A PLAY BY SHARYN ROTHSTEIN
WITH ORIGINAL MUSIC AND SONGS BY JOEL WAGGONER
BASED ON THE FILM BY JOAN MICKLIN SILVER
DIRECTED BY OLIVER BUTLER
PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION WITH MICHAEL RABINOWITZ AND IRA DEUTCHMAN
MARCH 27 – APRIL 21, 2024
A WORLD PREMIERE
Dear Friends,
Welcome to Theater J and the world premiere of Hester Street, a beautiful stage adaptation by Sharyn Rothstein of Joan Micklin Silver's iconic 1973 film, inspired by Abraham Cahan's seminal Yiddish work Yekl. We were elated when producers Michael Rabinowitz and Ira Deutchman first approached us with the opportunity to produce this world premiere. Hester Street received our 2023 Trish Vradenburg Jewish Play Prize because of its contribution to the Jewish theatrical legacy, and we’re honored to launch this gorgeous play with original music and songs by Joel Waggoner here in our community.
For over thirty years, Theater J's audiences have supported premieres of some of the greatest Jewish playwrights. Theater J's Yiddish Theater Lab has presented readings of dozens of new adaptations of Yiddish plays. Theater J's Expanding the Canon program is at the forefront of developing new plays that highlight the diversity of the Jewish experience. Here at Theater J, just ten blocks north of the White House, a play can have an impact not only on our local community but on the national and international cultural landscape.
In today's world, where division and misunderstanding often prevail, our mission is more vital than ever. Through the transformative power of theater, we strive to foster empathy, provoke thought, and inspire dialogue that transcends cultural and religious boundaries.
We are grateful for the incredible artists, staff, and supporters who have made it possible for us to reach this moment, and we are especially grateful to Michael, Ira, Sharyn, and Joel for allowing Theater J to be a part of the birth of this important work.
As we invite you to immerse yourselves in Hester Street, we also extend a heartfelt invitation to join us for our upcoming 2024-2025 season. Subscribing to Theater J not only ensures you won't miss a single moment of our thoughtprovoking productions but also helps support our mission to bring important voices and stories to the stage.
Thank you for being part of the Theater J family. We are thrilled to have you with us, and we look forward to sharing many more unforgettable moments together.
Warm regards,
Hayley Finn, Artistic Director David Lloyd Olson, Managing Director
FROM THE ARTISTIC AND MANAGING DIRECTORS
B"H 2
THANK YOU TO OUR 2023/2024 SEASON SPONSORS
LEADING PRODUCER
Covenant Foundation
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
SPONSORING PRODUCER
Cathy Bernard
Norbert Hornstein and Amy Weinberg
Sari R. Hornstein
Kay Richman and Daniel Kaplan
The Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation
SUPPORTING PRODUCER
Patti and Mitchell Herman
Dianne and Herb Lerner
Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind
Arlene and Robert Kogod, The Robert and Arlene Kogod Family Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts
Nussdorf Family Foundation
Patricia Payne
Revada Foundation of the Logan Family
Hank Schlosberg* Share Fund
The Shubert Foundation
Helene and Robert Schlossberg
Barney Shapiro and Susan Walker
THANK YOU TO OUR PRODUCTION ANGELS Allshifts
Michele and Allan Berman
James Beller and Christopher Wolf
Myrna Fawcett
James A. Feldman and Natalie Wexler
David and Patricia Fisher
Mindy Gasthalter
Ann Gilbert
Cheryl Gorelick
Meg and John Hauge
Daniel Hirsch and Brenda Gruss
Marion Ein Lewin
Paul and Zena Mason
Jeff Menick
Howard Menaker and Patrick Gossett
Carl and Undine Nash
Mita M. Schaffer and Tina M. Martin
Les Silverman
Richard Solloway
Stuart Sotsky
Manny Strauss and Betsy Karmin
Martha Winter Gross and Robert Tracy
Hester Street is supported in part by the Schlosberg family in memory of Hank Schlosberg.*
Hester Street is part of Theater J's Yiddish Theater Lab, supported by the Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation, the Leshowitz Family Foundation, Terry Singer, and James Feldman and Natalie Wexler.
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.
*of blessed memory 3
Hayley Finn, Artistic Director
David Lloyd Olson, Managing Director
Produced in association with Michael Rabinowitz and Ira Deutchman
WORLD PREMIERE HESTER STREET
A play by Sharyn Rothstein
With original music and songs by Joel Waggoner
Based on the film by Joan Micklin Silver
Directed by Oliver Butler
March 27 – April 21, 2024
Director
Oliver Butler^
Costume Designer
Frank Labovitz
Sound Design
Justin Schmitz+
Production Stage Manager
Anthony O. Bullock*
Associate Director & Choreographer
Nikki Mizra
Lighting Designer
Colin K. Bills+
Props Designer
Scenic Designer
Wilson Chin+
Projection Designer
Patrick W. Lord
Jason Dearing Casting
Eisenberg Casting
Daryl Eisenberg, CSA
Assistant Stage Manager
Rebecca Talisman*
CAST (in alphabetical order)
Joey
Katie Angell
Mamie
Eden Epstein*
Gitl
Sara Kapner*
Bernstein
Michael Perrie Jr.*
Rabbi’s Wife and Others/Instrumentalist
Lauren Jeanne Thomas*
Assistant Stage Manager
Delaney Dunster
Rabbi and Others/Instrumentalist
Jason Cohen*
Jake
Jake Horowitz*
Joe Peltner
Morgan Morse*
Mrs. Kavarsky and Others
Dani Stoller*
Joey Understudy
Alexandra Moore
Hester Street is the winner of the 2023 Theater J Trish Vradenburg Jewish Play Prize
Hester Street runs approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes with a 15-minute intermission.
The video or audio recording of this performance by any means is strictly prohibited.
*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
^Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
EDLAVITCH DCJCC
& CECILE GOLDMAN THEATER • TRISH VRADENBURG STAGE
AARON
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Katie Angell (Joey) is a young actress hailing from Fairfax, VA, who thrives in dance, ice-skating, and acting. She also finds inspiration in playing piano. With several roles in short films and a history in musical theater since age 4, she continues to pursue her passion for acting on stage and on set. Fluent in English and Russian, she's now delving into Yiddish. Katie cherishes moments in Washington DC with her grandmother and adores spending time with her parents and sister. Hester Street is her first large production, and she is very excited and honored to be a part of it.
