SUPERNATURAL ON STAGE. In “Seal Skin,” a play written by Jack Bushnell, the discovery of a seal – who shed its skin and arrived on land in human form – acts as a central figure between society and the unknown. This full-length play will receive its world premiere – a six-day run – with a production at First Run Theatre in St. Louis, Mo. later this November. (Photo via First Run Theatre)

Storyteller and playwright Jack Bushnell of Eau Claire saw his very first play read right at The Local Store and Volume One headquarters (205 N Dewey St., Eau Claire). As one may have expected, Bushnell’s career in storytelling on the stage has only grown since 2014, reaching audiences far beyond western Wisconsin.

Two of his productions – “When We Ceased to Be?” and “Seal Skin” – have since been chosen for national readings and full-scale productions featuring a complete cast and crew.

Bushnell’s full-length play, “Seal Skin,” will receive its world premiere – a six-day run – with a full production at First Run Theatre in St. Louis, Mo. in November of this year.

Locals may also remember Bushnell as an author of children’s books or as a professor emeritus from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, though Bushnell has seen the majority of his latest success in the theater industries – with staged readings in Los Angeles, Calif.; Minneapolis, Minn.; and soon, Missouri. 

“This is the first of my plays to be fully produced, not an easy feat,” Bushnell said of “Seal Skin.” “In my experience, playwriting is the toughest writing business to break into.”

“A theater company is a web of artistic and technical people, equipment, materials, physical facilities, focused missions, hopefully loyal audiences – all of which figure into whether or not your play fits in a certain place at a certain time,” Bushnell added.

Each of Bushnell’s productions, in one way or another, exist in an intersection between our material world and the magical or supernatural, he said.

“The best I can do is learn what is known through careful observation of the natural world and then write what can only be known or discovered in the imagination. ... When it comes alive on stage, it can be transformative.”

jack bushnell

Eau claire playwright behind "Seal Skin" and “When We Ceased to Be?”

In “Seal Skin,” for example, the discovery of a seal – who shed its skin and climbed onto land in human female form – defies scientific values and serves as a metaphor for the unknown, a conflict which drives characters in the play.

Some of these same themes are echoed in “When We Ceased to Be?” (once titled “The Infinity Monologues”) – which was part of a reading contest presented by the Valley Players Theatre and a three-day festival by Heartland Theatre Company.

The production details blurred boundaries between the physical world and the absolute; when characters slip into a realm of disappearance, it challenges the audience to confront a transcendence far more profound and “mind-blowing than death.”

“The best I can do is learn what is known through careful observation of the natural world and then write what can only be known or discovered in the imagination,” Bushnell said of his writing style. “It’s an exhilarating process and when it comes alive on stage, it can be transformative.”

Jack Bushnell, pictured above. (Submitted photo)

Reflecting on theater-driven communities both in Eau Claire and across the country, Bushnell sees immense potential for community and professional theater to thrive side by side.

Having witnessed the local theater community evolve from years ago to the present – with organizations like the Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild, Eau Claire Children’s Theatre and others – Bushnell remains deeply optimistic about its future.

After all, with a decade-plus years of work bringing his stories to the stage, Bushnell wouldn’t be without those formative years in the local scene.

“The intimacy of the setting, the packed room, the friends and strangers who attended, the kind words to me as people filed out after the performance, were what convinced me that this was what I wanted to do,” he said of “When We Ceased to Be?” and its first-ever reading at The Local Store.

“I was bitten that evening by the playwriting bug and I’ve never recovered.”

To learn more about Jack Bushnell’s collection of plays, including “When We Ceased to Be?” and “Seal Skin,” visit pwcenter.org/profile/jack-bushnell. “Seal Skin” will arrive to the stage Nov. 13-22 at First Run Theatre in St. Louis, Mo.