Off-Broadway, Atlantic Theatre Company

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2025 Obie Award Obie Award for Distinguished Directing The Animal Kingdom & On Set With Theda Bara Won [25]
Drama Desk Award Drama Desk Special Award Danger and Opportunity Won [26]
Outstanding Direction of a Play Grangeville Nominated [27][28]
2026 Well, I'll Let You Go Nominated [29][30][31]

References

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  1. Sims, Joey (June 28, 2023). "Jack Serio: Direction and Misdirection". American Theatre. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  2. Paulson, Michael (June 28, 2023). "Jack Serio: Direction and Misdirection". American Theatre. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  3. "Well, I'll Let You Go". Studio Seaview. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  4. "The Saviors". Atlantic Theater Company. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  5. "2026 Drama Desk Award Nominations Announced: Full List". Broadway.com. April 29, 2026. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  6. Logan Culwell-Block (June 1, 2025). "Drama Desk Award Winners 2025: The Full List". Playbill. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  7. Schurdak, John (March 1, 2024). "In 'The Animal Kingdom,' a family tries to talk to one another—and fails". America. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  8. Weiler, Bubba (May 2026). "At Rise: Bubba Weiler and Jack Serio, Before First Rehearsal". The Hat. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  9. "This Beautiful Future". Playbill. August 30, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  10. "This Beautiful Future". Theaterlab. January 13, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  11. Purcell, Carey (June 4, 2026). "How Director Jack Serio and Playwright Bubba Weiler Went from DIY to In Demand". TDF Stages. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  12. Shaw, Helen (February 25, 2025). "Theater Review: Samuel D. Hunter's Grangeville Reconnects the Disconnected". Vulture. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  13. Paulson, Michael (June 28, 2023). "Jack Serio: Direction and Misdirection". American Theatre. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  14. "Grangeville". Signature Theatre. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  15. Green, Jesse (July 6, 2023). "Review: In a Flatiron Loft, a Hyper-Intimate 'Uncle Vanya' Shines". The New York Times. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  16. Shaw, Helen (February 25, 2025). "Theater Review: Samuel D. Hunter's Grangeville Reconnects the Disconnected". Vulture. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  17. "Prince Faggot". Playwrights Horizons. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  18. Wyrwa, Emily (July 10, 2025). "Joe Locke To Make His West End Debut in CLARKSON by Samuel D. Hunter". Theatrely. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  19. Wyver, Kate (September 25, 2025). "Clarkston review – Heartstopper's Joe Locke joins lonely souls looking to make life matter". The Guardian. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  20. "Well, I'll Let You Go". Studio Seaview. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  21. "'Well, I'll Let You Go' Review: A Fog of Grief". The New York Times. 2025-08-08. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  22. Stewart, Zachary (March 15, 2025). "Review: 'Well, I'll Let You Go' Explores the Truth About Death and Marriage". TheaterMania. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  23. "The Saviors". Atlantic Theater Company. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  24. "Jack Serio Studio Profile". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  25. https://www.obieawards.com/2025/02/the-68th-annual-obie-awards-winners/
  26. https://playbill.com/article/drama-desk-award-winners-2025-the-full-list
  27. "2025 Awards – Nominees and Recipients". Drama Desk. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  28. Logan Culwell-Block (June 1, 2025). "Drama Desk Award Winners 2025: The Full List". Playbill. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  29. "2026 Drama Desk Award Nominations Announced: Full List". Broadway.com. April 29, 2026. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  30. Culwell-Block, Logan (April 29, 2026). "Beau, Mexodus Lead 2026 Drama Desk Award Nominations; Read the Full List Here". Playbill. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  31. Gans, Andrew (May 17, 2026). "Ragtime Leads 2026 Drama Desk Awards; Read the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Retrieved May 19, 2026.