Gloria: A Life

SPRING GALA

THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 2023

6:30 PM

AT THE EDLAVITCH DCJCC

PRESENTING THE LEE G. RUBENSTEIN OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP AWARD TO HOWARD MENAKER

CO-CHAIRED BY MICHELE BERMAN, MEREDITH MARGOLIS, SAUL PILCHEN, AND BOB TRACY

Sponsorships available. Contact Emily Jillson at ejillson@edcjcc.org for more information.

Tickets at edcjcc.org/gala

Dear Friends,

On the evening of April 5, Jews around the world will host one of the world's oldest liberation rituals, the Passover Seder.

"Why is this night different from all other nights?" asks the youngest person at the seder. "We were slaves to Pharoah in the land of Egypt. And the Almighty took us from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm," responds the leader who goes on to tell the story of how Moses, Aaron, and Miriam led the Israelites from slavery to freedom. The tradition invites participants to imagine that they themselves were slaves, and they themselves redeemed. The first and second century CE rabbis who crafted the ritual were teaching that we will never truly know freedom without re-enacting the story of redemption.

Gloria: A Life by Emily Mann is also a liberation ritual, inviting us to connect the past to the present and participate in a conversation about the women's liberation movement today. So today if the youngest person in our audience asks the question, "Why is this night different from all other nights?" we may respond, "we were a society that used sex and race to define some people as superior and some as inferior. And through the hard work of Gloria Steinem and many feminist leaders, a revolution began to free us so that we could live in a society where there would be no roles other than those chosen or those earned." Thank you for participating in today's performance. I hope it inspires you to take action in your own life in whatever way you can to help make the world a better place for the next generation.

I am overjoyed that Hayley Finn has joined Theater J as our fifth artistic director, and we are excited to soon be announcing her inaugural season. Join us as a subscriber for the 2023-2024 season and enjoy a year of plays that remind us of our past and inspire us to imagine a brighter future. You'll also get to enjoy the best seats at the best prices at the nation's premier Jewish theater.

I hope to see you again in June for the final play in our 2022-2023 season, the US premiere of Stephen Laughton's One Jewish Boy. The play follows an interfaith, interracial couple in London who fall deeply and madly in love until an antisemitic attack changes their lives forever. Make sure you are signed up for our weekly email updates, so you don't miss out on any of our upcoming shows and events.

Thank you for being part of our community. Enjoy the show!

Yours,

David Lloyd Olson, Managing Director

THANK YOU TO OUR 2022/2023 SEASON SPONSORS

LEADING PRODUCER

Covenant Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

SPONSORING PRODUCER

DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities

Susie and Michael Gelman, The Morningstar Foundation

The Government of the District of Columbia

Norbert Hornstein and Amy Weinberg

Sari R. Hornstein

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

The Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation

Nussdorf Family Foundation

Revada Foundation of the Logan Family

Kay Richman and Daniel Kaplan

Share Fund

The Shubert Foundation

SUPPORTING PRODUCER

Bruce A. Cohen*

Patti and Mitchell Herman

Dianne and Herb Lerner

Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind

Helene and Robert Schlossberg

Barney Shapiro and Susan Walker

THANK YOU TO OUR PRODUCTION ANGELS

Michele and Allan Berman

Johanna Chanin and Randall Levitt

Myrna Fawcett

Mindy Gasthalter

John and Meg Hauge

Arlene and Martin Klepper

Sherry Nevins

Arnold and Diane Polinger

Ilene and Steven Rosenthal

Richard Solloway

Betsy Karmin and Manny Strauss

This production 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.

THEATER J

Hayley Finn, Artistic Director

David Lloyd Olson, Managing Director

GLORIA: A LIFE

By Emily Mann

MARCH 8 – APRIL 2, 2023

Director…........................................................Holly Twyford

Set Design…………...........................................Paige Hathaway+

Costume Design…....................................….Moyenda Kulemeka+

Lighting Design….........................................Colin K. Bills+

Projection Design........................................Danny Debner

Sound Design…..........................................…Sarah O’Halloran+

Props Design……............................................Pamela Weiner

Casting Director…....................................….Jenna Place

Dialect Coach..............................................Leigh Wilson Smiley

Production Stage Manager……................Anthony O. Bullock*

Assistant Stage Manager…...................….Allison Poms-Strickland

Assistant Stage Manager…….................…Margaret Warner

Cast Gloria..............................……………………………….Susan Lynskey*

Ensemble……………………………...........................Debora Crabbe, Sherri L. Edelen*, Sydney Lo, Awa Sal Secka*, Erin Weaver*, Mani Yangilmau

Gloria: A Life runs approximately 100 minutes with no intermission. The video or audio recording of this performance by any means is strictly prohibited.

Gloria: A Life is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.

Original Off-Broadway production produced by Daryl Roth and directed by Diane Paulus.

Commissioned by Lincoln Center Theater by special arrangement with Daryl Roth. With special thanks to the American Repertory Theater and McCarter Theatre Center.

*Appearing through an Agreement between this theater, Theater J, and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States

+Member of United Scenic Artists Local 829

Debora Crabbe (Ensemble) is thrilled to be making her Theater J debut! Hailing from Accra, Ghana, Debora has been in the US since 2002. Since earning her BFA in Theatre Performance from VCU in Richmond, Virginia, in 2012, Debora has been acting professionally in the DC metro area. Credits include: School Girls... (Round House Theatre); Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus! The Musical! (Kennedy Center National Tour); As You Like It (Keegan Theatre - Helen Hayes Oustanding Actress); A Christmas Carol u/s (Ford's); The Dog in the Manger, Loveday Brooke Audio Series, Sherlock Holmes Audio Series (We Happy Few). Upcoming: Iphigenia (We Happy Few). Debora also teaches theatre to children ages 4-17. Thank you everyone for their support.

Sherri L. Edelen* (Ensemble) is an actor/teacher in the area for over 25 years. Pre-pandemic, her last appearances at Theater J were Stars of David and Copenhagen. She received the Helen Hayes award for Les Miserables and Side Show at Signature Theatre and a Barrymore Award for The Light in the Piazza at Philadelphia Theatre Company. Recent credits include Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, My Fair Lady, Ann and Dave at Arena Stage. The Humans and How to Succeed... at Olney Theatre Center, Romeo and Juliet at Folger Theatre, Outside Mullingar and Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus at Fusion Theatre Company in New Mexico and Gypsy at Signature Theatre. She’s also performed at the Kennedy Center, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Ford’s Theatre, Round House Theatre, Rep Stage, Stages St. Louis and two national tours. Teaching experience: musical theatre classes at Theatre Lab and the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. Directing credits include Steel Magnolias and On Golden Pond starring Joyce DeWitt at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts.

Sydney Lo (Ensemble) (she/her): The Wolves, Frankenstein (Dallas Theater Center); Black Super Hero Magic Mama (Stages Houston); Man of God (Strand Theatre Company); 1984 (Circle Theatre); Slide (Elevator Project at AT&T Performing Arts Center); a RotoPlastic Ballet, King Ubu (Pointless Theatre Co.); Cymbeline, Romeo and Juliet (Virginia Shakespeare Festival); The Cherry Orchard, We, the Invisibles, Men on Boats (Southern Methodist University), various projects with Young Playwrights’ Theater. M.F.A., Southern Methodist University. B.A., College of William and Mary. Proudly represented by Avalon Artists Group. More at sydneylo.com.