Jason Cohen* (Rabbi/Instrumentalist/Others) has worked in theatre as an actor, writer, director, musical director, and multi-instrumentalist, frequently in more than one capacity on any given project. With his production company Emmett Productions (EmmettProductionsLLC.com), he created, produced, and currently performs the theatrical concert Great Balls of Fire all around the country, in addition to developing other projects for theatre and film. National tour: Million Dollar Quartet (Jerry Lee Lewis). Regional theater: many, as an actor and/or musical director. Writing: music and lyrics for The Doormen (New York Theater Festival Best Production, Best Score, TheDoormenMusical.com). BFA: NYU Tisch. Jason lives in Manhattan and hotel rooms across the country. JasonCohenOnline.com or @ohyesjayco for more.
Eden Epstein* (Mamie) Broadway: Leopoldstadt (Tony, Best Play). Television: See (Apple TV+), Sweetbitter (Starz). Graduate of NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study.
Sara Kapner* (Gitl) Broadway/Natl Tour: Hollywood Arms, The Band's Visit. Off Broadway: bare. Regional: The Who's Tommy (Denver Center), Rags (Goodspeed), Into the Woods (MUNY), The Addams Family (MUNY), The Diary of Anne Frank (Delaware Theater Center). TV/Film: Smile, A Little Help, The Murder Pact, Twisted Sisters. Sara is a veteran voice actor and has lent her voice to commercials, animated series, video games, audiobooks among others. She is the co-owner of Voiceover Workshop NYC, an education studio dedicated to helping actors start a career in the voiceover sector.
Jake Horowitz* (Jake) is thrilled to be making his Theater J debut! Off-Broadway includes Dutch Masters (Partial Comfort), Julie Taymor’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and King Lear (TFANA), Our Town (Barrow Street), and The Sensuality Party (The New Group). Regionally he played Romeo in Romeo and Juliet at Dallas Theater Center and Aumerle in Richard II at The Old Globe San Diego. He can also be seen in The Vast of Night on Amazon Prime, as well as in Bones and All directed by Luca Guadagnino. Training: The Juilliard School.
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ABOUT THE ARTISTS
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Morgan Morse* (Joe Peltner) is an actor, musician, and writer originally from Connecticut. Selected credits: Southern Comfort (The Public Theater), Once, Godspell, and Stand By Your Man (Ivoryton Playhouse), Once (Cape Playhouse), Bright Star (Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre) and Ring of Fire everywhere from Houston to Vienna. The Porch on Windy Hill, a new play with music that he co-wrote and acted in, has been produced in Connecticut and Chicago and has upcoming productions this year. In addition to theatre, he also writes and performs original music, and makes comedy videos online. Visit linktr.ee/themorsecoda for more info!
Michael Perrie Jr.* (Bernstein) is an Actor/Musician/Writer who’s work has been seen all across North America. National Tours: Million Dollar Quartet (2018), and BUDDY: The Buddy Holly Story (2016 & 2017–18). Regional credits include; Falsettos (RepStage), The Last Match, A Comedy of Tenors, Buddy (Florida Studio Theatre), The Nerd, Hank Williams: Lost Highway, The Full Monty (Maples Rep), Buddy (FloridaRep, Maples Rep, John W. Engeman, TBTS), Million Dollar Quartet (ATI, MMT, Laguna Playhouse, BBBay), Matilda (Engeman Theatre), The Music Man, Beauty & The Beast, The Producers (TBTS), and more. BFA in Acting from Towson University. Upcoming: Beautiful at Olney Theatre Center. michaelperriejr.com
Dani Stoller* (Mrs. Kavarsky and Others) recently made her Theater J debut in This Much I Know this past winter. DC: Which Way to the Stage, Ragtime (Signature Theater, Helen Hayes Nomination Best Supporting Performer); My Body, No Choice (Arena Stage, Helen Hayes Nomination for Best Supporting Performer); As You Like It, Midsummer, District Merchants (Folger Theatre); The Joy That Carries You, The Humans, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Crucible (Olney Theatre Center). She has also performed at Studio Theatre, 1st Stage, Keegan Theatre, and The Kennedy Center. As a playwright her piece, The Joy That Carries You, co-written with Awa Sal Secka, was the winner of the Helen Hayes for Best New Play, and her play Just Great was recently published by Broadway Licensing.
Lauren Jeanne Thomas* (Rabbi’s Wife and Others/ Instrumentalist) is an actor and multi-instrumentalist based in NYC. This is her first show with Theater J and she's so grateful to work with such a talented team! Select credits: The Fiddler in The Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish (Off-Bway, Drama Desk Best Revival), Reza in Once (Nat'l Tour), Goree All-Girl String Band (Off-Bway, NYMF). Lauren's folk/country tribute band Americana Women will be touring the US this year (americanawomen.com). Education: BFA Boston University and LAMDA. Love to Mert and big hugs to Kristin and Kevin for making her feel at home! laurenjthomas.com @taurenlhomas
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Alexandra Moore (Joey Understudy) is ecstatic to be making her professional stage debut! Started professional acting career at 3 years old, appearing in series of commercials including PBS Kids, Amazon Glow, STIHL, USDA Campaign, New York Energy, Suncast, Breeo and DSPO PSA. Has also appeared in several short movies and children’s shows. In her free time enjoys playing viola, soccer, swimming, figure skating and snowboarding. Love and endless gratitude to mom, dad and big brother Chris, Talent Manager Nouveaux Mgmt and her acting coaches at The Prep. Instagram: @_.alexandra_moore._
Sharyn Rothstein (Playwright) is an award-winning playwright. Her plays and musicals have been produced around the country by Manhattan Theatre Club, Ars Nova, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Arena Stage, Raven Theater, Audible and many more. Her book-banning drama Bad Books will premiere at Round House Theatre in 2025. Sharyn is a television writer/ producer, most recently working on the spin-off of the sci-fi drama Orphan Black and working on the hit legal drama Suits for five seasons before that. Her plays have been published by DPS, Samuel French, Playscripts and others. She teaches Television Writing at NYU, and lives in Brooklyn with her husband, two kids and two cats. She is deeply grateful to Michael, Ira, Hayley and Theater J for bringing this show to life, and to the A-team of Joel, Oliver and our supremely talented cast and crew. She is honored to be bringing Joan Micklin Silver’s masterpiece to the stage.
