EDLAVITCH JCC of WASHINGTON, DC
THEATERJ.ORG
“The most influential
Jewish theater company in the nation.” – The Washington Post
“Theater J sees values as
deeply relevant to the critical challenges that
confront the nation.” – TheatreWashington
“The nation’s
most prominent Jewish theater.” – American Theatre Magazine
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2 | 2016-2017 SEASON
From Theater J’s
Artistic Director
I’m delighted to share Theater J’s 2016-2017 season with you. Theater J is a theater of ideas, a theater of passion, a theater of politics, a theater of joy, a place that challenges even as it delights, and engages its audiences in thought-provoking and stimulating art. The plays in this season celebrate, examine, and struggle with Jewish identity, themes, values, and morality, as well as engage with issues that resonate deeply with the Jewish experience. Each is also a play that celebrates, examines, and explores the universal human condition, in all its foibles, its wonders, and its diversity. This season will feature a slate of visibly Jewish plays, from the thoughtful comedy of The Last Schwartz to the gripping drama of Arthur Miller’s Broken Glass; from the tender sweetness of Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs to the naughty harmonies of The Kinsey Sicks’ Oy Vey in a Manger. But we’ve also programmed a trio of terrific plays that connect deeply with Jewish values and themes, including: The Christians, a thrilling new piece about religion in America; Copenhagen, an intellectually dazzling work about morality and ethics; and The How and the Why, an incandescently brilliant play about women and equality. I know it promises to be a thrilling, provocative, and joyful season. I’ll see you in the lobby. Adam Immerwahr Artistic Director, Theater J
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THE LAST SCHWARTZ By Deborah Zoe Laufer Directed by Adam Immerwahr September 7 — October 2, 2016 Nothing is funnier than family dysfunction. The Schwartz family has been on their last legs since Papa died a year ago. Norma’s husband isn’t speaking to her, Herb and Bonnie are having baby troubles, and Simon wants to be an astronaut. Throw a sexy wanna-be Hollywood starlet into the mix, and you’ve got the recipe for a yahrzeit gone perfectly wrong. Can Judaism hold this family together? Theater J Artistic Director Adam Immerwahr makes his DC directorial debut in this rollicking, absurd, and thoughtful comedy with a whole lot of heart. “A beautifully crafted new play that weaves hilarity, mystery and loss into a resonant tale about a family's disintegration.” – The Miami Herald From Adam Immerwahr, Artistic Director: “Funny, smart, and engaging, this play asks the big questions in deliciously irreverent ways. It’s a thoughtful comedy about family, Judaism, and our future.” 4 | 2016-2017 SEASON
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THE CHRISTIANS By Lucas Hnath Directed by Gregg Henry November 16 — December 11, 2016 Religion can draw us together, or it can pull us apart. Twenty years ago, Pastor Paul’s church was a modest storefront. Now it houses thousands, with a coffee shop in the lobby and a baptismal font as big as a swimming pool. Today should be a day of celebration, but Pastor Paul is about to preach a sermon that will shake the foundation of his congregation’s beliefs. Backed by a live choir, The Christians is both an epic and unexpectedly intimate drama. This provocative new play offers an unflinching look at faith of any denomination — and its power to unite or divide. “Terrific play about the mystery of faith…one of the freshest playwriting voices to emerge in the past five years…MESMERIZING.” – The New York Times From Adam Immerwahr, Artistic Director: “The Christians was the hit of NYC’s off-Broadway scene last year for its exquisite writing and provocative premise. It’s all about struggling, questioning, and examining our faiths. What could be more Jewish?” 6 | 2016-2017 SEASON
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OY VEY IN A MANGER By The Kinsey Sicks Limited Engagement: December 20 — 28, 2016 They’re back! America’s Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet, The Kinsey Sicks, make their long-awaited return to DC, following their 2011 hit! In Oy Vey in a Manger, we find these chicks with schticks (Rachel, Winnie, Trixie, and Trampolina) trying to sell off their manger — yes, that manger — before it’s foreclosed. Secrets are revealed, Jewish-Gentile tensions surface, and a raunchy good time is had by all. “If you haven’t made the acquaintance of The Kinsey Sicks, it’s high time you did.... Uproarious... brilliant... authentically joyful.” – The Washington Post
From Adam Immerwahr, Artistic Director: “Ready for some grown-up Chanukah fun? Oy Vey in a Manger is saucy, sassy, and occasionally salacious — and a total hoot!” 8 | 2016-2017 SEASON
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COPENHAGEN By Michael Frayn Directed by Eleanor Holdridge January 5 — 29, 2017 In 1941, the German physicist Werner Heisenberg traveled to Copenhagen to meet his Danish counterpart, Niels Bohr. Old friends and colleagues, now they find themselves on opposite sides in a world war and embroiled in a race to create the atom bomb. Why Heisenberg went to Copenhagen, and what he wanted to say to Bohr, are questions that have intrigued and divided historians and scientists ever since. Michael Frayn’s Tony Award-winning play about this historic meeting is a classic of modern drama — a meditation on friendship and moral responsibility, by turns intellectually dazzling and deeply moving, that journeys through the realm of science and beyond. “The most invigorating and ingenious play of ideas in many a year. An electrifying work of art.” – The New York Times From Adam Immerwahr, Artistic Director: “Copenhagen may be among the smartest plays ever written. In an imaginative new production, this play examines the morality, ethics, and humanity behind one of the world’s most significant historical moments.” 10 | 2016-2017 SEASON