Susan Lynskey* (Gloria) returns to Theater J, where previous work includes Intimate Apparel, Body Awareness, fostering new work, and the Yiddish Theater Lab. Recent roles have taken Susan across the country and back, including Off-Broadway in Handbagged (59e59, original Round House production) and the title role in Bertolt Brecht’s The Jewish Wife (Paradise Theatre), Truvy in Steel Magnolias (Cincy Playhouse, IRT), Manke in Indecent (Arena, KC Rep, Baltimore Center Stage), and in ROE (OSF, Arena, Berkeley Rep). In response to the Dobbs decision, Susan reprised her ROE role in LA, hosted by Tyne Daly, Sharon Gless and the Center on Reproductive Health Law and Policy. Lynskey is a national teaching artist, served as professor at Georgetown University for over a decade, and is a Disability-in-Performance access artist-advocate. She has been nominated for multiple Helen Hayes awards and is a 2023 Artist Fellowship Grantee

from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Susan is profoundly grateful for her mother and father who “love her to the moon and back”; for her chosen family: “Metsy” (Betsy and Manny), Susie, Lawrence, Walker; for longtime-friend Holly Twyford, the glorious Gloria company, and the brave room created here. She is represented by HCKR. Susan is deeply honored to tell Gloria Steinem’s story and considers it a privilege to hear yours.

Awa Sal Secka* (Ensemble) Regional: Theater J: Intimate Apparel (Mayme). Berkeley Rep: Goddess (Grio). Signature Theatre: Gun and Powder (Flo), Blackbeard (Kali Maa), Jesus Christ Superstar (Simon), Broadway in the Park, Signature Vinyl. Ford's Theatre: Into the Woods (Baker’s Wife), The Wiz (Glinda/Dorothy u/s). Round House Theatre: School Girls (Ama), Caroline, or Change (Dottie). The Kennedy Center: Me Jane (Maisie), Chasing the Wind (Abby). Imagination Stage: Cinderella (Cinderella), You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Lucy). Artscentric: L5Y (Cathy), Aida (Aida), Memphis (Felicia). Center Stage: Glorious World (Lady 3). ATMTC: James and the Giant Peach (Sponge). Studio Theatre: Silence! (Ardelia). OTC: The Joy That Carries You (Co-writer), Dessa Rose Concert (Dessa), Children of Eden Concert (Eve), Avenue Q.

Erin Weaver* (Ensemble) who was last seen at Theater J as Evelyn Kirsh in Sheltered, is so grateful to be back helping to tell this incredible story. Some of Erin’s favorite roles locally include Katherine in Newsies and Kattrin in Mother Courage and Her Children (Helen Hayes Award) at Arena Stage, Mona Juul in Oslo, Nell Gwynn in Or, (Helen Hayes Award), Deb in Ordinary Days (Helen Hayes Award) at Round House Theatre; Marianne in Sense & Sensibility, (Helen Hayes Award, Best Ensemble), Thomasina in Arcadia (Helen Hayes Award) at the Folger Theatre; Amy in Company (Helen Hayes Award), Kathy in The Last Five Years, Kira in Xanadu, and most recently The Baker’s Wife at Signature Theatre; Jane in Me…Jane: The Dreams & Adventures of Young Jane Goodall at The Kennedy Center (Helen Hayes AwardAdaption); Sally in You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown at Imagination Stage. Erin is also a proud recipient of the Anderson Hopkins Award (2019). She played Young Cossette/ Young Eponine in the First National Tour of Les Miserables and has performed at regional theaters across the country. Erin has a BFA from the University of the Arts and she completed the NYU Steinhardt School Drama in Education (England) and Community Engaged Theatre (Ireland) summer abroad programs. She lives outside of DC with her husband, Aaron Posner, and daughter, Maisie. Erin would like to dedicate this performance to her daughter, nieces and all the incredible women in her life.

Mani Yangilmau (Ensemble) (they/them) is proud to premier in DC at Theater J, a company they once worked for as a stage hand. Previously seen on Baltimore stages, they are currently a DC-based Indigenous Pasifika performance artist and activist. Land rights, water accessibility, and cultural preservation is an issue for all, not just Indigenous peoples. Thank you to Chief Jesse Swann and the Piscataway Conoy tribe for continuing to steward the land we speak on. Please consider donating to lifestylesofmd.org or nativeamericanlifelines.org, both programs that work directly with the Piscataway Conoy tribe to provide healthcare and other social needs.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Emily Mann (Playwright) Multi-award-winning Director and Playwright Emily Mann is the Artistic Director and Resident Playwright of the Tony Award winning McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, New Jersey. Her plays include: Having Our Say, adapted from the book by Sarah L. Delany and A. Elizabeth Delany with Amy Hill Hearth (HullWarriner Award, Peabody Award, Christopher Award; Tony awards, Outer Critics, Drama Desk award nominations); Execution of Justice (Bay Area Theatre Critics Award, Playwriting Award from the Women’s Committee of the Dramatists Guild, Burns Mantle Yearbook Best Play Citation, Drama Desk nomination); Still Life (six Obie Awards); Annulla, An Autobiography; Greensboro (A Requiem); an adaptation of I.B. Singer’s novel Meshugah; and Mrs. Packard (Kennedy Center’s Fund for New American Plays). Adaptations: Scenes From a Marriage (Drama League Award nomination), Uncle Vanya, The Cherry Orchard, A Seagull in the Hamptons, The House of Bernarda Alba, Baby Doll, and Antigone. She was awarded a Princeton University Honorary Doctorate of Arts, a 2015 Helen Merrill Distinguished Playwrights' Award, and a 2015 Margo Jones Award given to a "citizen-of-the-theatre who has demonstrated a lifetime commitment to the encouragement of the living theatre everywhere.”

Holly Twyford (Director) is thrilled to be back directing at Theater J. Ms. Twyford’s most recent project as director was The Upstairs Department, a new play by Chelsea Mercantel at Signature Theatre where she previously directed Escaped Alone. Her directing credits include Stop Kiss (No Rules Theatre Company), A Lump of Coal for Christmas (Adventure Theatre MTC), Edgar and Annabel and Mary Kate Olsen is in Love (Studio Theatre 2ndStage). For her production of The Amish Project (Factory 449), she received a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Director. Virtual credits via Zoom include Steel Magnolias for Ford's Theatre as well as Romeo and Juliet with the Academy for Classical Acting. As an actor, she has performed in close to 80 productions in many of the highly acclaimed theaters in and around the DC Metropolitan area, most recently playing the Stage Manager in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Our Town. Ms. Twyford is a proud resident of Washington, DC.

Paige Hathaway+ (Scenic Designer) Previous Theater J credits include: Intimate Apparel, Nathan the Wise, Talley's Folly, and Becoming Dr. Ruth. DC Area: Arena Stage: The High Ground, The Right to be Forgotten; Signature Theatre: No Place to Go, The Upstairs Department, Rent, Ain't Misbehavin', John, The Gulf; Everyman Theatre: Baskerville; Olney Theatre: Dance Nation, South Pacific; Round House Theatre: School Girls..., Curious Incident..., The Book of Will; The Kennedy Center: Me… Jane. Regional: The Muny: Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Matilda, Cinderella; Pioneer Theatre Company: Fireflies; Asolo Rep: Sweat. Upcoming: Round House: On the Far End, Jennifer Who is Leaving; Writer's Theatre: A Distinct Society. Education: University of Oklahoma: BFA in Scenic Design; University of Maryland: MFA in Scenic Design. Local USA 829. Instagram: @paigehathawaydesign, website: paigehathawaydesign.com

Moyenda Kulemeka+ (Costume Designer) is a Costume Designer based in the DC area. Recent credits include: Intimate Apparel at Theater J; Selling Kabul, Daphne’s Drive and Detroit '67 at Signature Theatre; Jump at Everyman Theatre; John Proctor is the Villain at Studio Theatre; Dance Nation at Olney Theatre; Mlima’s Tale, The Phlebotomist, and The Brothers Size at 1st Stage; Bars and Measures, In His Hands, Marys Seacole and Fabulation, Or The Re-Education of Undine at Mosaic Theater; A Chorus Within Her at Theater Alliance; Cinderella at Synetic Theater; Working, A Musical presented on Black Lives Matter Plaza; and La tía Julia y el escribidor and Exquisita Agonía at GALA Hispanic Theatre, among others. Moyenda holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Maryland and is a proud member of United Scenic Artists, Local 829, IATSE.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Colin K. Bills+ (Lighting Designer) (he/him/his) returns to Theater J, where his most recent designs have been Nathan the Wise, Becoming Dr. Ruth, Sheltered, The Jewish Queen Lear, and The Last Night of Ballyhoo. He is a Board Member and Company Member at Woolly Mammoth Theatre where he has designed over fifty productions. Colin has designed at nearly every theater in the DMV including the current production of Clyde’s at Studio Theatre and his work has been seen at theaters across the US. He has won three Helen Hayes Awards and is a recipient of a Princess Grace Fellowship in Theater. He has taught design at Howard University and is a graduate of Dartmouth College.