Joel Waggoner (Composer/Music Director) is a singer/ songwriter, composer, performer, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, teacher, and comedian. Broadway: Be More Chill, School of Rock. Off-Bway: A Man of No Importance (CSC), Southern Comfort (Public Theater), The Joel Waggoner Experience (Joe’s Pub). TV: Only Murders in the Building S3. Co-creator of the Instagram sensation Advent Carolndar with Julia Mattison. Original series: Wig Mediums on Broadstream,“$100,000 Pyramid” Season 3. Vocal Arranger: Randy Rainbow, Joe Iconis “Album”, Broadway Bounty Hunter (Off-Bway Cast Recording), Alysha Umphress and Things…Like This (Live at Joe’s Pub). MFA from NYU Tisch. “Unlikely Warrior”, “Gorgine” and “Stable Girl” all avail on music platforms. joelwaggoner.com @joelwaggoner @adventcarolndar
Oliver Butler^ (Director): He/him. Broadway: What the Constitution Means to Me. Co-Artistic Director of The Debate Society: The Light Years (Playwrights Horizons), Jacuzzi (Ars Nova), Blood Play (Bushwick Starr), Buddy Cop 2 (Ontological), Cape Disappointment (P.S. 122), You’re Welcome, The Eaten Heart, The Snow Hen, A Thought About Raya. Off-Broadway: What the Constitution Means to Me (New York Theatre Workshop), Thom Pain (based on nothing), A Bright New Boise (Signature Theatre), The Amateurs (Vineyard Theatre), The Open House (Signature Theatre, Lortel Award Best Play, Obie Award Direction). Regional: The Plot (Yale Rep), The Whistleblower (Denver Center), Thom Pain (Geffen Playhouse), Legacy
ABOUT THE ARTISTS 7
(Williamstown Theatre Festival), Bad Jews (Long Wharf), An Opening in Time (Hartford Stage). International: Timeshare (The Malthouse, Australia). He is a Sundance Institute Fellow and a Bill Foeller Fellow (Williamstown). What the Constitution Means to Me is the most-produced play in America in 2023.
Michael Rabinowitz (Producer) is thrilled to make his lead producing debut with Hester Street. Michael managed Broadway, Touring and International investments for the theater conglomerate, The John Gore Organization (otherwise known as Broadway Across America). The company is the leading developer, producer, distributor and marketer of Broadway theater worldwide. Prior to Broadway Across America, Michael served as the Controller of The Public Theater during the development of notable Broadway transfers such as Fun Home and Hamilton. Michael was an artistic fellow with the McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, New Jersey, during their 2007/2008 season. Michael is one of the founding members of JQYouth, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that serves the mental health needs of LGBTQ youth in-crisis.
Ira Deutchman (Producer) has been making, marketing and distributing films since 1975, having worked on over 150 films including some of the most successful independent films of all time. He was one of the founders of Cinecom and later created Fine Line Features—two companies that were created from scratch and, in their respective times, helped define the independent film business. Currently, Deutchman is an independent producer, and a consultant in marketing and distribution of independent films. He is also Professor Emeritus in the School of the Arts at Columbia University, where he has taught since 1987 and was the Chair of the Film Program from 2011-2015. His current projects include serving as director/ producer of the feature documentary Searching for Mr. Rugoff, and producer of Nickel & Dimed, based on the book by Barbara Ehrenreich and directed by Debra Granik. Hester Street is his first production for the stage.
Wilson Chin+ (Scenic Designer) Broadway: Cost of Living, Pass Over (Drama Desk, Lortel, Hewes Award nominations), Next Fall. Off-Broadway: Jonah (Roundabout), Sunset Baby and A Bright New Boise (Signature Theatre), The Animal Kingdom (Connelly Theatre), This Land Was Made (Vineyard), Space Dogs (MCC, Lortel Award nomination), Teenage Dick (Ma-Yi/Public), Sakina’s Restaurant (Audible). Opera: Turandot (Washington National Opera), Lucia di Lammermoor (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Eine Florentinische Tragödie/Gianni Schicchi (Canadian Opera, Dora Award). Film/television: Pass Over (dir. Spike Lee), “Game Theory with Bomani Jones” (HBO), “Blindspot” (NBC). @wilsonchindesign
Nikki Mirza (Associate Director & Choreographer) she/her, is originally from Southern California, and is now a DC based theatre artist. Her experience as a creative team member and performer deeply influences and informs both her artistry and perspective. Nikki has worked regionally with theatres such as La Jolla Playhouse, Signature Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Round House Theatre, Theater J, Imagination Stage, NextStop Theatre Company, 1st Stage, Constellation Theatre Company, Goodspeed Opera House, Weathervane Playhouse, and Creede Repertory Theatre. She frequently collaborates on projects involving youth and the arts, having worked many TYA contracts as well as in the Entertainment Department at Legoland California. She was recently selected as a 2024 Kennedy Center Local Theatre Artist in Residence for a play she’s writing and developing. nikkimirza.com
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ABOUT THE ARTISTS
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Frank Labovitz (Costume Designer) is excited to return to Theater J, where his previous designs include The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, Something You Did, and The Religion Thing. His designs have appeared on many local stages, including Round House Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Shakespeare Theatre, Studio Theatre, Signature Theatre, Fords Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Constellation Theatre and Pointless Theatre Company. His work has been recognized with multiple Helen Hayes Award nominations, and he received the award for his designs for Little Shop of Horrors with Constellation Theatre and Dreamgirls with Signature Theatre. Thank you Nick!
Colin K. Bills+ (Lighting Designer) he/him/his returns to Theater J, where his most recent designs have been This Much I Know, Gloria: A Life, 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 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.
