Bad Jews | Toronto Premiere by Letticia

BAD JEWS Joshua Harmon’s

TORONTO PREMIERE | May 25 – June 4, 2017

PRESENTED BY

Mary Anne Barkhouse: Le Rêve aux Loups June 22 – August 20, 2017 GUEST Curator: Jennifer Rudder OPENING RECEPTION: Thursday, JUNE 22, 2017 | 6–9 PM

artscape youngplace | 180 Shaw Street, Toronto | 647.925.0643 | info@kofflerarts.org | kofflerarts.org

an Ontario government agency un organisme du gouvernement de l’Ontario

KOFFLER FAMILY FOUNDATION

Mary Anne Barkhouse, Alpha, 2011.

BAD JEWS by Joshua Harmon After the death of their beloved grandfather, three cousins gather in a cramped Manhattan apartment to fight over a precious family heirloom, learning there is much more at stake than who gets what. In one corner is Daphna Feygenbaum, a “real Jew” who is volatile, self-assured, and unbending. In the other is her equally stubborn cousin Liam, a secular and entitled young man who has his “shiksa” girlfriend, Melody, in tow. Stuck in the middle is Liam’s brother, Jonah, who tries to stay out of the fray. When Liam stakes claim to a pendant their grandfather carried through the Holocaust, a fierce and hilarious brawl over family, faith, and legacy ensues. Bursting with crisp, fast-paced dialogue, Bad Jews is “delicious, nasty fun” (New York Post) that is as thought-provoking and poignant as it is viciously funny. PERFORMANCES Thursday, May 25, 2017 | 8 PM: Preview Friday, May 26, 2017 | 8 PM: Opening night Saturday, May 27, 2017 | 2 PM & 8 PM Sunday, May 28, 2017 | 2 PM Thursday, June 1, 2017 | 8 PM Friday, June 2, 2017 | 8 PM Saturday, June 3, 2017 | 2 PM & 8 PM Sunday, June 4, 2017 | 2 PM POST-SHOW TALKBACKS Following each performance, the Koffler Centre of the Arts presents audience talkbacks hosted by Koffler Salon host Nick Hutcheson and writer and cultural historian Eric Beck Rubin, together with members of the Bad Jews cast and creative team. These post-performance conversations will explore audience reaction to questions raised in the play, including how the characters relate to their own personal heritage and history. LIFE IN ORCHESTRA Director Michèle Lonsdale•Smith leads the cast of Bad Jews alongside other actors in a free, one-hour theatrical installation that will be open to the public in the Koffler Gallery. Inspired by the legendary Lee Strasberg’s Relaxation technique, this drama process uses all five senses to prepare actors and encourage them to approach their work with vulnerability and authenticity. For the audience, this behind-thescenes experience is often mind-bending and profoundly moving. Life in Orchestra will be presented on: Thursday, June 1, 2017 | 6 PM Friday, June 2, 2017 | 6 PM Saturday, June 3, 2017 | 5 PM

BAD JEWS by Joshua Harmon

TORONTO PREMIERE Preview May 25, 2017 | May 26 – June 4, 2017 Small World Music Centre, 180 Shaw Street, Toronto

TORONTO PRODUCTION Director – Michèle Lonsdale•Smith Producer – Rebecca Applebaum Stage Manager – Stephen Park Apprentice Stage Manager – Sarah Jurgens Set Designer – Mercedes Papalia Sound Designer – Joey Pollari Production Assistant – Tattiawna Jones Publicity – Luisa Trisi, Big Picture Communications CAST (in order of appearance) JONAH – Daniel Krantz DAPHNA – Rebecca Applebaum LIAM – Kristopher Turner MELODY – Julia Vally

Presented by the Koffler Centre of the Arts

Joshua Harmon (Playwright) Joshua Harmon’s play Bad Jews received its world premiere at New York’s Roundabout Underground, continued at Roundabout’s Laura Pels Theatre, and went on to become one of the most produced plays in the United States. International productions include Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, South Africa and England (where it played in London’s West End, following sell-out runs at Theatre Royal, Bath and the St. James). Harmon’s other plays include Ivanka (which had readings at theatres across the country on Election Eve 2016), and Significant Other, which premiered at Roundabout before opening on Broadway in Spring, 2017. Harmon has been awarded fellowships from MacDowell, Atlantic Center for the Arts and NNPN, is a graduate of Juilliard, and is commissioned by Roundabout, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Lincoln Center Theater. Michèle Lonsdale•Smith (Director) An alumnus of the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in New York, Michèle Lonsdale•Smith has been acting in feature film, television, and theatre projects for over 26 years. Co-founder of the renowned Lyric School of Acting in Vancouver, she founded Lonsdale Smith & Company (LS&CO) Acting Studios in 2011, with studios now operating in Los Angeles, Toronto, Montreal and New York. Michèle has directed and/or co-written over twenty classic and contemporary plays. She recently produced and directed The Dreamer Examines his Pillow by John Patrick Shanley (for a one-night-only command performance in New York), directed the 8-episode web series The Actor Who Could Not Cry (now in post-production), and co-wrote the award-winning feature film A Winter Tale. As an actor, her recent credit list includes the role of Jesse Owens’s mother in the feature film Race, and Mrs. Muller in John Patrick Shanley’s stage production of Doubt. Michèle also prepares actors for film, television and stage roles, and has served as set acting coach on American and Canadian film and TV productions. She is the recipient of the 2013 Women in Film and Television award for Leadership in Education.

