Theater J 2022-2023 Season

The Bridge Fund, The Government of the District of Columbia DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities

Susie and Michael Gelman, The Morningstar Foundation

Sari R. Hornstein

Arlene and Robert Kogod, The Robert and Arlene Kogod Family Foundation

The Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

Revada Foundation of the Logan Family

Kay Richman and Dan Kaplan

Share Fund

The Shubert Foundation

Amy Weinberg and Norbert Hornstein

Theater J is supported in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

KEEPING YOU SAFE

Theater J is committed to the health and safety of our patrons, our artists, our technicians, and our staff. All activity at Theater J and within the Edlavitch DCJCC will continue to be in accordance with regulations from the DC government and CDC.

The Goldman Theater boasts a new and state-of-the-art HVAC system, including a dedicated outdoor air system that brings 100% fresh air into our auditorium. We will continue to incorporate the newest guidance, research, and regulations into our planning, and will update you as guidelines change. Please visit our website for regular updates about safety protocols as set by the CDC and the DC Government.

ACCESSIBILITY

Theater J, as part of the Edlavitch DCJCC embraces inclusion in all its programs and activities. Theater J strives to make our productions accessible to all by providing the following to meet the accessibility needs of our patrons and to enhance their experience at the theater.

ACCESSIBLE SEATING: The Edlavitch DCJCC has ramp access from the Q Street entrance and all of our restrooms are ADA accessible. In the Goldman Theater, removable seats provide patrons with the opportunity to be seated with their companions while sitting in their wheelchair.

Assistive listening devices are free-of-charge and offered on a first-come, first-served basis at all performances.

Open Captioning is offered during one performance of each Theater J production.

Large print programs are available at our Ticket Office, located on the first floor.

Dear Patrons,

Provocative stories. Bellyaching laughs. Overflowing hope. Ear-catching tunes. Plays that remind you who you are. The shows in Theater J’s 2022-2023 season crisscross the globe and bend time. From Canada to Vienna, from New York City to Afghanistan, from London to the Panama Canal, from the turn of the century to present day, our season takes us on a world tour that revels in the incredible breadth and diversity of Jewish experiences. These productions are about sharing our connections and celebrating the joy of community.

Our season will open with a hilarious and tuneful new Canadian klezmer musical; Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story is a fiercely political musical about two Romanian refugees meeting on the shores of 1902 Halifax. Lynn Nottage’s modern masterpiece Intimate Apparel invites us into the most private lives of those struggling to make their way and find connection on NYC’s Lower East Side at the turn of the century. We will introduce you to Seth Rozin’s sidesplitting Two Jews Walk Into a War…, a ripped-from-the-headlines comedy about the very last two Jews in Afghanistan—who of course can’t stand one another. Our collective future ignites as we look at our past with Gloria: A Life, Emily Mann’s powerful play about Gloria Steinem and her remarkable life. And our season closes with the US premiere of Stephen Laughton’s One Jewish Boy, a dark comedy that played in the UK to both enormous acclaim and enormous controversy. And though it isn’t part of our subscription season, you’ll have the opportunity to revisit one of Theater J’s greatest stage triumphs: Mona Golabek returning with her life-affirming and bravura performance in The Pianist of Willesden Lane, a story whose soundtrack alone captures our human capacity to dream.

We hope you’ll join our journey for the entire season—a season that explores the enormous range of Jewish stories and storytelling. It’s a season of joy and hope, humor and music, and triumph and resilience.

You can find details on subscribing on page X of this brochure. Please don’t hesitate to call our ticket office at 202.777.3210, visit us online at TheaterJ.org, or email us at TheaterJ@Theaterj.org.

We will see you in the lobby!

Adam Immerwahr David Lloyd Olson Artistic Director Managing Director

ABOUT THEATER J

“THE MOST

Theater J is a nationally-renowned, professional theater that celebrates, explores, and struggles with the complexities and nuances of both the Jewish experience and the universal human condition. Our work illuminates and examines ethical questions of our time, intercultural experiences that parallel our own, and the changing landscape of Jewish identities.