Patrick W. Lord (Projection Designer) he/him National Tour: On Your Feet, Hairspray. New York: Lincoln Center: Where Words Once Were; White Plains Performing Arts Center: The Bodyguard. DC Area: The Kennedy Center: The Dragon King’s Daughter, Earthrise, Voyagers, Digging Up Dessa, Where Words Once Were; Shakespeare Theatre Company: Hamlet, Twelfth Night; Everyman Theatre: Dinner and Cake; Olney Theatre Center: The World Goes ‘Round, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, A Christmas Carol; Gala Hispanic Theatre: On Your Feet: La Historia de Gloria y Emilio Estefan
¡En Español!, Fame: The Musical; 1st Stage: The Phlebotomist, Columbinus; Synetic Theatre: The Phantom of the Opera; Theatre Alliance: Mnemonic. Regional: Flatrock Playhouse: Girl on the Train, Cinderella, West Side Story, South Pacific; People’s Light: Thurgood; Resident Ensemble Players: In the Heat of the Night. Awards: Helen Hayes Award; Barrymore and B. Iden Payne Nominee. Education: MFA, The University of Texas at Austin. patrickwlord.com @pwlord
Justin Schmitz+ (Sound Designer) is elated to be returning to Theater J! Previous credits: Trayf, The How and the Why, Queens Girl in the World, Broken Glass, Last Night at Ballyhoo, Stars of David: Story to Song. As Assistant: Another Way Home, Body of an American, Brighton Beach Memoirs, The Sisters Rosensweig, and Sons of the Prophet. He has collaborated Off-Broadway with 59E59 Theaters and Round House Theatre, and The Dixon Place Theatre. Regionally: Chautauqua Theatre Company, Cincinnati Playhouse In The Park, The St. Louis Black Rep, among others. Additional credits include various productions at: The Kennedy Center, Signature, Olney Theatre Center, Woolly Mammoth, Studio, Constellation, Gala, Imagination Stage, Round House, Shakespeare Theatre Company, amongst many others. Justin is the Eastern Region Trustee for USA829's LUEB, Co-Chair USA829 Sound Design Committee, Co-Vice Chair TSDCA. Helen Hayes nominations include The Wild Party (Constellation Theatre Company, 2017) and I Call My Brothers (Forum Theatre Company, 2016). justinschmitztheatre.com
Jason Dearing (Props Designer) is excited to be collaborating with Theater J. He is currently the staff prop artisan at Olney Theatre Center. Past credits include Ink at Round House (properties coordinator); The Mortification of Fovea Munson at The
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ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Kennedy Center (prop designer); Godspell at Great Lakes Center for the Arts (prop master); Deafenstein at Gallaudet University and The National Theatre of the Deaf (prop master); The 39 Steps at REP Stage (prop master); and National Players tours 71, 72, and 73 (prop master). www.jasondearingprops.com
Anthony O. Bullock* (Production Stage Manager) is the Resident Production Stage Manager for the 23-24 season. Theater J: This Much I Know, Moses, The Chameleon, One Jewish Boy, Gloria: A Life, 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: Red Velvet, Our Town (Shakespeare Theatre Company); The Pajama Game (Arena Stage); SOUL: The Stax Musical, Twisted Melodies (Baltimore Center Stage); Billy Elliot (Signature Theatre); The Children, The Hard Problem, Cloud 9, Hedda Gabler, Moment, Between Riverside and Crazy, Chimerica, Jumpers for Goalposts, Laugh (Studio Theatre). NYC: The School for Lies (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. BFA from Oklahoma City University. Proud member of AEA.
Rebecca Talisman (Assistant Stage Manager) she/they is delighted to return to the J! 1st Stage: Columbinus, Hero's Welcome, How the Light Gets In; Adventure Theatre MTC: Blueberries for Sal; Arena Stage: Catch Me If You Can, Change Agent; Folger: Everything That Never Happened (workshop); Kennedy Center: Acoustic Rooster’s Barnyard Boogie Starring Indigo Blume (tour), All That You Touch (workshop), Super Cello!, Mosaic Theater: The Vagrant Trilogy, Hooded…, Paper Dolls, Queens Girl in Africa; Olney Theatre: Fiddler on the Roof; Rorschach Theatre: Sing to Me Now; The Second City: The Revolution Will Be Improvised!; Theater J: Becoming Dr. Ruth, The Jewish Queen Lear, Love Sick, Occupant, Talley’s Folly, The Pianist of Willesden Lane, The Wanderers; UrbanArias: Glory Denied; The Juliet Letters, Why I Live at the P.O.; Washington National Opera: Il Trovatore; Williamstown Theatre Festival: Paris, ACTORS! (dir. Jack O’Brien), The Pillowman (dir. Lila Neugebauer), Three Sisters. BFA, Music Composition, Carnegie Mellon University.
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.
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Hayley Finn (Theater J Artistic Director) is an accomplished director and producer with over twenty-five years of experience in professional theater across all aspects of the profession, including producing, directing, casting, education, fundraising, and has been instrumental in creating national partnerships for theaters across the country. Prior to joining Theater J, she was the Associate Artistic Director at the Playwrights’ Center, where she 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 Points 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, a 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) made his stage debut at age five at the Marcus JCC of Atlanta preschool and is now proud to be one of the leaders of the nation’s largest professional Jewish theater. He most recently served 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 has also held positions at Arena Stage, GALA Hispanic Theatre, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and Pointless Theatre. He was an Allen Lee Hughes management fellow at Arena Stage, a Fulbright English teaching assistant in Valmiera, Latvia, and the recipient of two DC Commission on Arts and Humanities Fellowship program grants. He proudly serves on the board of the Alliance for Jewish Theatre (alljewishtheatre.org) and the board of Adas Israel Congregation.