Rebecca Applebaum (Producer / Daphna) Rebecca Applebaum is an actor, playwright and director. Acting credits include Odd Squad (TVO/ PBS), The Best Plan for Living Happily (QuestionMark-Exclamation), Last Chance Texaco (CFC Teaser), Saving Hope (E1), Earth to Avery (TIFF Kids), Hailstorm (CFC), Robert’s Circle (Electric Train), Covert Affairs (Universal), Family Story, The Physical Ramifications of Attempted Global Domination, Dead Wrestlers, and 36 Plays About Hopeless Girls (Birdtown & Swanville), Hiding Words (for you) (Eventual Ashes), and paper SERIES (Cahoots – Dora nomination). As a playwright, she wrote Complex (Koffler Centre of the Arts/SummerWorks Honourable Mention for New Performance Text, included on the49list.com) and co-wrote Don’t Look (Steady State – Fringe, Next Stage), a two-hander about a pair of cousins who get caught kissing in the basement of a shiva house. Upcoming work includes directing Julia Lederer’s Reality Theatre at the SummerWorks Performance Festival. Rebecca studies acting at LS&CO, and is grateful for the love and support of the entire LS&CO community. She’s also grateful for Natalie and Alex and the entire Koffler team for their faith, enthusiasm and generosity; for Alastair for his love and the endless and selfless work of being her partner; and for Michèle for teaching her far beyond what she ever knew to learn.

Stephen Park (Stage Manager) Actor, teacher and acting coach Stephen Park has been acting for over 30 years. A long-time student of Michèle Lonsdale•Smith, Stephen brings the commitment and integrity of that work to his acting and to his coaching. He is beyond thrilled to be part of the Bad Jews team. Selected film credits include The Pink Panther, Grace and Everyone and the upcoming Octavio is Dead. Television work includes the Gemini Award-winning miniseries The Englishman’s Boy, The Strain, Dark Matter, Rogue, Suits, Killjoys, L.A. Complex, The Listener; Murdoch Mysteries, Supernatural, DaVinci’s Inquest, and Stargate SG-1. Selected stage credits include Sidney in Where’s my Money?, Rodney/David in Lion in the Streets, and Malvolio inTwelfth Night. Stephen has taught at the Vancouver Film School, Lyric School of Acting, Actor’s Workshops Canada and is the Instructor of the Toronto studio for Lonsdale Smith & Company.

Sarah Jurgens (Apprentice Stage Manager) Sarah is an artist assisting and studying acting at the LS&CO Acting Studios. She works in theatre, film & TV. She is thrilled to be apart of the Bad Jews family, helping this story come to life.

Mercedes Papalia (Set Designer) Mercedes Papalia is an actor, art director and designer in Toronto. She produces creative concepts and production design with her company The Party Parade, and her work as an artist and designer has been seen in over 40 national publications. Art direction credits include the films Dissecting Gwen and The Actor Who Could Not Cry. She recently assisted in designing the set of the stage production The Dreamer Examines His Pillow in New York. Mercedesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s acting credits include The L.A. Complex (CW/MUCH), Being Erica (CBC), Taken (NBC), Blue Mountain State (Netflix), and No Easy Days (UK Netflix). Her film credits include a supporting role in the psychological thriller Definition of Fear. Mercedes studies acting with Lonsdale Smith & Company, and works as an artist and entrepreneur in Toronto. Joey Pollari (Sound Designer) Joey Pollari is an actor and musician from Minnesota, and has been a member of LS&CO for 2 years. He began working as an actor in theatre, and has since been featured in television and film. He is proud to be a part of this production, composing sound to accompany the art he loves. Making music helps relieve his existential questioning. Thanks to Brandon Barnhart for his cello talents.

