Jake Epstein

 ( Official Website ) 

In 2009, he starred as C.B. (Charlie Brown) in a Canadian production of . Later that year, Epstein joined the first national tour Spring Awakening, where he replaced Kyle Riabko as Melchior Gabor. His first performance with the tour was on July 7, 2009, and stayed with the tour until it ended in 2010.

In July 2011, Epstein joined the original Canadian production of Billy Elliot the Musical. He played the role of Tony Elliot, Billy's older brother, in the production which played at the Canon Theatre in Toronto. After that show closed, Epstein played Will in the first national tour of American Idiot, which began in December 2011. In a 2013 interview, Epstein said that Will was the most challenging role had had ever played. He said, "I sat on a couch and never left the stage for the majority of the show. That experience was a whole lesson in pacing, in creating a whole world for yourself on stage..."

In 2012, Epstein made his Broadway debut in , which played at the Foxwoods Theatre. He was the alternate for the lead role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Epstein referred to the role as a "childhood fantasy come true."

Epstein was cast as Gerry Goffin in , opposite Jessie Mueller. The musical had a pre-Broadway engagement at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, where it played September 24 and October 20, 2013. He then originated the role when it transferred to Broadway, where it began performances at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on November 12, 2013. Epstein later shared that playing Carole's ex-husband was uniquely challenging because Carole encouraged him to not portray Gerry as the villain, even though the script changes increasingly presented him that way. He left the show in 2014 after a year of performances, citing vocal problems and fatigue of playing a real person being portrayed as brooding and villainous. However, Epstein temporarily returned to the show in 2016, where he reprised his role opposite fellow Canadian actor Chilina Kennedy, who starred as Carole.

In 2016, Epstein starred as a closeted gay man in the off-Broadway show Straight. He said of the script:

At the 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival, Epstein premiered his solo cabaret show Boy Falls From the Sky. The show is a retelling of his experiences in show business, including his time on , the challenges of auditioning for musicals, and his experiences on the ill-fated musical . Epstein was encouraged to write the show at the encouragement of his wife, who he credits with helping him realizing the power and authenticity of "...somebody with a microphone, telling a true story, something that's funny or horrific or whatever..." Mirvish Productions expressed interest in the show, and presented it at the Royal Alexandra Theatre between April 19 and May 29, 2022 and received widespread positive reviews. Epstein has since performed the show across Canada, including in Hamilton, Barrie, and in Quebec at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts.

Epstein will star as Frank Carter in the pre-Broadway engagement of Life After, which will play at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto between April 16 and May 4, 2025.

He left Degrassi during the fifth season to attend the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal and made theater his new focus. Epstein said, "One of the things I love about theatre is how raw it is. There's no faking it… I really wanted to have a base in theatre, and that kind of opened up all these doors for me." Epstein returned to Degrassi for minor guest appearances in season 6–8.

Epstein played "geeky FBI computer nerd" Chuck Russink in the American TV show Designated Survivor (2016–2018). It was cancelled by ABC after two seasons, and he was no longer in the show when it was picked up and aired by Netflix for a third season.

• 2008: ("My Window")
• 2009: ("Rescue You" and "Swan Song")
• 2014: (Original Broadway Cast Recording)