Sarah O’Halloran+ (Sound Designer) is a sound designer and composer. Her theater credits include Theater J: Two Jews Walk Into a War... , Nathan the Wise, Compulsion or the House Behind, Talley’s Folly; Woolly Mammoth/The Second City: She the People: The Resistance Continues; 1st Stage: The Phlebotomist, The Brothers Size, Swimming with Whales, Trevor, and When the Rain Stops Falling; Studio Theatre: Cry it Out; Rep Stage: The Glass Menagerie; E2, The 39 Steps, The Heidi Chronicles, and Things That Are Round; Everyman Theatre: Sense and Sensibility, Be Here Now, Proof, Dinner with Friends; Mosaic Theater: In His Hands, The Return; Olney Theater Center: The Humans, Our Town, and Labour of Love; Theater Alliance: A Chorus Within Her; Forum Theatre: Nat Turner in Jerusalem, What Every Girl Should Know, and Dry Land

Anthony O. Bullock* (Production Stage Manager) is the Resident Production Stage Manager for the 22-23 season. Past Theater J projects include Two Jews Walk into a War, Intimate Apparel, Nathan the Wise, Compulsion or the House Behind, Tuesdays with Morrie, The Wanderers, Sheltered, Occupant, Love Sick, The Jewish Queen Lear, and Actually. DC credits include Shakespeare Theatre Company: Red Velvet, Our Town; Arena Stage: The Pajama Game; Baltimore Center Stage: Soul: The Stax Musical, Twisted Melodies; Signature Theatre: Billy Elliot, and Studio Theatre: The Children, The Hard Problem, Cloud 9, Hedda Gabler, Moment, Between Riverside and Crazy, Chimerica, Jumpers for Goalposts, and Laugh. NYC credits include The School for Lies with Classic Stage Company and workshops with Project Springboard: Developing Dance Musicals. Other regional credits include Barrington Stage Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, McCarter Theatre, TheatreSquared, among others. He received his BFA from Oklahoma City University. He is a proud member of AEA.

Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) was founded in 1913 as the first of the American actor unions. Equity’s mission is to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Today, Equity represents more than 40,000 actors, singers, dancers and stage managers working in hundreds of theatres across the United States. Equity members are dedicated to working in the theatre as a profession, upholding the highest artistic standards. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions and provides a wide range of benefits including health and pension plans for its members. Through its agreement with Equity, this theatre has committed to the fair treatment of the actors and stage managers employed in this production. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. For more information, visit www.actorsequity.org.

THEATER J LEADERSHIP

Hayley Finn (Theater J Artistic Director) is an accomplished director and producer with over twenty-five years of experience in professional theatre across all aspects of the profession, including producing, directing, casting, education, fundraising, and has been instrumental in creating national partnerships for theatres across the country. Prior to joining Theater J, she was the Associate Artistic Director at the Playwrights’ Center, where worked with some of the nation’s leading playwrights and in her tenure produced over 1,000 workshops. She also served as a Co-Artistic Director of Red Eye Theater from 2019-2023 where she co-produced and curated the New Works 4 Weeks Festival—an annual four-week festival that commissions 11 artists each year to make new performance works—and co-led the fundraising and development of a new 150-seat black box theater in Minneapolis.

She has directed nationally and internationally, including at Cherry Lane Theatre (New York, NY), Curious Theatre Company (Denver, CO), the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Edinburgh, Scotland), Ellis Island (New York), Guthrie Theatre (Minneapolis, MN), HERE Arts Center (New York, NY), History Theatre (St. Paul, MN), Flea Theater (New York, NY), The Kitchen (New York, NY), LAByrinth Theater Company (New York, NY), Marin Theater Company (Mill Valley, CA), New Dramatists (New York, NY), O’Neill Theater Center (Waterford, CT), Pillsbury House (Minneapolis, MN), People’s Light (Malvern, PA), Public Theater (New York, NY), Playwrights’ Horizons (New York, NY), Red Eye Theater (Minneapolis, MN), Six Point Theater (St. Paul, MN), South Coast Repertory Theater (Costa Mesa, CA), and the Nine Gates Festival in Prague. Finn was Assistant Director on several Broadway productions, including the Tony Award-winning production of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge.

Finn is an Alumna of the Drama League Director’s Program, recipient of the Ruth Easton Fellowship, TCG Future Leader Grant, National Endowment for the Arts support, and a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant. She received her BA and MA from Brown University.

David Lloyd Olson (Theater J Managing Director) has spent over a decade managing nonprofit theaters, most recently serving as managing director of Quintessence Theatre Group in Philadelphia where he oversaw the organization’s largest ever fundraising campaign and the doubling of their annual foundation support. He was manager of the executive office and board engagement at the Shakespeare Theatre Company where he supported the transition of the theater’s artistic directorship from Michael Kahn to Simon Godwin. He was a founding company member of Pointless Theatre in Washington, DC, where he served for ten years as managing director, during which time the company was awarded the John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company at the Helen Hayes Awards. He was an Allen Lee Hughes management fellow at Arena Stage and served as a Fulbright English teaching assistant in Valmiera, Latvia. He has twice been the recipient of a DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities fellowship program grant and was on the host committee of the 2016 Theatre Communications Group national conference. He attended the University of Maryland where he received a B.A. in theater from the College of Arts and Humanities and a B.A. in government and politics from the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. He is a member of Adas Israel Congregation.

ANTI-DISCRIMINATION

Theater J and the Edlavitch DCJCC commit to being an inclusive, safe, and welcoming space for all. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations from either patrons or staff. Please visit our website at theaterj.org to learn more about our policies and procedures.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Our building sits on the traditional homeland of the Nacotchtank (Anacostan), farmers and traders who lived along the banks of the Anacostia River. Beginning in 1608, European settlers decimated the Nacotchtank with disease, warfare, and forced removal. By the 1700s, the survivors fled to join other tribes to the north, south, and west, including the Piscataway Peoples, who continue to steward these lands from generation to generation. We know this acknowledgement is only a small step towards justice, and we ask that all of us learn about the past and present and invest in the future of our country’s Indigenous communities wherever we are.