Tattiawna Jones (Production Assistant) Tat Jones has been a professional actor and part of LS&CO for ten years. Her work includes film, television and theatre in Canada, the US and the Caribbean. Making art with LS&CO is her favourite thing to do and she is thrilled to be a part of this production as a crew member supporting this beautiful cast, company, and art form.

Dan Krantz (Jonah) A professional musician for several years, Dan Krantz studied at LS&CO Acting Studios and has been acting since 2012. A Company Member with LS&CO, he is dedicated to helping evolve the art of acting by telling the complex story of our human experience in all forms, on stage and screen. Dan starred as Frankie in Mrs. Dally Has a Lover, and as Tony in the world premiere in Los Angeles of Julia Arbuck by Joshua Fardon. He composed the musical score and performed it live in The Dreamer Examines His Pillow by John Patrick Shanley, with performances in Ottawa, Toronto and New York. Film/TV credits include The Expanse (Syfy), Shadowhunters (Netflix), Mayday (Discovery), The Actor Who Could Not Cry (web series, currently in post production), and the short films Through the Trees, 1968 and Memorandum.

Kristopher Turner (Liam) Kristopher was born and raised in Winnipeg and currently lives and studies in Toronto. Recent notable roles include leading actor on the TV series This Life (CBC), Saving Hope (CTV), The L.A. Complex (CW/MUCH), and Instant Star (CTV). Leading roles in comedy films include A Little Bit Zombie, Wingman Inc. and Without a Paddle: Nature’s Calling (Paramount). He was nominated for a Gemini Award for his work on Me and Luke, as well as on the mini-series Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures. Kristopher was last on stage in the Canadian Stage/Nightwood production of That Face, as well as the world premiere of In Gabriel’s Kitchen with Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. His first role on Toronto stages was in Two Weeks, Twice a Year at the Young People’s Theatre, for which he was nominated for a Dora Award. He is a graduate of the University of Winnipeg, and studies with Lonsdale Smith & Company. Julia Vally (Melody) Making her theatrical debut in Bad Jews, Julia Vally returns to her hometown of Toronto to play the role of Melody. Her artistic career started at age 10, with seven years of professional ballet training at Canada’s National Ballet School. She performed in many of the school’s showcases at The Betty Oliphant Theatre as well as several productions of The National Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker. After graduating, she traveled overseas to study contemporary dance in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. After completing a BA in English Literature at York University, she began to study acting with Lonsdale Smith & Company, travelling with the studio to Montreal, New York, Jamaica, and Los Angeles, where she currently lives and continues to study, practice, and work. Melody is best known for playing the lesbian incarnation of herself on The Gay Women Channel (YouTube). She is also a two-time winner of the Toronto Monologue Slam.

Koffler Centre of the Arts Board of Directors Co-Chairs Tiana Koffler Boyman (Chair, Koffler Centre of the Arts Foundation) Carl L. Goldenberg (Treasurer) Directors Philip Akin Shelley Black Helen Burstyn Debra Campbell Yvonne Fleck Cynthia Good Wendy Posluns Robert Zittrer Chair Emerita Dorothy Shoichet Koffler Gallery Advisory Committee Barbara Astman (Chair) Debra Campbell Daniel Faria Yvonne Fleck Malka Green Stephen Smart Koffler Centre of the Arts Staff Cathy Jonasson, Executive Director Mona Filip, Director/Curator, Koffler Gallery Tony Hewer, Director of Marketing, Communications & Archives Lauren Abecassis-Kandravy, Director of Development Jessica Dargo Caplan, Director, Public Programs & Engagement Mary Anderson, Public/Digital Programs Coordinator Sandy Saad, Public Engagement Coordinator, Koffler Gallery Letticia Cosbert, Educator, Koffler Gallery Haley Depasqua, Special Event Coordinator & Office Administrator Sarah Newkirk, Financial Manager Koffler Centre of the Arts Institutional Supporters

KOFFLER FAMILY FOUNDATION

an Ontario government agency un organisme du gouvernement de lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ontario

180 Shaw Street, Suite 104-105, Toronto | 647.925.0643 | info@kofflerarts.org | kofflerarts.org

The Koffler Centre of the Arts is a cultural platform that explores critical ideas and concerns of our time through exhibitions, publications, performances, conversations and digital initiatives. We examine complex issues in respectful, constructive discussions that position our Jewish identity in conversation with diverse perspectives and global voices. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Koffler. More than ever, your generous support is fundamental to our programs. Gifts of all sizes are welcome. For more information or to donate: Lauren Abecassis-Kandravy Director of Development 647.925.0643 x226 | lauren.ak@kofflerarts.org Image: Philip Akin in conversation with Tony Award-winning playwright Tony Kushner, presented by the Koffler Centre of the Arts, May 2016. Photo: Jorjas Photography.

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