ENTERTAINMENT La Jolla Playhouse's Here There are Blueberries

Washington, D.C. The program has expanded to Baltimore and Philadelphia with collection boxes in various locations, including sports fields, and bar and bat mitzvah venues. Since then, he has regularly heard from people and organizations looking to bring the program to their cities. The program is funded through support from private donors, foundations and corporations.

“We focus on the equipment barrier,” he stressed.

In fact, “Leveling the Playing Field” may be in a unique position to address certain societal issues that have become more apparent during these past two years of the coronavirus pandemic. “Coming out of the pandemic, we have seen the significant impact on mental health, behavior and social/emotional learning. They were always there, but these problems have been exacerbated, especially in lower socio-economic communities,” explained Levitt. “Private sports programs have quickly returned, but not for people in these communities.”

Levitt said his organization is in a position to help children who were “set back during the pandemic.” Reflecting on his own experience growing up, he noted: “We have to get these young kids playing sports; they have the energy. The more free and unstructured time they have … that is no good.”

“I like to say that we are a food bank for sports equipment,” he said, noting that they don’t provide gear for individuals, but rather to entire programs, which receive equipment for free. “We have shelves full of gear in our warehouses.”

The program also benefits kids from more affluent homes, who have the opportunity to donate equipment and volunteer for the organization. He said parents have told him their children benefit from both giving and receiving.

Thirteen-year-old Jeremy Dwoskin of Frederick, Md., who celebrated his bar mitzvah in March, knows the benefits firsthand. He said he chose the program for his bar mitzvah project because he wanted to help others get the chance to play sports, just as he has always been able to.

“That’s because sports are my passion; I can’t imagine my life without sports,” he said. “My goal is for everyone to get the opportunity to have fun while playing sports, even if their families can’t afford it.”

He reported that his experience with the program was great.

“After we began advertising on social media, it only took a day for people to start donating equipment. Although many people donated to the cause, I soon realized that it really only takes one person to make a huge difference. I collected so many pieces of equipment for just about every sport, as well as a check donation.”

“I am so glad I am able to help make a difference,” said Dwoskin. “I hope all of these donations help others get on the field, court, rink, court, etc., and help others get the chance they deserve.”

LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS WORLD PREMIERE OF HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES

This month, La Jolla Playhouse is launching the world premiere of the searing new play Here There Are Blueberries, written by Tony Award nominee Moisés Kaufman (Playhouse’s 33 Variations) and Amanda Gronich, conceived and directed by Moisés Kaufman. Co-produced with Tectonic Theater Project, the production runs through August 21.

When an album of never-before-seen World War II-era photographs arrives at the desk of United States Holocaust Memorial Museum archivist Rebecca Erbelding, she and her team of historians begin to unravel the shocking story behind the images. The album soon makes headlines around the world. In Germany, a businessman sees the album online and recognizes his own grandfather in the photos. He begins a journey of discovery that will take him into the lives of other Nazi descendants — in a reckoning of his family’s past and his country’s history. Here There Are Blueberries tells the story of these photographs, and what they reveal about the Holocaust and our own humanity.

“We are honored to welcome back Moisés, Amanda and Tectonic Theater Project for this searing new work that centers on a recentlydiscovered photo album from Auschwitz and the shocking aspects of the human psyche it exposes,” said Christopher Ashley, the Rich Family Artistic Director of La Jolla Playhouse.

In partnership with Tectonic Theater Project and the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE), the Playhouse will present a series of free audience talkbacks on the themes and issues in Here There Are Blueberries: August 2: Doctors at Auschwitz: Joseph Mengele and the Role of Medicine in Nazi Germany; August 3: The Next Generation: How do we deal with the sins of our fathers, both literally and metaphorically?; August 16: Ethics in Nazi Germany: Himmler’s Posen Speech; August 17: There were Blueberries: the Transformation of Norms and Complicity as the New Normal; August 18: Nazi Crimes and the Complicity of Business Leaders and Professionals.