GLORIA: A LIFE STAFF

Head Electrician: Garth Dolan

Electricians: Alex Monsell, Rex Hsu, Mikayla French, Michael House

Scenic Charge Artist: Meaghan Toohey

Props Assistant: Megan Holden

Light Board Programmer & Operator: Mikayla French

Production Assistant: Ebony Gennes

Wig Designer and Hair Specialist: Greg Bazemore

Load-in Crew includes: Justin Metcalf-Burton, Tad Howley, Stephen Indrisano, David Philip, Danny Debner, and Tom Howley

Special Thanks: Paula T. Alekson

EDLAVITCH DCJCC LEADERSHIP

Edlavitch DCJCC

Chief Executive Officer: Jennifer Zwilling

Chief Financial Officer: Craig Mintz

Chief Operating Officer: Bini W. Silver

Senior Director of Institutional Advancement: Emily Jillson

THEATER J STAFF

Artistic Director: Hayley Finn

Managing Director: David Lloyd Olson

Producing Director: Kevin Place

Associate Artistic Director: Johanna Gruenhut

External Affairs

Development Manager: Emily Gardner

Director of Patron Experience: Jasmine Jones

EDCJCC Arts Marketing Coordinator: Lena Barkin

EDCJCC Arts Outreach Coordinator: Jacob Ettkin

Ticket Office Manager: Tabitha Littlefield

EDCJCC Creative Director: Molly Winston

House Managers and Ticket Office Associates: Mitchell Adams, Cristen Fletcher, Lauren McNeal, Regev Ortal, Robert Reeg, Hadiya Rice, Kaneeka Rice, Sam Rollin, and Mary-Margaret Walsh

Production

Resident Production Stage Manager: Anthony O. Bullock

Director of Stage Operations: Danny Debner

Technical Director: Tom Howley

Head Electrician: Garth Dolan

Resident Casting Director: Jenna Place

Resident Props Designer: Pamela Weiner

Education & New Play Development

Education Programs Assistant: Jen Jacobs

Expanding the Canon Rosh Beit: Sabrina Sojourner

Expanding the Canon Commissioned Writers: Zachariah Ezer, Harley Elias, Carolivia Herron, Jesse Jae Hoon, MJ Kang, Thaddeus McCants, and Kendell Pinkney

Yiddish Theater Lab Commissioned Writers: Lila Rose Kaplan, Caraid O’Brien, and Aaron Posner

Teaching Artists: Dr. Debra Caplan, Evan Casey, Sarah Corey, Felicia Curry, Rick Foucheux, Naomi Jacobson, Chad Kinsman, Caraid O'Brien, Tracy Lynn Olivera, Jenna Place, Aaron Posner, Howard Shalwitz, Bobby Smith, Dani Stoller, Holly Twyford, Erin Weaver, and Em Whitworth.

Founding Artistic Director: Martin Blank

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.

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 theatergoing 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.

PHOTOS:

• Page 11:

Daven Ralston and Billy Finn in Jonathan Safran Foer's Everything is Illuminated. Adapted by Simon Block. Photo by C. Stanley Photography.

• Pages 14-15, L-R: Photo of Pauline Perlmutter Steinhem. The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, OH and the ToledoLucas County Public Library. Gloria Steinem as a Playboy Club waitress; Photo: Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images. First cover of Ms. Magazine. Illustration by Miriam Wosk. United States. National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year. (1976-1977). "... to form a more perfect union ...": justice for American women : report of the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year. [Washington: Dept. of State]. Book Cover: Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, Gloria Steinhem. Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, New York, 1984. Book Cover: My Life on the Road, Gloria Steinhem. Penguin Random House, 2015.

• Pages 16-17, L-R: A portrait of feminist and author Gloria Steinem in 1975. Photograph by Jack Mitchell, Getty. Color Me Flo by Flo Kennedy. Simon & Schuster, 1976. Dorothy Pitman Hughes, New York 1971 © Dan Wynn Archive and Farmani Group, Co LTD. Bella Abzug, at a 1971 press conference. Photo: Warren K. Leffler. Courtesy, Library of Congress. Wilma Mankiller, Photo: Courtesy of The Wilma Mankiller Foundation

• Page 18: Blessing the Sabbath Candles. From Solomon Proops, Minhagim (Customs) (Amsterdam, 1707).

Section, African and Middle Eastern Division, Library of Congress.

• Page 20: Hayley Finn. Photo by Josh Olson.

“The most influential Jewish theater company in the nation.”—The Washington Post

• Page 3: David Lloyd Olson. Photo by Maggie Garrett.

• Page 4: Eric Da Costa as Chaim and Shaina Silver-Baird as Chaya in Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography.. Cast of Nathan the Wise by Gotthold Ephriam Lessing. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography. Renee Elizabeth Wilson and Awa Sal Secka in Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography. Sasha Olinick and Bobby Smith in Two Jews Walk Into a War...by Seth Rozin. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography.

Jamie Smithson in The Wanderers by Anna Ziegler. Photo by Teresa Castracane.

 1864

Gloria’s paternal grandmother, Pauline (Perlmutter) Steinem, is born in Poland. She later emigrates to the United States and becomes the chairwoman of the educational committee of the Women’s Suffrage Association, is named a delegate of the 1908 International Council of women, and is the first women elected to the Toledo, Ohio Board of Education.

1902

Gloria’s mother Ruth (Nunerville) Steinem, a journalist, is the first woman named the Sunday editor of The Toledo Blade.

1934

Gloria Marie Steinem is born in Toledo, Ohio to Leo and Ruth Steinem.

1956

Graduates Phi Beta Kappa from Smith College with a bachelor’s degree in Government. Has a secret abortion and breaks an unwanted engagement; she would later speak publicly about her abortion to assert the importance of “reproductive freedom” for women.

1968

1947

Gloria’s parents’ separate. Her mother suffers a ”nervous breakdown.”

1958

Moves to New York City and establishes herself as an independent writer, working for Help! Magazine.

1962

1963

“A Bunny’s Tale,” an undercover expose on the Playboy Club, which exposes the poor pay and working conditions for women there, is published and brings nationwide notoriety.

Named a founding editor of New York magazine and writes the column “The City Politic” for the magazine.

1969

Publishes the article “After Black Power, Women’s Liberation” for New York; it brings her national fame as a feminist leader.

Travels nationwide organizing women’s movement events, freelance writing, and speaking on college campuses at engagements with Dorothy Pitman Hughes and Flo Kennedy.

Testifies about the Equal Rights Amendment before the United States Senate.

Esquire magazine gives her first “serious” freelance assignment on the subject of contraception and the ways women are forced to choose between a career or marriage and a family.

Notable dates and biographies provided courtesy of McCarter Theatre Center. Image sources and citations listed on pg. 13

1971

Co-founds Ms., a magazine about second wave feminist issues. Founding editors include Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Mary Thom, Patricia Carbine, Joanne Edgar, Nina Finkelstein, and Mary Peacock. Ms. is the first magazine created and operated entirely by women; it notably sells out all copies within the first eight days of its initial independent publication in January.

1973

Roe v. Wade: The Supreme Court rules that the Constitution of the United States conferred the right to choose to have an abortion.

1977 – 79

Works with Bella Abzug to establish the National Women’s Conference in Houston: The first (and only) federally-funded conferences for women, organized to create recommendations for a plan on achieving gender equality in the US.

1992

Co-founds the nonprofit Choice USA, an organization aimed to support young people lobbying for reproductive rights.

1993

Inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

2005

Works with Jane Fonda and Robin Morgan to create the Women’s Media Center, a nonprofit organization with a mission to raise the visibility, viability and decision-making power of women and girls in media.

2010

The documentary Gloria: In Her Own Words airs on HBO.

2013

Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.

1972

Co-founds National Women’s Political Caucus with Betty Freidan, Shirley Chisholm, Fannie Lou Hammer, Bella Abzug, and Mildred Jeffrey.

 1983

Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, a collection of autobiographical essays, is published.

2015

Gloria’s memoir My Life on the Road is published.

2022  Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, in which the court eliminated the constitutional right to abortion.