IN THE NATION.” –

As the nation’s largest and most prominent Jewish theater, we aim to preserve and expand a rich Jewish theatrical tradition and to create community and commonality through theater-going experiences.

The Edlavitch DCJCC 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 and families.

BY HANNAH MOSCOVITCH,

BEN CAPLAN, AND CHRISTIAN BARRY

DIRECTED BY CHRISTIAN BARRY

SEPTEMBER 7 – 25, 2022

A HIT NEW KLEZMER MUSICAL

Sex, religion, and refugees—Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story has it all! A funny and edgy love story interwoven with a high-energy klezmer concert, this folk musical is inspired by the true tale of two Jewish Romanian refugees finding love on the shores of Canada in 1908. Featuring a spectacular performance by genre-bending Canadian sensation Ben Caplan, Old Stock has been wildly popular with audiences and critics alike across Canada, Great Britain, and in New York, and now makes its long-awaited DC debut.

Intimate A l

By Lynn Nottage

Directed by Paige Hernandez

An Exquisite Modern Masterpiece

October 19 – November 13, 2022

The time is 1905, the place the Lower East Side. Sewing beautiful lingerie gives Esther, an African American seamstress, an intimate look at the love lives of her diverse clientele, but she yearns for a romance of her own. She finds herself in an epistolary courtship with a mysterious Caribbean man, though her heart secretly belongs to the Orthodox Jewish fabric merchant with whom she can never share a touch. Written by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner and MacArthur “Genius Grant” Awardee Lynn Nottage (Sweat, Ruined ), this moving portrait of love, resilience, and the triumph of the human spirit has become one of the most beloved plays of our time.

“ONE OF THE VERY BEST AMERICAN PLAYS OF THE PAST QUARTER-CENTURY” –THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

“A HUGELY ENGAGING EXPERIENCE” – THE GUARDIAN

"CLEVER, UNCOMPROMISING, RELENTLESSLY COMIC AND CATASTROPHIC 90-MINUTE PHILOSOPHICAL ARGUMENT" – THE HARTFORD COURANT

Ishaq and Zeblyan are the last remaining Jews in Afghanistan. They share the only remaining synagogue that has not been destroyed by the Taliban. They share a vital mission to repopulate the Jewish community in Kabul. And they hate each other. Can this cantankerous couple commit to one incredible act of faith to keep their community alive without killing one another first? Part The Odd Couple and part Waiting for Godot, Two Jews Walk Into a War… is a ripped-from-the-headlines, modern day vaudeville full of schtick, sorrow, and survival.

"EMILY MANN’S PLAY IS EQUAL PARTS BIOGRAPHY, HISTORY LESSON, TED TALK AND CALL TO ACTION" – THE WRAP

Gloria: A Life is more than a play—it’s a celebration of human connection. Five decades after Gloria Steinem began raising her voice and championing the voices of others, her call for equality is as urgent as ever. In this exploration of the iconic feminist’s extraordinary legacy and the women who inspired her (including Dorothy Pitman Hughes, Flo Kennedy, Coretta Scott King, and Wilma Mankiller), the first act tells her story, and the second invites the audience to share their own. Gloria Steinem’s stirring and uplifting narrative is a necessary reminder of the importance of speaking up and speaking out. Directed by Holly Twyford (Becoming Dr. Ruth), Gloria: A Life honors one of the most inspiring women of our time.

The US Premiere of the Jewish Play That Stunned the UK

ONE JEWISH BOY

By Stephen Laughton

Directed by Johanna Gruenhut

JUNE 7 -

"IMPASSIONED

In this bittersweet, sophisticated and quick-fire new British comedy about antisemitism, Jesse, a nice Jewish boy, falls in love with Alex, a nice mixed-race girl. The love between them is pure and absolute, but Jesse has never been able to shake off the vicious attack that changed him forever. Navigating any relationship is difficult enough, but what happens when you factor in politics and rising prejudice? This provocative play received a massive antisemitic response when the UK production opened in 2018; posters were defaced, and the writer received death threats. Don’t miss the US premiere of this urgent and unflinching comedy, which pits the impact of hatred against the power of love.

