Artistic Director

Nate Jacobs

Nate Jacobs is a driving force in Sarasota, Florida's theater scene. A graduate of Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, he is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe. For more than 25 years, he has worked extensively in the community mentoring, training, and developing young aspiring performing artists. As a result of Nate's outstanding contributions to young people, the Sarasota County Branch NAACP Youth Council recognized him as one of the 2012 Men of Valor. In the spring of 2013, Nate was inducted into Sarasota's Video Archives "Hall of Fame."

A shining example of multiple talents, Nate is an actor, singer, comedian, playwright, composer and director who has produced and appeared locally in many hit shows. As a playwright, Nate has created both original and adapted works such as Motown 60s Review, The Soul Crooners, Marvin Gaye, the Magnificent Music of the 40s and Love Sung in the Key of Aretha.

Nate has traveled the U.S. and the Caribbean with popular recording artists and has been featured on several TV shows, including BET's Bobby Jones Gospel Explosion, New York's Showtime at the Apollo, Henry Porter and The Love Campaign, and Sony Records Showcase. His co-adaptation of Celebrating Greatness was featured on CBS's Street Stories with Ed Bradley. Nate's original one-man comedy show, Aunt Rudele's Family Reunion, which received rave reviews across the nation, was selected for the Zora Neale Hurston Festival in Eatonville, Florida, and the National Black Theater Festival, and was performed in New York at PS-NBC's "new comedic talent" event. Nate enjoys large fan bases overseas in such countries as Germany, where he and other "Soul Crooners" impressed the crowd in Detmold with their exciting performance as well as in Zurich, Switzerland, where his singing ensemble have performed for several years.