Actor
The Circle
Artist Profile: Actor Jakob Ehman on Rebellion, Drive, Risk & “The Circle” at Tarragon Theatre. Brittany Kay, in the greenroom
The Libertine
“It was Ehman’s idea to bring the play to Barrie and to TIFT. He’s worked with artistic producer Arkady Spivak in past. Spivak has an interest in taking familiar stories and/or old plays and looking at new and interesting ways of producing them. He felt The Libertine was very applicable to modern times. Don Juan’s unapologetic behaviour, his way of doing things, getting away with it, refusing to accept responsibility are the headlines of current news. It is only the methods and/or devices, such as sword fighting, that have changed with the times.” Susan Doolan, The Barrie Examiner
My Theatre Award Nominee: Q&A with Jakob Ehman
“An unmissable presence on Toronto’s indie theatre scene lately, Jakob first caught our attention in last year’s Best New Work-winning play Donors (by Brandon Crone) before going on to steal many a 2014 production from Much Ado About Nothing to Skriker (as well as direct Sex and This, one of our Best New Work nominees). Arguably his most brilliant work came in the production that scored more My Theatre Award nominations this year than any other, Kat Sandler’s Cockfight where he played the innocent but volatile youngest brother Auggie.” Kelly Bedard, My Entertainment World
Caught
“Ehman’s performance of James weaves charming, even lovable, precociousness with an infuriating sense of rich kid entitlement; Puck-like, bright and emoting innocence, you’d love this kid if he weren’t such a manipulative little asshole.” Life With More Cowbell
Nature of the Beast
“Director Luke Brown fortunately uses the chemistry between his two main actors, Rice and a very impressive Ehman, and a stunning immersive set by scenographer Claire Hill, which literally situates the audience in Francis’s living room (complete with front yard and pine scent outside) to entertain and scintillate.” Carly Maga, The Toronto Star
“There’s some good writing here, and Rice and Ehman generate strong chemistry in their scenes together. Rice knows how to be light and genial – part avuncular, part absent-minded prof – but also suggests the occasional threat beneath his gentle words, while Ehman captures the teenager’s uncertainty about how to define himself.” Jon Kaplan, NOW Magazine
“All the actors, Jakob Ehman, Clint Butler, and Nicholas Rice are terrific. Ehman, especially is perfect at capturing the innocence and hideous angst that haunts the teenage mind.” Burke Campbell
“It’s all very titillating and at its best when framed through Ehman’s priceless befuddlement and double takes.” Drew Rowsome
“Jakob Ehman (as the nephew) fully engages with the awkwardness and creepiness the role allows.” Mike Anderson, Mooney On Theatre
The Skriker
“The actors and various contributors have put their hearts and souls into this one, and there’s something deeply enchanting about a show so full of imagination and remarkable performances. In this production, the unexpected is everywhere. For instance, Dora-nominated Jakob Ehman appears on one side of the stage in underwear, suspenders, and top hat and dances furiously for over an hour straight. The theatre is actually littered with moments that surprise and astonish.” Burke Campbell
The top live theatre shows in Toronto October 2014– blogTO
Cockfight
“It’s Ehman’s vulnerability as youngest brother Auggie that most beautifully reveals the big-hearted compassion in McKibben’s Charlie, which in turn highlights the inflexible moral code that guides Blais’ captivating big brother Mike. I made the mistake early on of attempting to distinguish the star turn, only to change my mind about 30 times. In scene one it appears to be Blais, sensational as the fast-talking, wounded schemer whose pride, optimism and hero complex drive most of the action. Then attention shifts to Ehman in the text’s most dramatic role, vacillating powerfully between wide-eyed sweetness and deep-seated rage.” My Entertainment World
“Among the strong cast, Blais’s cocksure sleazeball stands out, but Ehman’s initially shy and spacey brother eventually emerges as the most intriguing.” NNNN Jordan Bimm, Now Toronto
“August is a bundle of repression, virgin terror and psychosis that is somehow fused into a heartbreakingly lovable character by Jakob Ehman. who handled duality so well in Donors, and managed to be sexually magnetic behind mutton chops in Firebrand. He manages to transcend both the disfiguring beard he wears in Cockfight, and the horrific act he commits, to create a sympathetic character we actually empathize, as opposed to sympathize, with. Of course the shirtless scene does also help.” Drew Rowsome