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THEATER J LEADERSHIP
HESTER STREET STAFF
Set Construction: Justin Metcalf-Burton
Administrative Assistant: Grace Carter
Technical Coordinator: Patrick Carter
Head Electrician: Garth Dolan
Yiddish Consultant: Dr. Miriam Isaacs
Fight Choreographer Casey Kaleba
Dialect Coach: Katie McDonald
Young Performer Supervisor: Maggie Polglaze
Set Load-in Crew: Tad Howley, Maia Edmonston-Campbell, Justin Metcalf-Burton, Patrick Carter, Amee Taniyan Barnes, Cristian De La Rosa, and Matty Griffiths
Audio/Video Supervisor: Kaitlyn Sapp
EDLAVITCH DCJCC LEADERSHIP
Edlavitch DCJCC
Chief Executive Officer: Jennifer Zwilling
Chief Financial Officer: Craig Mintz
Senior Director of Institutional Advancement: Emily Jillson
THEATER J STAFF
Artistic Director: Hayley Finn
Managing Director: David Lloyd Olson
External Affairs
EDCJCC Arts Outreach Coordinator: Jacob Ettkin
Director of Patron Experience: Jasmine Jones
Development Executive Assistant: Ryan Muha
Ticket Office Manager: Nino Porter
Marketing Consultant: Rachel / Media
EDCJCC Creative Director: Molly Winston
House Managers and Ticket Office Associates: Sophia Bond, Steve Chazanow, Emily Eason, Cristen Fletcher, Lily Goldberg, Asher Herman, Ted Leibovitz, Cory McConville, Lauren McNeal, Regev Ortal, Robert Reeg, Hadiya Rice, Kaneeka Rice, Sam Rollin, and Mary-Margaret Walsh.
Production
Interim Associate Producer: Charlotte La Nasa
Resident Production Stage Manager: Anthony O. Bullock
Technical Director: Tom Howley
Resident Casting Director: Jenna Place
Resident Props Designer: Pamela Weiner
Education & New Play Development
Education Programs Manager: Hester Kamin
Expanding the Canon Rosh Beit: Sabrina Sojourner
Expanding the Canon Commissioned Writers:, Harley Elias, Zachariah Ezer, Caroliva Herron, Jesse Jae Hoon, MJ Kang, Thaddeus McCants, and Kendell Pinkey
Yiddish Theater Lab Commissioned Writers: Aaron Posner
Teaching Artists: Nayna Agrawa Dr. Debra Caplan, Rick Foucheux, Jen Jacobs, James J. Jacobson, James Carlos Lacey, Tori Niemiec, Caraid O’Brien, Aaron Posner, Sharyn Rothstein, Howard Shalwitz, Bobby Smith, Holly Twyford, and Erin Weaver.
Founding Artistic Director: Martin Blank
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EDCJCC, & THEATER J STAFF
PRODUCTION,
FOR RISING 2ND – 9TH GRADERS
Summer Musical Theater Camp
Students learn acting, voice, and dance technique and musical theater history as they rehearse and perform an hourlong show. These ensemble-based camps are a wonderful way to explore the arts, experience what it’s like to perform in front of an audience, and make lifelong friends!
SESSION 1: THE JUNGLE BOOK
July 1–July 18, 2024 | Final Show: July 18
No camp Friday, July 19
SESSION 2: THE WIZARD OF OZ
July 22–August 8, 2024 | Final Show: August 8
No camp Friday, August 9
9:00 AM–3:00 PM
Go Solar With Uprise! Reach out today! 202-750-5718 www.uprisesolar.com No cost solar options Lower your utility bill up to 80% Send a student to Theater J! Go solar with Uprise and we’ll make a donation to Theater J’s education programs LEARN MORE AND REGISTER AT THEATERJ.ORG/YOUTH-THEATER
AVAILABLE.
NEED-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS
“The most influential Jewish theater company in the nation.”
—The Washington Post
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.
All of the programs at the Edlavitch DCJCC are supported in part by a generous gift from the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.
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FEATURING 50+ FILMS AND CONCERTS
THROUGHOUT DC, MARYLAND, AND VIRGINIA
THURSDAY, MAY 9 6:30 PM
GOLDMAN THEATER
OPENING NIGHT: SEVEN BLESSINGS
JxJ 2024 will open with a screening of Seven Blessings – the winner of 10 Ophir Awards out of 12 nominations in 2023. Director Shaylee Atary will also be in attendance to receive the JxJ Emerging Filmmaker Award and present a pre-show screening of her awardwinning short film Single Light.
SUNDAY, MAY 9 7:30 PM
BETHESDA ROW
SATURDAY, MAY 18 6:00 PM
GOLDMAN THEATER
SUNDAY, MAY 19 4:00 PM
GOLDMAN THEATER
SUNDAY, MAY 19 7:00 PM
GOLDMAN THEATER
SUNDAY, MAY 19 7:30 PM
CAFRITZ HALL
DELEGATION
Three Israeli high school friends take part in a class trip visiting Holocaust sites in Poland – their last time together before going to the army.
POLYPHONY QUARTET
Enjoy masterpieces of the classical repertoire for solo cello and violin, duets and string quartet. The program will conclude with a selection of traditional Arab and Jewish music.
THE MACCABEATS
The Maccabeats have entertained and inspired hundreds of audiences worldwide, from Alabama to (New) Zealand and everywhere in between.
CLOSING NIGHT: RUNNING ON SAND
A glorious comedy about Aumari, a young Eritrean refugee living in Israel, who is about to be deported back to his home country.
THE 21%: THE LIVES OF ARAB CITIZENS OF ISRAEL
Our annual program exploring the daily lives and challenges of Arab citizens of Israel. The program features a screening of Israeli TV show Madrasa (Episode 2 & 3) followed by a conversation.
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SEE THE FULL LINEUP AT J x JDC.ORG TICKETS AND PASSES NOW ON SALE
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 rmuha@theaterj.org and 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.