“As of today, this Court holds, a State can always force a woman to give birth, prohibiting even the earliest abortions”

–Dissenting Opinion from Breyer, Kagan, and Sotomayor

Learn more about some of the real-life women featured in GLORIA: A LIFE who have had a profound impact on the Women's Movement and beyond.

GLORIA STEINEM

(1934 – )

One of the most prominent American, second-wave feminist leaders, whose focus has been on equality for all peoples and reproductive rights for women. With a career spanning the late 1960s to the present day, she is an independent, strong willed, multiskilled social activist, journalist, author and lecturer, who has traveled and organized for human rights nationwide and internationally. Her career highlights include co-founding Ms. Magazine; writing her memoir entitled My Life on the Road; receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and her induction into the Women’s Hall of Fame.

RUTH NUNEVILLER STEINEM

(1902 – 1984)

Gloria’s mother, whom Gloria describes as “a loving, intelligent, terrorized woman.” A journalist and the first woman ever to be named the Sunday editor of The Toledo Blade; she gave up her career after the birth of her children to follow her husband across the country. After separating from her husband she suffered a “nervous breakdown” and became addicted to prescription medications until her death.

FLORYNCE “FLO” KENNEDY

(1916 – 2000)

An outspoken and brash African American civil rights lawyer-turned-feminist organizer. History has pigeon-holed her as a civil rights activist, largely overlooking her contributions as an important leader in the feminist movement. She shared her extensive organizing experience and knowledge with Gloria as her speaking partner at rallies in the South for women’s equality and reproductive rights. The author of the book Abortion Rap.

DOROTHY PITMAN HUGHES

(1938 –2022)

African American feminist organizer and activist who was considered “ahead of her time” and who became one of Gloria’s early feminist inspirations. Dorothy’s activism was focused on child-welfare, and she created the first non-sexist, multi-racial childcare centers. She toured the American South with Gloria and helped her to overcome her fear of public speaking. Her efforts helped attract thousands to their speaking events and added a greater diversity of people in the audience.

BELLA ABZUG

(1920 – 1998)

Forward thinking and assertive United States Congresswoman and lawyer who ferociously protested against The Vietnam War and President Richard Nixon. She helped found the National Women’s Political Caucus with Gloria, Shirley Chisholm, and Betty Friedan, and conceptualized the 1977 National Women’s Conference in Houston, a constitutional convention for American women. She was a ceaseless champion for equal rights for all Americans.

WILMA MANKILLER

(1945 – 2010)

The first contemporary female Principle Chief of the Cherokee Nation. A woman with a kind and open heart, Wilma was a friend and mentor to Gloria, as well as an activist and social worker. She taught Gloria many lessons throughout their friendship, including opening Gloria’s mind to alternate possibilities for worldly gender norms— namely that is men and women have been equal before and can be again.

TRADITION! LOOKING AT A PLAY THROUGH A JEWISH LENS

By Johanna Gruenhut, Associate Artistic Director

Mitzvot, a word often translated as meaning ‘good deeds,’ are really something more like the dos, don’ts, observances, and rituals of a Jewish life lived properly. I want to suggest that while seeing Gloria: A Life in a Jewish space we can honor that life by reflecting on the relationship between mitzvot and women in Jewish tradition. The posture towards women is in places inspired, beautiful, complex, imperfect, and problematic, sometimes all at once. Like I said, an opportunity to honor a no less complex person.

Jewish women, like men, have the obligation to lead a life committed to mitzvot. But not the same ones, and more interestingly, not at the same times. A huge swath of mitzvot are ones that are named ‘time-bound,’ rituals that need to be performed at specific times. The classic example is prayer, where men are commanded to pray at three defined times each day. Not so for women, who should pray three times per day, but can do so at any time. Clearly the assumption is that women have highly structured days full of prioritized familial responsibilities. So they should pray whenever they can find the time.

Perhaps then, ‘time-bound mitzva’ is a misnomer in the case of prayer. The timing is bound for men only because they might not do it otherwise? In possession of the general prerogative to determine how to use time, men need rules to make sure that certain things get done. Women are exempt because we all seem to know that their time is bound in the first place, they are never ‘off the clock,’ as it were.

In stark contrast to prayer are two mitzvot that really are time-bound, and which serve to define time itself: lighting of sabbath candles, and the reserving of challah dough. These belong entirely for women. The first is more familiar, women fulfil the obligation to mark the start of sabbath by lighting candles. Time is not in their control, but they are in charge of its sequestering. Women create space for sabbath by marking time.

Reserving dough is a related ritual; while preparing challah, women are commanded to separate a small piece to offer to share with the temple priests. Like with prayer, there is an assumption built in here: that women will prepare challah. But as with candles, there is also a note of beauty and responsibility. A tribute from the home economy that also marks the transition into sabbath.

Who determines the uses of time? This is the universal question at the heart of any struggle for freedom.

W Blessing the Sabbath Candles. From Solomon Proops, Minhagim (Customs) (Amsterdam, 1707). From the collections of the Hebraic Section, African and Middle Eastern Division, Library of Congress.

Q: How would you describe your aesthetic and approach to theater?

A: My mission is to create engaging theater that sparks conversation, encourages empathy, inspires personal growth, and promotes civic dialogue. Because I often work with new plays, the aesthetics, style, and approach change with each production. Yet what remains constant in my work is the belief that theater can be transformational and that our work is in partnership with the audiences we serve. Our live performances are opportunities for conversations and creative community partnerships.

Q: As someone who focuses on new works, what type of plays are you drawn to?

A: I am particularly drawn to plays featuring complex, nuanced characters and precise use of language, and I appreciate when humor (based on truth) balances serious themes. I am inspired by theatrical gestures, bold ideas, and plays that encourage imagination on the part of the artistic collaborators and the audience.

Q: What do you plan to bring to Theater J as the new Artistic director?

A: As the new Artistic director, I will ensure that Theater J produces work from writers of diverse perspectives, and lived experiences to produce vibrant and multifaceted stories for our audiences. I have a long and rich experience working with writers, and I will bring those relationships and knowledge to bear in this position. I am motivated to lead a commissioning program that creates plays not only for Theater J but plays that can exist beyond our stage—a new generation of plays that live on stages nationally, internationally, and studied in the years to come. I will aim to continue to find new ways to connect audiences, other institutions, and supporters to the theater so that Theater J continues to deepen and expand upon its importance to the local and national community.

COMING NEXT: ONE JEWISH BOY

Stephen Laughton, playwright of ONE JEWISH BOY answers why his play is vital for right now and what message he hopes it teaches:

“ The thing I most worry about, probably the ultimate gesture of this play, is how all the ‘isms’ and ‘(pho)bias’ in our society – that toxicity can ultimately poison our sense of allyship. Jesse (an Ashkenazi Jewish man) and Alex (a biracial woman), the play’s characters, should be natural allies.

Given the communities they come from, they should absolutely be natural allies. But, more often than not, especially when on a defensive keel, we can often fail to find the common ground, we forget about solidarity.”

Playwright Stephen Laughton. Photo Courtesy Times of Israel

The statements, anonymous and attributed, excerpted below as well as those adorning the walls of the theater are in response to questions posed by director Holly Twyford around the themes of Gloria: A Life.

My entire life is a result of the women who came before me, the women of the women's movement, and my work within the women's movement.

My great grandmother brought Margaret Sanger to her synagogue sisterhood group. I have a trans son.

Every one of my life choices is a singular act within the women's movement.

-Anonymous

There are still little girls who need to dream big, who come from families where women are conscripted to a narrow vision of their future; who believe they cannot succeed because it's a "man's world" or a "man's field".

There are so many subtle and not-so-subtle messages still out there - Dobbs being the least subtle - that tell women they ultimately do not control their futures.

That's the importance of and need for a continued women's movement.