“August or Auggie is the youngest Chiavetti, played with heroic passion by Jakob Ehman, the only one of the three who seems gainfully employed, duped into paying his elder brothers to raise him. He’s a sweet lad, given to inexplicable fits of rage, a trait that underlies all of the Chiavettis.” Burke Campbell
Minotaur
“As Freddie and Theseus, Jakob Ehman has the awkwardness of a 12 year old boy, but also a clear sense of character and responsibility. How he copes with the notion of not living up to his destiny is a sign of maturity. I love the subtleness of that distinction in the writing and in the performance. ” The Slotkin Letter
” Jakob Ehman is mesmerizing as young Freddie/Theseus” Lisa McKeown, The Charlebois Post
“The standout performance is Jakob Ehman who plays the role of Freddie. Both his commitment to his character’s quest and his outstanding physical work (his slow-mo fall to the ground was a standout) brought us along on his journey.” Michael Hodgson, Theatre Isn’t Dead
Firebrand
The top theatre shows in Toronto February 2014– blogTO
“Jakob Ehman tackles, as he did in Donors, multiple roles that he clearly defines despite being quite possibly a character(s) conjured up by sexual desire and plot contrivances. Once again he radiates sexuality, despite the hindrance of pork chop sideburns, and when he brushed against me – I had foolishly parked myself in a doorway so had intimate interactions with several of the cast members – in search of fuel for Barbara Mackenzie’s fire fetish, I felt the sparks.” Drew Rowsome
Donors
“Carried predominately by the young Jakob Ehman and the seasoned Thomas Gough, the acting feels spontaneous and convincing. In praise of Ehman’s laudable effort, it was well into the play (and after a second glance at the brochure) that I realized he was performing as two different characters. For some time, I thought Crone had simply cast two real-life siblings or doppelgangers. Instead, Ehman is able to oscillate between his dual roles –one shy and composed, the other maniacal and insane– with deceptive authenticity.” Michael Polubiec, My Entertainment World
“Jakob Ehman handles his dual roles so well that at one point I expected the two to interact even though it would be physically impossible, even for an Irma Vep-era Charles Ludlam. The sullen son is a comic delight that is an utterly realistic portrait of a culturally-numbed teenager, and the hustler son is menacing and erotically charged. ” Drew Rowsome, My Gay Toronto
” In the dual roles of Jonathan and John, Jakob Ehman does a fine job of differentiating the two characters. Jonathan is quiet and respectful. He sits straight in his chair. As John he slouches, his legs are spread, combative. The costumes are different for both boys, and Ehman’s performance is very effective in showing how different they are.” The Slotkin Letter
Turtleneck
“Ehman most admirably captures all sorts of details you can expect of his character, from an ever-so-trembling voice to fidgety hands, while making it seem completely unrehearsed, in the moment. It’s so well played that you totally sympathize with Vicki when she finally “lets him have it” for being so damn cautious and worried as if she’s going to “eat him up whole” like a “sex-starved animal” (my quotations) if they do more than kiss. The dynamic between the two is brilliant: You would expect these two to completely identify with one another, given their relatable past, but it’s not that simple proving how fragile human emotions can be, especially when linked to our physical desires.” Michael Polubiec, My Entertainment World
Joslyn Kilborn, Mooney on Theatre
Hatched
“Ehman does a fantastic job of playing the angst-ridden teen who goes from divorce to problems in school to discovering he never even was who he didn’t like being.” Mara Gulens, Mooney On Theatre
Blue Planet
Richard Ouzounian, The Toronto Star
Man Of Mode
“That fire is combined with vocal precision and real presence in Jakob Ehman’s Medley, Dorimant’s best friend. He may be a secondary character in the script, but in this staging he’s especially memorable, a queer figure who knows all the town’s gossip. Described as “the very spirit of scandal” and using his iPhone to take revealing photos of those around him, this Medley fits right into Etherege’s bitchy world as one of the girls.” Jon Kaplan and Glenn Sumi, NOW Magazine
Jakob Ehman 