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2023–2024 THEATER J COUNCIL
Mara Bralove, Chair
Mindy Gasthalter
Ann Gilbert
Cheryl Gorelick
Rae Grad
Patti Herman
Daniel Kaplan
Arlene Klepper
Kenneth Krupsky
Stephen Lachter
Karen Lehmann-Eisner
Ellen Malasky
Meredith Margolis
Howard Menaker
Alfred Munzer
Sherry Nevins
Patricia Payne
Saul Pilchen
Bella Rosenberg
THEATER J HONORARY COUNCIL
Patty Abramson*
Michele G. Berman
Marion Ein Lewin
Paul J. Mason
Hank Schlosberg*
Trish Vradenburg*
Evelyn Sandground
Mita M. Schaffer
Robert Schlossberg
Terry Singer
Stuart Sotsky
Patti Sowalsky
Manny Strauss
Bob Tracy
Kathryn Veal
Joan S. Wessel
Irene Wurtzel
EDLAVITCH DCJCC 2023–2024 BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS
Daniel Hirsch, President
Johanna Chanin, Senior Vice President
Meredith Margolis, Vice President
Norm J. Rich, Vice President
BOARD MEMBERS
Janet B. Abrams
Andrew Altman
Joan Berman
Michele G. Berman
Jordan Lloyd Bookey
Jennifer Bradley
Jaclyn Lerner Cohen
Sara Cohen
Eva Davis
Jonathan Edelman
Myrna Fawcett
Meg Flax
Brian Gelfand
FOUNDING DIRECTOR
Ginny Edlavitch
DIRECTORS EMERITI
Stephen Altman
Rose H. Cohen
Jill Granader
Martha Winter Gross
Stephen Kelin
Dina Gold
Janis Schiff, Vice President
Jonathan Grossman, Treasurer
David Goldblatt, Assistant Treasurer
Benjamin D. Loewy, Secretary
Debra Goldberg
Rena Gordon
Brad Lackey
Meredith Margolis
Joshua Maxey
Sid Moskowitz
Alfred Munzer
Alyson Myers
Melanie Franco Nussdorf
Amie Perl
Arnold Polinger
Shannon Powers
Ilene Rosenthal
Michael Salzberg
Rhea Schwartz
Michael Singer
Tina Small
Mimi Tygier
Diane Abelman Wattenberg
Jessika Wellisch
Eric Zelenko
Jennifer Zwilling, Chief Executive Officer, Ex Officio
William Kreisberg
Saul Pilchen
Deborah Ratner Salzberg
John R. Risher, Jr.*
Lynn Skolnick Sachs
VICE PRESIDENT EMERITUS
Lee G. Rubenstein
Mindy Strelitz
Francine Zorn Trachtenberg
Robert Tracy
Ellen G. Witman
HONORARY DIRECTOR
Barbara Abramowitz
18 *of blessed memory
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, firstserved basis at all performances.
OC
OPEN CAPTIONING
Open Captioning is offered twice for 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.
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.
PHOTOS:
• Page 2: Hayley Finn and David Lloyd Olson. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography
• Page 15: Dani Stoller and Firdous Bamji in This Much I Know by Jonathan Spector. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography. Grant Harrison in Moses by Michele Lowe. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography. Dina Thomas and Nancy Robinette in The Chameleon by Jenny Rachel Weiner. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography.
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THE HATMAKER'S WIFE
INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR
DAN ROTHENBERG
What drew you to THE HATMAKER’S WIFE and type of experience can people expect watching it?
This play reminded me of some of the best work by my favorite filmmakerspeople like Michel Gondry, or Jean-Pierre Jeunet who made Amelie. Lauren Yee moves between worlds with so much humor, with such a light touch – her plays always live half in the imagination and half in the real world. I feel like this is what theater is meant to do! Everyone I’ve shared the play with says they “laughed out loud” when reading it – so it’s that rare play that is boldly funny but has a very tender heart.
As one of the founders of Pig Iron Theatre Company, do you think there is a particular aesthetic lens that you'll bring to the play?
Well, I think that a lot of my work plays with “what is fake and what is real?”
So a lot of my plays are structured similarly to The Wizard of Oz or The Usual Suspects – if I can group those two together, haha – in that there is a layer of fantasy that is tied to a real life story of longing or fear. So part of the fun for the audience is letting the images from the fantasy story deepen the “real” drama – the way you track the oddities of your dreams back to things that are confounding you in day to day life.
What have your design conversations been like in preparation for the play?
I’m loving working with Ivania Stack (costumes) and Misha Kachman (set) –they are bringing exciting references that remind me of the storybook worlds of Maurice Sendak and Roald Dahl. We’re talking a lot about texture and materials, how this play is set in an apartment that was once a Hatmaker’s shop, and the accumulation of eras and forgotten items that we remember from our grandparents’ houses.
Anything else you want to add?
I’m really excited to be directing this play at Theater J, since it’s a play that isn’t, in fact, overtly Jewish in its narrative. I think as a Jewish American of the 20th Century, I slowly became aware of the mish-mash of American and Jewish mythologies that shaped certain corners of our culture – from Superman to Where the Wild Things Are. The piece to me contains a loving evocation of a “Jewish Imaginary,” a kind of conceptual rhyme between the many stories of Jewish longing for home and a contemporary tale of adoption.
COMING NEXT
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FRIENDS OF THEATER J
Theater J gratefully acknowledges the following donors who have supported Theater J since March 1, 2023 through March 1, 2024.
Leading Producer ($100,000+)
Covenant Foundation
Arlene and Robert Kogod, The Robert and Arlene Kogod Family Foundation
Sponsoring Producer ($25,000–$99,999)
Cathy S. Bernard
Sari R. Hornstein
Norbert Hornstein and Amy Weinberg
Kay Richman and Daniel Kaplan
The Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation
Supporting Producer ($18,000–$24,999)
Patti and Mitchell Herman
Dianne and Herb Lerner
Leading Angels ($10,000–$17,999)
James Beller and Christopher Wolf
Michele and Allan Berman
The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
Ann Gilbert¶
Sponsoring Angels ($6,000–$9,999)
Susan and Dixon Butler
Bunny Dwin
Myrna Fawcett
Rae Grad and Manuel Schriffres
Meg and John Hauge
Supporting Angels ($3,000–$5,999)
Allshifts
Mara Bralove and Ari Fisher
David and Patricia Fisher
Howard Menaker and Patrick Gossett¶
Arlene and Martin Klepper
Enthusiasts ($1,000–$2,999)
The Family of H. Max & Josephine
F. Ammerman and Andrew R.
Ammerman
Lisa and Josh Bernstein
Joyce and Fred Bonnett
Nancy and Marc Duber
Ginny and Irwin Edlavitch
Kenneth and Amy Eisen Krupsky
Mindy Gasthalter¶
Admirers ($500–$999)
Anonymous
Michelle and Glenn Engelmann
Arlene Farber Sirkin and Stuart Sirkin
Gail Ginsberg
Meredith Margolis and Gary
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
Robert M. Fisher Memorial Foundation Theater for Youth Fund
Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind
Patricia Payne
Revada Foundation of the Logan Family
Hank Schlosberg*
Shapiro Family Foundation, Inc.