-Anonymous

Many of my friends had abortions, some with really terrible stories of illegal procedures. Roe v Wade in 1973 produced palpable relief for all of us.

It helped to liberate my cohort to delay having babies until we were ready. And to still enjoy sexual freedoms.

I don't think we realized until later how profound a liberation from secondclass status it actually was, across the board, in relationships, in careers and professions, in autonomy.

-Anonymous

If the Equal Rights Amendment had been adopted over the last 99 years, I likely would see more women in leadership positions and shifts in gender norms.

For example, the lives of many women of color would likely not be cut short by the terrible maternal mortality rate in this country because they would be better represented in our legislatures and medical systems, which would likely in turn pass legislation or address this problem earlier on.

-Anonymous

As the Me Too movement demonstrated, there is still a need for a women's movement. As we remove the most obvious forms of discrimination against women, we realize that far more subtle discrimination and abuse is still lurking beneath the surface.

I think it will take many more generations to fully address all forms of gender discrimination.

-Anonymous

I lived my entire life with the known privilege of having a safe and affordable abortion as easily available to me as any other necessary medical procedure. And now my heart is broken for the exponential growth in the number of humans without that privilege. I worked as an Ob/ Gyn social worker for 15 years and pregnancy decision-making was a regular part of my work. The lack of knowledge the people who made the Dobbs decision have is painful.

–Anonymous

Add your voice before or after today’s performance to keep the conversation going.

The movement gave me confidence that I had a right to make my own choices, to pursue my dreams and interests, and to succeed in them, and that I and all women are worthy of respect and appreciation for our gifts and humanity.

2022-2023 THEATER J COUNCIL

2022–2023 THEATER J COUNCIL

Rae Grad, Co-Chair

Robert Schlossberg, Co-Chair

Mara Bralove

Bruce A. Cohen*

Nancy Firestone*

Mindy Gasthalter

Ann Gilbert

Cheryl Gorelick

Patti Herman

Daniel Kaplan

Arlene Klepper

Kenneth Krupsky

Stephen Lachter

Karen Lehmann-Eisner

Ellen Malasky

Meredith Margolis

Howard Menaker

Alfred Munzer

Sherry Nevins

Saul Pilchen

Elaine Reuben

Bella Rosenberg

THEATER J HONORARY COUNCIL

Patty Abramson*

Michele G. Berman

Marion Ein Lewin

Paul J. Mason

Hank Schlosberg

Trish Vradenburg*

EDLAVITCH DCJCC 2022–2023 BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS

Daniel Hirsch, President

Johanna Chanin, Vice President

Meredith Margolis, Vice President

Janis Schiff, Vice President

BOARD MEMBERS

Barbara Abramowitz

Janet B. Abrams

Andrew Altman

Joan Berman

Michele G. Berman

Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Jennifer Bradley

Sara Cohen

Jaclyn Lerner Cohen

Eva Davis

Jonathan Edelman

Myrna Fawcett

FOUNDING DIRECTOR

Ginny Edlavitch

DIRECTORS EMERITI

Stephen Altman

Rose H. Cohen

Jill Granader

Martha Winter Gross

Stephen Kelin

VICE PRESIDENT EMERITUS

Lee G. Rubenstein

Evelyn Sandground

Mita M. Schaffer

Lewis Schrager

Terry Singer

Stuart Sotsky

Patti Sowalsky

Manny Strauss

Bob Tracy

Kathryn Veal

Joan S. Wessel

Irene Wurtzel

Jonathan Grossman, Treasurer

David Goldblatt, Assistant Treasurer

Benjamin D. Loewy, Secretary

Meg Flax

Brian Gelfand

Dina Gold

Debra Goldberg

Rena Gordon

Brad Lackey

Sid Moskowitz

Alfred Munzer

Alyson Myers

Melanie Franco Nussdorf

Arnold Polinger

Shannon Powers

Norm J. Rich

Ilene Rosenthal

Michael Salzberg

Rhea Schwartz

Michael Singer

Tina Small

Mimi Tygier

Diane Abelman Wattenberg

Eric Zelenko

Jennifer Zwilling, Chief Executive Officer, Ex Officio

William Kreisberg

Saul Pilchen

Deborah Ratner Salzberg

John R. Risher, Jr.*

Lynn Skolnick Sachs

Mindy Strelitz

Francine Zorn Trachtenberg

Robert Tracy

Ellen G. Witman

DEEPEN YOUR IMPACT

Theater J is dedicated to producing work that illuminates ethical questions of our time, examines the changing landscape of Jewish identities, and celebrates inter-cultural experiences. It is because of you, our community, our audience, our supporters, that Theater J has grown to be “the nation’s most prominent Jewish theater” (American Theatre Magazine). Less than half of Theater J’s budget comes from ticket revenue. We are reliant on generous gifts from audience members like you, who see the value of having a thriving Jewish cultural center in the heart of the city.

We invite you to join your friends and neighbors in supporting our work. With your gift, you’ll be recognizing the vital role Theater J plays in our community–a place where the stories of immigrants are proudly told, where we ask that theater engage both the head and the heart, and where we produce art that reminds you of who you are.

WAYS TO GIVE

Theater J accepts contributions by mail, phone, online, or through stock donation. Checks can be made payable to Theater J and mailed to 1529 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036. For more information or to make a donation visit TheaterJ.org/Donate or contact Emily@theaterj.org or call 202.777.3225.

COMMUNITY ACCESS TICKETS

In order to ensure our work is accessible to people of all socio-economic backgrounds, Theater J has launched the Community Access Ticket program. This allows DC, Maryland, and Virginia EBT cardholders to purchase tickets to any* performance for $5 per person!

HOW IT WORKS:

Bring a valid DC Capital Access card, Maryland Independence Card, or Virginia EBT card with a photo ID to the ticket office to purchase tickets.

Reservations can be made in advance by calling the ticket office at 202.777.3210 or emailing a photo of the EBT card and photo ID to theaterj@theaterj.org with subject line “Community Access Tickets” to have your theaterj.org account setup to purchase Community Access Tickets online.

EBT funds cannot be used as payment.

*Tickets are subject to availability and cannot be combined with any other offer. Valid only on Theater J-produced productions.

A maximum of 4 tickets can be purchased per card per performance.

ACCESSIBILITY AT THEATER J

Theater J, as part of the Edlavitch DCJCC, embraces inclusion in all of its programs and activities. Theater J strives to make our productions accessible to all by providing the following to meet the needs of our patrons, and to enhance their experience at the theater. For more information, please contact our Director of Patron Experience at 202.777.3268 or contact our ticket office at theaterj@ theaterj.org.

ACCESSIBLE SEATING: The Edlavitch DCJCC has ramp access from the Q Street entrance and all 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: Assistive listening devices are free-of-charge and offered on a first-come, first-served basis at all performances.

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

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

Theater J respects and welcomes gender diversity. Please use the restroom which makes you most comfortable or most closely fits your gender identity or expression. An all-gender restroom is located on the Lower Level.

Shekar Directed

FRIENDS OF THEATER J

Theater J gratefully acknowledges the following donors who have given to our 2022-2023 Season since February 15, 2022. This list is current as of February 20, 2023.