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THE HOW AND THE WHY By Sarah Treem Directed by Shirley Serotsky February 15 — March 12, 2017 Emotion and evolution collide in Sarah Treem’s thoughtprovoking play about science, family, and survival of the fittest. On the eve of a prestigious conference, an up-andcoming evolutionary biologist wrestles for the truth with an established leader in the field. The air crackles between the eminent professor and the maverick graduate student, whose theories might just change the way we regard sex itself. This exhilarating and keenly perceptive play, by the writer of hit TV shows The Affair and House of Cards, grapples with difficult choices faced by women of every generation. “Beautifully toned, thoroughly fascinating.” – The Chicago Tribune
From Adam Immerwahr, Artistic Director: “This play gets to the heart of womanhood in our culture — all through the lens of two genius female evolutionary biologists. It’s brilliant, captivating, and surprisingly funny.” 12 | 2016-2017 SEASON
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BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS By Neil Simon Directed by Matt Torney April 5 — May 7, 2017 Coming of age is never easy—but it sure can be hilarious. Eugene Morris Jerome is 15, lives in Brooklyn, and thinks of little else but playing for the Yankees… and girls, of course. But he’s more likely to become a short story writer than a short stop. Eugene’s witty commentary about his life, his overworked father, his overbearing mother, his overconfident brother, and his overly gorgeous cousin, makes this tender journey through puberty both poignant and joyful. Simon’s “funniest, richest and consequently the most affecting of his plays.” – New York Daily News
From Adam Immerwahr, Artistic Director: “Neil Simon is one of the quintessential Jewish theatrical voices of our time, and Brighton Beach Memoirs is among his absolute best.” 14 | 2016-2017 SEASON
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BROKEN GLASS By Arthur Miller Directed by Aaron Posner June 14 — July 9, 2017 A riveting psychological drama from one of America’s master playwrights, Arthur Miller. Sylvia Gellburg has suddenly, mysteriously, become paralyzed from the waist down, and her husband, a self-denying Jew, can’t figure out why. Set in Brooklyn throughout the rampage of Kristallnacht in 1938, this rare and gripping drama demands we confront our fears, our assumptions, and our anguish. Miller balances private and public morality in this astonishing and electrifying play about being American, being married, and coming to terms with one’s own identity. “Miller gives a riveting portrait of 1930s America… debilitatingly eccentric.” – The Guardian From Adam Immerwahr Artistic Director: “There is no one like Arthur Miller, whose incisive and searing plays tackle the very core of humanity. Aaron Posner’s production promises to be gripping and explosive drama.” 16 | 2016-2017 SEASON
SUBSCRIBER THEATER J BENEFITS SAVE UP TO 30% OFF SINGLE TICKETS • Enjoy Priority seating • Unlimited ticket exchanges* • Engaging, in-depth, and free post-show programming • Discounts on tickets for friends and family • Bring-a-friend coupons for select packages • Ticket reminders the week of your performance • Free concession voucher *Upcharges apply to exchanges into higher price tier. All tickets and subscription purchases are nonrefundable. Prices, plays, dates, and artists are subject to change.
PARKING IS EASY
1515 15th Street NW, entrance on P Street opposite Whole Foods Market.
P Street
14th Street
Q Street Edlavitch JCC
15th Street
16th Street
COLONIAL PARKING 1616 P Street between 16th & 17th Streets
N 17th Street
EDLAVITCH JCC PARKING LOT Entrance on Q Street. Limited parking available. First come, first served.
Parking- 1515 15th St. Entrance on P St. (Colonial Garage)
Parking-1616 P St. (Colonial Garage)
Online Parking Reservations
We have partnered with Parking Panda, the nationwide leader in online parking reservations, to allow guests to purchase guaranteed parking near Theater J. View real-time availability and pricing at many locations within easy walking distance to Theater J. Use code THEATERJ10 for an additional 10% off your first-time order. The Edlavitch JCC embraces inclusion in all its programs and activities. We welcome and encourage the participation of all people, regardless of their background, sexual orientation, abilities, or religion, including interfaith couples 18 | 2016-2017 SEASON and families.
SELECT YOUR PACKAGE AND SA VE SUBSCRIBE BY JUNE 15 TO SECU
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WEEKNIGHT
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SUNDAY EVENING
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*Includes 1 free guest ticket. **Includes 2 free guest tickets. Guest tickets valid ONLY for a show in your subscription package, not for an additional play. Discounts available for seniors, Edlavitch JCC members, military, and ages 35 & under.
Accessibility
The Edlavitch JCC provides access for patrons using wheelchairs, walkers, canes, or crutches. Assisted listening devices and large print programs are available upon request. Open Captioning is offered during one performance of each Theater J production. We have a new online ticketing system! Visit theaterj.org to set up your account today.
202.777.3210 THEATERJ.ORG
THEATERJ.ORG | 202.777.3210
Illustrations by Donald Ely
THEATER J Adam Immerwahr, Artistic Director Rebecca Ende, Managing Director
EDLAVITCH JCC Stephen Kelin, President Carole R. Zawatsky, Chief Executive Officer
The Last Schwartz The Christians Oy Vey in a Manger Copenhagen The How and the Why Brighton Beach Memoirs Broken Glass
SUBSCRIPTIONS ON SALE NOW
THEATER J Edlavitch Jewish Community Center of Washington, DC 1529 16th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036