Morgan Fund of the Seattle Foundation
Nussdorf Family Foundation
Cheryl Gorelick
Marion Ein Lewin
M. Craig Pascal
Evelyn Sandground and Bill Perkins
Bella Rosenberg¶
Daniel Hirsch and Brenda Gruss
Betsy Karmin and Manny Strauss
Karen E. Lehmann
Sherry Nevins
Nora Roberts Foundation
Sandra and Stephen Lachter
Ellen and Gary Malasky
Paul and Zena Mason
Jeff Menick
Saul and Nancy Pilchen
Johanna Chanin and Randall Levitt
Debra Lerner and Edward Cohen
Suzanne and Enrique Fefer
Lois and Michael Fingerhut
Alan McAdams and Ellen Dykes
Marcy and Neil Cohen, Ryna Cohen
Dave Connick
Mita M. Schaffer and Tina M. Martin
Joan S. Wessel
Goodweather
Helaine Harris and Jody M. Tavss
Lucia and Frederic Hill
Nancy Limprecht and Rick Haines
Aviva Kempner
Share Fund
The Shubert Foundation
Helene and Robert Schlossberg
The Leshowitz Family Foundation, Terry Singer
James A. Feldman and Natalie Wexler
Diane and Arnold Polinger
April Rubin and Bruce A. Ray
Richard Solloway
Dr. Kathryn Veal
Judy and Leo Zickler
Arnold and Diane Polinger
Ilene and Steven Rosenthal
Les Silverman
Martha Winter Gross and Robert Tracy
George Wasserman Family Foundation
James & Theadora Pedas Foundation
Joan and Barry Rosenthal
Deborah and Michael Salzberg
Ruth and Samuel Salzberg
Lewis Schrager and Frances Marshall
Alfred Sanders
Dr. Stuart Sotsky
Mindy Strelitz and Andrew Cornblatt
Trina and Lee G. Rubenstein
Jean and Michael Kaliner
Ilene Meiseles
Donald and Lynne Myers
Vicki Robinson
June and Marvin Rogul
¶ Denotes a member of the EDJCC's Community Pillars program. These supporters have committed to leaving a lasting legacy by including Theater J in their estate planning.
*of blessed memory
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EDLAVITCH DCJCC DONORS
The Edlavitch DCJCC wishes to thank the following donors who enable us to serve the commnity. This list includes all fiscal year 2024 gifts to date (July 1, 2023 - March 11, 2024) from donors who made commitments or donations of $1,000 or more. The Edlavitch DCJCC thanks all of our donors for the important impact they have on our work.
$300,000+
Diane and Norman Bernstein Foundation
$100,000 - $299,999
Anonymous
Bruce A. Cohen*
$50,000 - $99,999
The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
Covenant Foundation
DC Government
Susie and Michael Gelman, The Morningstar Foundation
$25,000 - $49,999
The Aviv Foundation, Inc.
Cathy S. Bernard
Johanna Chanin and Randall Levitt
Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation
The Dweck Family
Ginny and Irwin Edlavitch
Lois and Richard England Family Foundation
Rena and Michael Gordon
$10,000 - $24,999
James Beller and Christopher Wolf
Bender Foundation
Michele and Allan Berman
Lisa and Josh Bernstein
Bookey Family Foundation
Abby and Andrew Cherner
CIBC Private Wealth Advisors, Inc.
Sara Cohen and Norm Rich, Cyna and Paul Cohen, and Family
Myrna Fawcett
James A. Feldman and Natalie Wexler
Ann Gilbert
Cheryl Gorelick
Rae Grad and Manuel Schiffres
Jill and Robert Granader
$5,000 - $9,999
Janet B. Abrams
Monica and Gavin Abrams
AllShifts
Anonymous
Carol and Gary Berman
Joan and Alan Berman
Jordan Lloyd Bookey and Felix Lloyd
Andrea Boyarsky-Maisel
Mara Bralove and Ari Fisher
Susan and Dixon Butler
Rose and Robert Cohen
Cozen O'Connor
Eva Davis and Justin Kramer
Jewish Federation of Greater Washington
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
Daniel Hirsch and Brenda Gruss
Sari R. Hornstein
Norbert Hornstein and Amy Weinberg
Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF)
Nussdorf Family Foundation
Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation
The Kay Family Foundation
The Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation
Dianne and Herb Lerner
Alfred Moses
Sid and Linda Moskowitz
Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind
National Endowment for the Arts
Patricia Payne
Diane and Arnold Polinger
Martha Winter Gross and Robert Tracy
Patti and Mitchell Herman
JCC Association
Elise and Marc Lefkowitz
Karen E. Lehmann
Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman Foundation
Thelma Z. Lenkin
The Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation
The Leshowitz Family Foundation, Terry Singer
Marion Ein Lewin
Dan Mendelson and Jennifer Loew Mendelson
Bunny Dwin
Cindy Barad Elias
Embassy of Israel
Robert M. Fisher Memorial Foundation
David and Patricia Fisher
Meg and Samuel Flax
Mindy Gasthalter
Edith Gelfand, Brian and Jenny Gelfand
GMP LLP
Dina Gold
Debra Goldberg and Seth Waxman
Susan Sachs Goldman
Michelle and Jonathan Grossman
Samuel G. Rose
Arlene and Robert Kogod, The Robert and Arlene Kogod Family Foundation
Revada Foundation of the Logan Family Share Fund
The Shubert Foundation
Kay Richman and Daniel Kaplan
Ilene and Steven Rosenthal
Martha and Philip Sagon Family Foundation
Deborah and Michael Salzberg
Hank Schlosberg*
Rhea Schwartz and Paul Wolff
Shapiro Family Foundation
The Morgan Fund at the Seattle Foundation
M. Craig Pascal
Saul and Nancy Pilchen
Norman Pozez and Melinda Bieber
Bella Rosenberg
Evelyn Sandground and Bill Perkins
Janis and Philip Schiff
Helene and Robert Schlossberg
The Abe & Kathryn Selsky Foundation
Lisa Silver and Barry Kopit and the Silver Family Foundation
Richard Solloway
Manny Strauss and Betsy Karmin
Meg and John Hauge
Arlene and Martin Klepper
Kenneth and Amy Eisen Krupsky
Stuart S. Kurlander and David L. Martin
Sandra and Stephen Lachter
Gary Laden, Esq.