(Tickets

BASED ON THE BOOK

THE CHILDREN OF WILLESDEN LANE

By MONA GOLABEK AND LEE COHEN

Adapted and directed by HERSHEY FELDER

DECEMBER 7 – 18, 2022

“THIS ELEGANT, HEARTFELT SOLO SHOW…IS AN ARRESTING, DEEPLY AFFECTING TRIUMPH.”

–THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

After a sold-out run at the Kennedy Center, Grammy®-nominated pianist Mona Golabek makes her triumphant return in one of the most powerful performances in Theater J’s history. Set in Vienna in 1938 and in London during the Blitzkrieg, The Pianist of Willesden Lane tells the true and inspiring story of Lisa Jura, a young Jewish pianist whose dream of making her concert debut is dashed by the onset of World War II. Despite devastating personal loss, Jura endures through her music and pursues her dreams. Performed by Jura’s real-life daughter, the virtuosic Mona Golabek, The Pianist of Willesden Lane combines enthralling story telling with breathtaking live performances of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and more.

BENEFITS OF SUBSCRIBING TO THEATER J

As a Theater J subscriber, you get priority seating AND up to 32% off regular ticket prices.

Additional subscriber-exclusive benefits include:

• One free guest ticket* for a special someone to accompany you to a performance

• Invitations to subscriber-only events

• Unlimited free exchanges and “show insurance*”

• No handling fees - the price you see is the price you pay

• Purchase additional tickets at 18% off the regular price

• Free refills on plays*! (After you have seen the show, book another date for the same show, on us)

• Discounts on JxJ tickets and to our popular Classes for Theater Lovers

• Advance notice of classes, readings and special events

OLD STOCK: A REFUGEE LOVE

STORY

SEPTEMBER 7–25, 2022

By Hannah Moscovitch, Ben Caplan, Christian Barry

Directed by Christian Barry

• Friday evening at 8:00 PM

• Saturday evening at 8:00 PM

• Sunday matinee at 2:00 PM

NON-PEAK

• Wednesday evening at 7:30 PM

• Thursday evening at 8:00 PM

• Saturday matinee at 2:00 PM

• Sunday evening at 7:30 PM

WEEKDAY

• Wednesdays at 12:00 PM

• Sunday Preview at 2:00 PM

POST-SHOW DISCUSSIONS

CREATIVE CONVERSATION: Attend an insider’s reflection on the creative process. Theater J artists from each production answer questions and offer insights about design, inspiration, rehearsal, and collaboration.

CAST TALKBACK: Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be an actor or to perform on stage at Theater J? Well, here’s your chance! Join members of the cast to ask your burning questions about their artistic practice and the production.

SUNDAY SYMPOSIUM: Hear from experts on topics related to each production. With equal parts lecture and conversation, Theater J invites specialists in their fields—doctors, historians, theologians and activists—to delve deeper into the play’s history, cultural context, and themes.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

INTIMATE APPAREL

OCTOBER 19 – NOVEMBER 13, 2022

By Lynn Nottage

Directed by Paige Hernandez

TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR…

JANUARY 11 – FEBRUARY 5, 2023

By Seth Rozin

Directed by Adam Immerwahr

ONE JEWISH BOY

JUNE 7 – JULY 2, 2023

By Stephen Laughton

Directed by Johanna Gruenhut

GLORIA: A LIFE

MARCH 8 – APRIL 2, 2023

By Emily Mann

Directed by Holly Twyford

Bini W. Silver, Chief Operating Officer

Craig Mintz, Chief Financial Officer

Dava Schub, Chief Executive Officer

Saul Pilchen, President

David Lloyd Olson, Managing Director EDLAVITCH

Adam