Leading Producer ($100,000+)

DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Covenant Foundation

Sponsoring Producer ($25,000–$99,999)

DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities

Susie and Michael Gelman, The Morningstar Foundation

The Government of the District of Columbia

Supporting Producer ($18,000–$24,999)

Bruce A. Cohen*

Patti and Mitchell Herman

Leading Angels ($10,000–$17,999)

Cathy S. Bernard

The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation

Stuart Eizenstat

James A. Feldman and Natalie Wexler

Cheryl Gorelick

Marion Ein Lewin

Sponsoring Angels ($6,000–$9,999)

Anonymous

Michele and Allan Berman

Ann Loeb Bronfman Fund

Susan and Dixon Butler

Myrna Fawcett

Ann Gilbert ¶

Supporting Angels ($3,000–$5,999)

Mara Bralove and Ari Fisher

Embassy of Canada

Johanna Chanin and Randall Levitt

Bunny Dwin

The Robert M. Fisher Memorial Foundation

Mindy Gasthalter ¶

Martha Winter Gross and Robert Tracy

Enthusiasts ($1,000–$2,999)

Anonymous

Suzanne and Enrique Fefer

Gail Ginsberg

Dina Gold

Linda Goldsmith and Howard Berger

Admirers ($500–$999)

Alliance for Jewish Theatre

Marian and James Brodsky

Sharon Dubrow

Michelle and Glenn Engelmann

Wendy Friedlander

Barry Friedman

Devotees ($100 - $499)

Helaine Abitbol and Ros Zinaman

Randi Altschuler

Anonymous

Susan and Alan Apter

Carole and Matthew Ash

Elaine Auerbach

Anthony Bauer

Lisa Bell

Sharon Bernier

Norbert Hornstein and Amy Weinberg

Sari R. Hornstein

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

The Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation

Dianne and Herb Lerner

Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind

The Morgan Fund at the Seattle Foundation

Patricia Payne and Nancy Firestone*

Diane and Arnold Polinger

Bella Rosenberg ¶

Evelyn Sandground and Bill Perkins

Hank Schlosberg

Rae Grad and Manuel Schiffres

Meg and John Hauge

Arlene and Martin Klepper

Karen Lehmann

Howard Menaker and Patrick Gossett ¶

Sherry Nevins

Sandra and Stephen Lachter

Paul and Zena Mason

Jeff Menick

Ellen and Gary Malasky

M. Craig Pascal

Nora Roberts Foundation

Ilene and Steven Rosenthal

Mita M. Schaffer and Tina M. Martin

Michael R. Klein and Joan Fabry

Barry Kropf

Arleen Enid Lustig

Alan McAdams and Ellen Dykes

Vicki Robinson

Gertrude & Lawrence Gichner Fund for the Performing Arts

Helaine Harris and Jody M. Tavss

Lucia and Frederic Hill

Pamela Hunt

The Frank and Marta Jager Foundation

Sandy Bieber and Linda Rosenzweig

Henry Birnkrant

Laura Brown and Stephanie Fosburg

Glenda and Gary Buff

Ellen and Lee Burstyn

Jamie and Stuart Butler

Laurie Calhoun

Leslie Carothers

Wallace Chandler

Nussdorf Family Foundation

Revada Foundation of the Logan Family

Kay Richman and Daniel Kaplan

Share Fund

The Shubert Foundation

Helene and Robert Schlossberg

Barney Shapiro and Susan Walker

The Leshowitz Family Foundation, Terry Singer

Patti and Jerry Sowalsky

The George Wasserman Family Foundation

Saul and Nancy Pilchen

Elaine Reuben, The Timbrel Fund

April Rubin and Bruce A. Ray

Manny Strauss and Betsy Karmin

Dr. Kathryn Veal

Judy and Leo Zickler

Peggy and David Shiffrin

Richard Solloway

Dr. Stuart Sotsky

Les Silverman

The Tides Center Jews of Color Initiative

Joan S. Wessel

Trina and Lee G. Rubenstein

Alfred Sanders

Ann Schwartz

Irvin Wolloch Fund

Alan and Irene Wurtzel

Winton Eaheart Matthews, Jr.

Avis and Ralph Miller

Donald and Lynne Myers

Vicki Robinson

June and Marvin Rogul

David Rutenberg

Leah Chanin

Sarah Cotten

Rosemary Crockett

Drs. Dena and Jerry Puskin

Grace Robinowitz Dody

Alison Drucker and Tom Holzman

Paula Durbin

Evelyn and Barry Epstein

Elise A. Feingold

Lawrence Franks and Ellen Berelson

Kit Gage and Steven Metalitz

Ellen Goldberg

Daniel and Marion Goldberg

Debbie J. Goldman

Stephen Goldsmith

Alan Goldstein

David and Mitchell Goldstein

Dr. Larrie and Joyce Greenberg

Gail J. Gulliksen

Bonnie and Alan Hammerschlag

Esther and Gene Herman

Eric Hissom

David and Stephanie Houseknecht

Carie Jasperse

Brian M. Jones

Karen A. Jones

Elaine Kaplan

Andrea Kasarsky

Lori and Hal Kassoff

Patricia Keig

Lynne Kennedy and Joan Darrah

Melinda Kingsbury

Julia Korenman

Joel Korn

Patricia and John Koskinen

Ellen Kramarow and Jared Garelick

Beth Kramer

Richard and Bonnie Kramer

Susan Kristol

Penney K. Lagos

Sandra Lapietra and Alan Helgerman

Dan Leathers

Dr. Karen Levenback

Karen Lewis

Lynn Lewis

Michael Lewis and Linda Singer

Patricia and Randall Lewis

Elaine Ligelis

Laurie and Len Lipton

Marge London

Sheila Lopez

Amy Lowenstein

Jennifer Madans

Carol Mates and Mark Kahan

Dorothy Mayer

James McGee

Tedd Mendelsohn

Robin Meyer

Kim Mills

Caroline Mindel

Dennis and Laurie Moody

Sally Morell

Cathy and George Murphy

Adrienne Nelson

Ruth and Pedi Neta

Randi and Donn Neurman

Elizabeth Olchowski

James Osteen

John Parascandola

Dana Pashkoff

Elizabeth Peterson

John Peterson

Deborah and Alan Pollack

Jessica Pollner

Bernice Quay

Terry C. Quist

Nancy and Samuel Raskin

Daniel Raviv

Sharon Ritter

Nancy and Herbert A. Rosenthal

Alan Safran

Thomas Saunders

Leslie Scallet

Margaret Schaefer

Amy E. Schaffer

Lois Schiffer

Gena Schoen

Leonard Schreiber

Linda Segal

Sandra Sellers

Howard Shalwitz

Ruth and Phillip Shapiro

Beverly and Harlan Sherwat

Rabbi Sanford H. Shudnow

Peggy M. Siegel

Marla and Ken Singer

Michael Singer and James Smith

Arlene Farber Sirkin

Myrna Sislen

Catherine Solomon

Linda Spector

Rochelle Stanfield and Edward Grossman

Carol Starley

Margaret Hahn Stern and Stephen Stern

Donald and Mary Street

Jay Sushelsky and Noreen Marcus

Charles and Lee Talisman

Peter Threadgill

Jordana Tynan

Daniel Vine

Diane Abelman Wattenberg

Valerie and John Wheeler

Sandra and Jon Willen

Adam Winkleman

Janet and Robert Wittes

Rivka Yerushalmi

*of blessed memory

© 2022 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC.

¶ Denotes a member of the EDCJCC’s Community Pillars program. These supporters have committed to leaving a lasting legacy by including Theater J in their estate planning.

EDLAVITCH DCJCC DONORS

The Edlavitch DCJCC wishes to thank the following donors who enable us to serve the community. This list includes all fiscal year 2023 (July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023) donors who made commitments or donations of $1,000 or more. This list is current as of February 16, 2023. The Edlavitch DCJCC would like to thank all of our donors for the important impact they have on our work.

