Jake Ottosen is a Chicago-based actor and immersive theater maker.

Jake has worn a haberdashery’s-worth of hats: actor, director, immersive theatermaker, improviser, singer, songwriter, filmmaker, storyteller, and occasional clown. He thrives on the wonder of collaboration and is fueled by the joy of crafting transformative, magical experiences.

A graduate of The Hartt School of Music with a BFA in Musical Theater, Jake spent years in NYC where he was a founding member of [By The Mummers], an ensemble of improv-fueled theater makers. Together, they devised a dozen original works, including BLOOD: The Musical, which earned rave reviews Off-Broadway at the New York Musical Theater Festival (NYMF). He also has several hundred hours of long-form Shakespearean improvisation under his belt as a member of the professional acting company at the Sterling Renaissance Festival (huzzah!).

In 2024, Jake launched Hidden Wonders Immersive, a company creating site-specific experiences that blend interactive actors with immersive environments and escape room-style puzzles. Its Chicago debut production, The Peculiar Portal, invited audiences into an oddities shop for a 90-minute adventure through mystery, magic, and multiversal mayhem.

When he’s not performing, Jake can be found banging on the piano or wandering the streets with a radio drama in his headphones. He’s thrilled to call Chicago his latest home—where offbeat theater and avant-garde performing arts are alive and well.