Jason Nathaniel TREMBLAY

TREMBLAY,
Jason Nathaniel
Jason Nathaniel Tremblay, 39, died peacefully at home on April 3, 2017 in Austin, Texas. He leaves behind wife, Sheila, and son, Oliver.

Jason was born April 28, 1977 in Texarkana, Texas. He lived his first 5 years with younger brother Brian in Nashville, Arkansas before the family moved to Pine Bluff, Arkansas where Jason attended Trinity Episcopal School and Pine Bluff High School. He was a member of Lakeside United Methodist Church of Pine Bluff. Jason was an imaginative and creative child and was seldom seen without a book in his hand. Jason was a classical cellist. He married the love of his life, Sheila Doyle Tremblay from Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2012. They welcomed their son, Oliver Jason to the world May 11, 2015.

Jason received an undergraduate degree from Arkansas State in Philosophy and English and an MFA in Playwriting from the University of Texas at Austin where he was awarded a James Michener Fellowship. In 2008, Jason received the Access to Artistic Excellence award from the National Endowment for the Arts and also an award at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., for the Best New Play for Young Audiences. He received a Marilyn Hall Award from the Beverly Hills Theatre Guild. Other theater accomplishments included multiple nominations from the Austin Critics Table and the National Youth Theatre. He received commissions from Austin Scriptworks, the LMDA, and East Valley Children's Theatre and was published by Playscripts and YouthPlays. He was a member of Austin's B. Iden Payne Award Committee. Jason was founder of the theater company, Theatre Heroes and an adjunct professor of theater at Austin Community College. The college renamed its scholarship fund, The Jason Tremblay Memorial Scholarship Fund.

As a screenwriter his work included In the Shadow (Cine Las Americas, Anchorage International Film Festival) and What's The Use both with Blue Paper Filmworks.

Jason put "at least one impossible thing" into every one of his plays and fans of his work said this made his work extraordinary. He believed that children must be taught to survive in order to thrive. This theme was evident in his plays. Jason's plays include Katrina: The Girl Who Wanted Her Name Back, Boom for Real, The Virgin W/ 10,000 Arrows, You Don't Know Charlie Parker, The Cleaning Lady, The Princess and the Pea, The Sound Ascending, Queen Zixi of Ix, The Call of the Wild: Illustrated Edition, Hosers, Tennessee Dark, Chicken and Ice Cream and many others.

In addition to his writing, Jason managed stages and events for President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Kanye West and many others. He was festival director for the Moontower Comedy Festival and Stage Manager for South by Southwest. He managed stage activities and events such as Pachanga Fest, Texas Monthly BBQ Festival, The Switchyard Festival and the Austin Food and Wine Fest. He worked as production assistant for corporate product launches with Disney, Alien Ware, Dell and Conduit.

Jason is survived by Sheila and Oliver of Austin, parents Rick and Judy Tremblay of Overland Park, Kansas, brother, Brian, and wife Leslie of Overland Park, Kansas, family and many friends. A Celebration of his life will take place Sunday April 30th at 2:00 p.m. at The Paramount Theatre, 713 Congress Avenue Austin. Jason's last wishes were that Sheila and Oliver would feel love and support in this time of transition. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the Tremblay Family Memorial Fund https://www.gofundme.com/help-for-sheila-and-Oliver or the Jason Tremblay Memorial Scholarship Fund at Austin Community College www.austincc.edu/foundation (click on the orange "Give Now" tab) or mail to ACC Foundation, 5930 Middle Fiskville Road, Austin 78752 in memory of Jason Tremblay.