The Inheritance's Jake Odmark on Earning His New Yorker Badge of Honor During COVID-19

Living near the theater district during the Broadway shutdown, photographer and performer Matthew Stocke has been haunted walking past the empty palaces sitting in repose, waiting for the lights and stars to return. In this new Broadway.com photo feature, he reunites members of the theater community with their Broadway home #AwayFromHome.

JAKE ODMARK
THE INHERITANCE

Jake Odmark was preparing for the final weekend of The Inheritance; Matthew Lopez's groundbreaking two-part play had announced its final performance date for March 15, but that day would never come. Broadway began its shutdown on March 12, cutting The Inheritance's run short. Having previously appeared in Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, Kinky Boots and Pretty Woman, The Inheritance marked Odmark's first Broadway play, where he worked as an understudy for four different character tracks. Odmark spoke to Broadway.com about the "badge of honor" he has for staying in New York City, the shift he's seen in humanity and how the show's heart is still beating on Broadway.

"The Inheritance was supposed to end on March 15, so I never expected the marquee to still be up today. Once a Broadway show closes, the stuff for the next show is usually up the next day. We're still living and beating on 47th Street. We refuse to go down... I haven't left New York at all, I'm still on 43rd Street. I was too scared to go home to my parents and potentially infect them. I feel like it's a badge of honor to stay. When this all started in March, I really just wanted to stay healthy. The first thing I did was go for a run, which ended up being nine miles. The virus really motivated me because I was honestly too scared to stop. That led to me running my first half marathon... The most joy I've gotten out of this is watching the potential come out of people. Everybody went into chaos right at the same time. In a way, we're all on the same level for the first time. Even though it's through struggle and through pain and through uncertainty, I see a shift in humanity that was necessary.... One thing that’s clear is that human connection is needed. Before, Broadway was all about the performance. I think now it’s going to be all about sitting next to your neighbor and enjoying one, common thing. I think people fortunate enough to work in a Broadway show will take it that much more personally, and people fortunate enough to go see a Broadway show will treasure it that much more."

Photos by Matthew Stocke/Matt James Photo NYC for Broadway.com
Additional reporting by Caitlin Moynihan