$100,000+

Diane and Norman Bernstein Foundation ◊

DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities

$50,000 - $99,999

Covenant Foundation

DC Department of Homeland Security

Ginny and Irwin Edlavitch ◊ Federal Emergency Management Agency

$25,000 - $49,999

Johanna Chanin and Randall Levitt ◊ DC Government

Lois and Richard England Family Foundation

Rena and Michael Gordon ◊

Patti and Mitchell Herman ◊

Norbert Hornstein and Amy Weinberg

The Kay Family Foundation ◊

$15,000 - $24,999

Suevia and Rudolph B. Behrend Fund

Michele and Allan Berman

Lisa and Josh Bernstein ◊

Pamela Bass-Bookey and Harry Bookey Charitable Foundation

Bruce A. Cohen*

James A. Feldman and Natalie Wexler ◊

Susan Sachs Goldman ◊

$10,000 - $14,999

Anonymous

Cathy S. Bernard

Marion Ein Lewin

Stuart Eizenstat

Myrna Fawcett

Rae Grad and Manuel Schiffres

Martha Winter Gross and Robert Tracy ◊

$5,000 - $9,999

Babs and Rabbi A.N. Abramowitz

Janet B. Abrams

Monica and Gavin Abrams

Joan and Alan Berman

Jordan Lloyd Bookey and Felix Lloyd

Susan and Dixon Butler

Charles E. Smith Family Foundation

Cyna and Paul Cohen, Sara C. Cohen and Norm J. Rich

Rose and Robert Cohen ◊

Cozen O'Connor ◊

Eva Davis and Justin Kramer ◊

Scott Eric Dreyer and Ellen Clare

Gillespie Dreyer

Jonathan Edelman

Embassy of Canada

Meg and Samuel Flax ◊

Mindy Gasthalter

$2,500 - $4,999

Stephen and Amy Altman

Lynn and Wolf Blitzer

Deborah and Charles Both

Jewish Federation of Greater Washington ◊

Daniel Hirsch and Brenda Gruss ◊

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

Susie and Michael Gelman, The Morningstar Foundation

Sari R. Hornstein

The Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation

The Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation

Dianne and Herb Lerner

Amy and Alan Meltzer ◊

Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind ◊

Diane and Arnold Polinger ◊ Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation

Cheryl Gorelick

Jill and Robert Granader ◊

Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman

Foundation

Sid and Linda Moskowitz ◊

Patricia Payne and Nancy Firestone*◊

Bella Rosenberg

Evelyn Sandground and Bill Perkins

Stuart S. Kurlander and David L. Martin ¶

Karen Lehmann

Thelma Lenkin ◊

The Leshowitz Family Foundation, Terry

Singer

The Morgan Fund at the Seattle Foundation

Edith Gelfand, Jenny and Brian Gelfand ◊

Morgan and Josh Genderson

Ann Gilbert

Michael Glosserman ◊

GMP LLP ◊

Dina Gold

Debra Goldberg and Seth Waxman ◊

Michelle and Jonathan Grossman ◊

Meg and John Hauge

Arlene and Martin Klepper

Sandra and Stephen Lachter

Joy Lerner and Stephen Kelin ◊

Ellen and Gary Malasky

Paul and Zena Mason

Howard Menaker and Patrick Gossett

Jeff Menick

Sherry Nevins

Mara Bralove and Ari Fisher

Nancy Taylor Bubes and Alan Bubes

Susan Cohn

National Endowment for the Arts

Washington Area Community Investment Funds

Nussdorf Family Foundation ◊

Saul and Nancy Pilchen ◊

Kay Richman and Daniel Kaplan

Ilene and Steven Rosenthal ◊

Martha and Philip Sagon Family Foundation

Deborah and Michael Salzberg ◊

The Shubert Foundation

Helene and Robert Schlossberg

The Schoenbaum Family Foundation, Inc.

Rhea Schwartz and Paul Wolff ◊

The Abe & Kathryn Selsky Foundation ◊

Shapiro Family Foundation

The George Wasserman Family Foundation

Norman Pozez and Melinda Bieber ◊

Janis and Philip Schiff ◊

Hank Schlosberg

Richard Solloway

Patti and Jerry Sowalsky

Matthew Watson

Elaine Reuben, The Timbrel Fund

Joan and Barry Rosenthal ◊

April Rubin and Bruce A. Ray

Mita M. Schaffer and Tina M. Martin

Les Silverman

Tina and Albert Small, Jr. ◊

David Bruce Smith

Dr. Stuart Sotsky

Manny Strauss and Betsy Karmin

Mindy Strelitz and Andrew Cornblatt ◊

The Tides Center Jews of Color Initiative

Francine Zorn Trachtenberg and Stephen Joel Trachtenberg ◊

Mimi Tygier and Robert Rubin

Dr. Kathryn Veal

Diane Abelman Wattenberg

Eric Zelenko ◊

Judy and Leo Zickler

Dave Connick Cornerstone Research, Inc.

Bunny Dwin

EDLAVITCH DCJCC DONORS

Embassy of Israel

Jay Freedman

Aviva Kempner

William Kreisberg

Brad and Ali Lackey

Saskia and Benjamin D. Loewy

Johannah and Jeremiah Lowin

$1,000 - $2,499

Dianne Adelberg

Clement and Sandra Alpert Designated Endowment Fund

Anonymous

John Ashley

Joy and Leonard Baxt

Elaine and Richard Binder

Ito Briones and Warren Coates

Toby Dershowitz

Jessica Dodson and Jeremy Levine

Sonnie and William Dockser

Leif Dormsjo

Ilana Marcus Drimmer

Shelley and Adam Ducker

John Edelmann

The EJL98 Charitable Trust, on behalf of Edward Lenkin and Roselin Atzwanger

Margery and Mel Elfin

Suzanne and Enrique Fefer

Lois and Michael Fingerhut

Meredith Margolis and Gary

Goodweather

Carol Mates and Mark Kahan

Alyson Myers

M. Craig Pascal

Trina and Lee G. Rubenstein

Carol Risher

David and Patricia Fisher

Samantha Galardi

Gail Ginsberg

Linda Goldsmith and Howard Berger

Lois and Hadar Granader

Judith Herr

Cragg Hines

Sandra Hoexter

Rob Kallman

The S. Kann Sons Company Foundation, Inc

Irene and Lou Katz

Michael R. Klein and Joan Fabry

The Kresge Foundation

Arleen Enid Lustig

Alan McAdams and Ellen Dykes

Mary Stuart McCamy

Cathy and Scot McCulloch

Rona and Allan Mendelsohn

Morgan Stanley

Peggy and David Shiffrin

Michael Singer and James Smith

Heidi Wachs

Joan S. Wessel

Carolyn and William Wolfe

World Bank Group

Yiddish of Greater Washington

Joan Nathan

Renay and Bill Regardie

Alan Roth and Michael Rodgers

Alfred Sanders

David Schnitzer and Claire Bergeron

Ann Schwartz

Barbara Silverstein and Alan Kirschenbaum

Susan Rubin Suleiman

Lise Van Susteren and Jonathan Kempner

Allison and Daniel Turner

United Way of the National Capital Area

Helene Weisz and Richard Lieberman

Janice White

Janet and Robert Wittes

Anita Wolke and Ken Brooks

*of blessed memory

All of the programs at the Edlavitch DCJCC are supported in part by a generous gift from the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.

◊ These Community Champions have supported the Edlavitch DCJCC's FY23 Annual Fund with generous contributions of $5,000 or more. With their support, the Center’s unique programs continue to grow and remain accessible to everyone in our vibrant community.

¶ Denotes a member of the EDCJCC’s Community Pillars program. These supporters have committed to leaving a lasting legacy by including the EDCJCC in their estate planning.

With the support of our community of donors, the Edlavitch DCJCC remains the premier address in our nation’s capital for an expanding, diverse, and vibrant urban Jewish community.

Consider a tax-deductible contribution to the EDCJCC today. Visit edcjcc.org/support.

By Stephen Laughton