Jason Markouc

Former student and graduate, MFA Program, American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco

The first time I performed in a studio production at ACT – after the show Kevin came up to me as we were leaving and he just said ‘He said he was up last night drinking‚ where is the hangover?’ And he winked and hugged me and said “good work”.

He always operated within the work – so loved the work, and for me, that was the singularity. He saw, he listened, he watched, and HE EXPECTED THE WORK. Not great performances, not monumental moments, not bravura – he just expected that the work was done. Completely. Diligently. Thoroughly. He expected to see the work. That’s where I was – the work is all I had ever been interested in, and those comments were challenges to look deeper, see wider- work to recognize what you’ve been given in the script, what is ALREADY THERE.

He had a Shakespearean ear, he demanded Shakespearean attention‚ and if you were game, he would take you with him and guide you. If you didn’t listen and do your work – then you were accountable. He held people accountable for the standard he set for himself in involving himself in any situation. That is an artist, a genuine leader, a transformative personality.

I am one of so many his life and his work have touched – and if I could vote for people who should never die because they bring so much more to the world than they take – Kevin should be right there – Some people should never die – their genuine energy is what should move this world. I can’t even imagine the number of people who have been changed by him, by his energy, patience, and commitment to the magic of what theater can be – but from the other side of the world I share my love and appreciation for a man that changed how I saw the world.

With Love, With So Much Respect. I Love You Kevin.
Jason Markouc