The foul-mouthed uncle

That's the character Jake Gyllenhaal will play in his American stage debut, If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet:

Roundabout Theatre Company has announced that movie star Jake Gyllenhaal will be making his American stage debut in If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet, a comedic drama by Nick Payne at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre this fall. The play will be directed by Michael Longhurst, with three additional actors and the design team to be announced shortly.

Provocative, insightful and laced with fresh humor, If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet is an entertaining look at a regular family stuck somewhere between knowing what the problem is... and doing something about it.

Fifteen-year-old Anna's weight makes her a natural target for bullies. When her mom transfers Anna to the school where she teaches in order to protect her daughter, it only makes things worse. Anna's environmentalist dad, determined to finish his new book and save the planet, is no help at all. Just as Anna gets suspended for retaliating with a head-butt, her estranged uncle Terry (Jake Gyllenhall) arrives unannounced. A heartbroken drifter with the mouth of a sailor, Terry reaches out to Anna in a way that no one ever has. Their unexpected friendship sends her parents' rocky marriage into a tailspin as the whole family wonders, what--or who--really needs saving?

From the New York Times:

A play about a young, lost, broken-hearted antihero, with a knack for empathy but a little clueless about life’s problems? Paging Jake Gyllenhaal! Mr. Gyllenhaal, who became a movie star for poignant performances in “Donnie Darko” and “Brokeback Mountain,” will make his American stage debut this summer in the Roundabout Theater Company production of “If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet,” a British play that turns on an overweight teenager’s relationship to her drifter uncle (Mr. Gyllenhaal).

And from Todd Haimes, the artistic director for the Roundabout:

I am beyond thrilled to not only be welcoming Jake to the Roundabout family, but also to be hosting his American theatrical debut. In addition to his many films, for which he has garnered much well deserved praise, he also gave a highly acclaimed performance in This is Our Youth on London’s West End.

More info:

If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet, Nick’s incisive and farcical look at the incoherence, selfishness and love inside an average family won the George Devine Award in 2009 and premiered at The Bush Theatre to glowing critical reviews.


If There Is... will mark Nick’s American debut, Michael’s New York directorial debut and Jake’s American stage debut. Mike and Nick have previously worked together on Nick’s most recent play, the critically acclaimed Constellations, which enjoyed a sell-out run at the Royal Court Upstairs in January 2012.