Joy Lerner and Stephen Kelin
Dale and William Lipnick
Ellen and Gary Malasky
Marshfield Associates
Paul and Zena Mason
Amy and Alan Meltzer
Howard Menaker and Patrick Gossett
*of blessed memory
Jeff Menick
Sherry Nevins
Nora Roberts Foundation
Joan and Barry Rosenthal
Trina and Lee G. Rubenstein
April Rubin and Bruce A. Ray
Lynn and John Sachs
Ruth and Samuel Salzberg Family Foundation
Deserie and Allen Saunders
Mita M. Schaffer and Tina M. Martin
$2,500 - $4,999
Babs and Rabbi A.N. Abramowitz, Wendi and Daniel Abramowitz
Stephen and Amy Altman
The Family of H. Max & Josephine
F. Ammerman and Andrew R. Ammerman
Anonymous
Jamie and Joseph A. Baldinger
Joy and Leonard Baxt
Lynn and Wolf Blitzer
Deborah and Charles Both
Fani and Dan Brandenburg
Susie and Kenton Campbell
Susan Cohn
Dave Connick
Sara Cormeny and Peter Miller
Cornerstone Research, Inc.
$1,000 - $2,499
Eric Adler
Alison Baraf and Aryeh Portnoy
Elaine and Richard Binder
Joyce and Fred Bonnett
Susan and Steven Bralove
Susan Brett and Rob Shesser
Ito Briones and Warren Coates
Marian and James Brodsky
Nancy Taylor Bubes and Alan Bubes
Debra Lerner Cohen and Edward Cohen
Jacqueline and Edward Cohen
Marcy and Neil Cohen, Ryna Cohen
Jeffrey Colman and Ellen Nissenbaum
Peggy and Morris Dahan
Toby Dershowitz
Sonnie and William Dockser
Jessica Dodson and Jeremy Levine
Ilana Drimmer
Suzanne and Enrique Fefer
Daniel Freeman and Rebecca Zylberman
Natalie Friedman and Daniel Winston
Tova Geller
Ellen Gertsen
Bernard Gewirz
Catherine and Micah Gibson
Cathy and Michael Gildenhorn
Rhoda and Daniel Glickman
Linda Goldsmith and Howard Berger
The Schoenbaum Family Foundation, Inc.
Les Silverman
Michael Singer and James Smith
Tina and Albert Small, Jr.
Charles E. Smith Family Foundation
The Sosland Foundation
Dr. Stuart Sotsky
Mindy Strelitz and Andrew Cornblatt
Summit Print & Design, Inc.
Scott Eric Dreyer and Ellen Clare
Gillespie Dreyer
Nancy and Marc Duber
Lois and Michael Fingerhut
Jay Freedman
Leslie and Samuel Kaplan
Aviva Kempner
Stacey Kluck
Tamara Korolnek
William Kreisberg
Brad and Ali Lackey
The EJL98 Charitable Trust, on behalf of Edward Lenkin and Roselin Atzwanger
Saskia and Benjamin D. Loewy
Johannah and Jeremiah Lowin
Meredith Margolis and Gary Goodweather
Audrey Goldstein
Richard and Sue Goldstein
Lois and Hadar Granader
Ronit Greenstein
Erwin Gudelsky
Margaret Hoeger
Sandra Hoexter
Nancy and Steven Jacobson
Rob Kallman
Sandy and Eliot Kalter
Sid Kaplan
Jared Kassoff and Jaime Creighton
Irene and Lou Katz
The Kresge Foundation
Janet Leno and Peter Harrold
Kimberly and Bruce Levin
Jesse and Alyssa Levine
Margery and Sheldon London
Melanie and Hal Marcus and Family
Alan McAdams and Ellen Dykes
Rona and Allan Mendelsohn
Elaine and William Miller
Rachel Moskowitz and Ari Moskowitz
Joan Nathan
Miriam Morsel Nathan and
Harvey Nathan
Gayle and Steven Neufeld
Victoria Odinotska
Ellen and Scott Paseltiner
Francine Zorn Trachtenberg and Stephen Joel Trachtenberg
Mimi Tygier and Robert Rubin
Dr. Kathryn Veal
The George Wasserman Family Foundation
Diane Abelman Wattenberg
Jessika and David Wellisch
Eric Zelenko
Judy and Leo Zickler
Eric and Kathryn Zimmerman
Carol Mates and Mark Kahan
Alyson Myers
Carl and Undine Nash
Shannon and William Powers
Suzanne Priebatsch
Rubin Schron
Peggy and David Shiffrin
United Bank
Debra Vodenos and Samuel Boxerman
Heidi Wachs
Susan Wedlan and Harold Rosen
Joan S. Wessel
Janice White
Carolyn and William Wolfe
Rebecca Wolozin and Louis Beckman
Benjamin Pelton
Amie Perl and Evan Goldman
Renay and Bill Regardie
Rabbi Fred N. Reiner and Susan Liss
Suzanne and Bruce Rosenblum
Linda Rosenzweig and Sandy Bieber
Alfred Sanders
Lewis Schrager and Frances Marshall
Yechiel Schron
Barbara Silverstein and Alan Kirschenbaum
Dale and Alan Sorcher
Mindy and Jeff Sosland
Leslie and Howard Stein
Susan Rubin Suleiman
Lise Van Susteren and Jonathan Kempner
Ziva and Aaron Tomares
Janet B. Weiner
Janyse Weisz
Sharon Wilkes and Robert Kinberg
Carol and Michael Winer
Ellen Witman
Janet and Robert Wittes
Anita Wolke and Ken Brooks
Barbara Yellen and Phil West
Lynda Zengerle
Jennifer Zwilling Rosenwasser and Jon Rosenwasser
With the support from 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. To make a tax-deductible contribution to the Edlavitch DCJCC today, please visit edcjcc.org/donate or contact Emily Jillson at 202-777-3231 or ejillson@edcjcc.org.
BY LAUREN YEE
DIRECTED BY DAN ROTHENBERG JUNE 5–25, 2024
theaterj.org | 202.777.3210 COMING NEXT