PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC
BY JOSHUA HARMON
OCTOBER 30–NOVEMBER 24, 2024
Dear Friends,
When I first read Joshua Harmon’s PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC, I knew we had to bring it to Theater J. Though set in 2016, the play could not be timelier—this story rings with a sense of urgency.
This is the third play of Joshua Harmon’s that I’ve directed. Like many of his plays, PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC is about the contemporary moment, yet previous generations reverberate in the characters–we remain linked to those who came before. In this play, we see the blending of two histories within the marriage of the Benhamous. Charles, who is Sephardi, born in Algeria before his family sought refuge in Paris, is married to Marcelle, whose Ashkenazi family has remained in France for generations.
The play examines assimilation, antisemitism, and how we ask and respond to questions. Where can we feel safe? Where do we truly belong? These are the questions that return. How can they be answered?
I am honored that Theater J is producing the regional premiere of the play. PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC received Theater J’s inaugural Trish Vradenburg Jewish New Play Prize before heading to Broadway and I am so grateful to bring it back home to DC for our community.
I want to thank this incredible ensemble of actors, who have so beautifully embodied these characters, and to our dream team of DC designers who brought the world of the play to life. And I want to thank you for being here. We look forward to sharing this story with you.
Sincerely,
Hayley Finn, Artistic Director
Dear Friends,
For almost 100 years, this building has been a symbol of the resilience of American Jewry. In May 1925, President Calvin Coolidge participated in the ceremonial laying of the cornerstone of this building and in his remarks stated:
"It is easy to understand why a people with the historic background of the Jews should thus overwhelmingly have allied themselves with the cause of freedom. From earliest colonial times, America has been a new land of promise to this longpersecuted race.... they have always come to us, eager to adapt themselves to our institutions, to thrive under the influence of liberty, to take their full part as citizens in building and sustaining the nation, and to bear their part in its defense, in order to make contribution to the national life fully worthy of the traditions they had inherited."
Just three months after President Coolidge's address, more than 30,000 racist and antisemitic members of the Ku Klux Klan paraded through Washington in what the Washington Post described as "one of the greatest demonstrations this city has ever known."
For the first audiences who walked up our granite steps on 16th Street and through the doors of this Jewish Community Center to take their seats where you are now sitting, the pride and joy they may have felt being inside this monumental edifice in Washington was likely tinged with the fear of the nativist populism that was rampant in American politics at that time. Almost one hundred years later, we are seeing a similar nativist populism take root in the French Republic and in American politics.
Community cultural institutions like this one are essential not only to the continuity of the Jewish people but to the continuity of freedom and democracy in this nation and around the world. Together in this space, we create a better understanding of the complexity of the human experience and build a community that values equity, liberty, and diversity. Thank you for being part of our community. We are here today because of the philanthropy of past generations. Please consider making a charitable contribution today so that Theater J can continue to bring our community together in this space for future generations. Find out all the ways to give and the benefits of being a Theater J donor at TheaterJ.org/donate.
See you at the theater.
Yours,
THANK YOU TO OUR 2024/2025 SEASON SPONSORS
LEADING PRODUCER
Covenant Foundation
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
Robert M. Fisher Memorial Foundation Theater for Youth Fund
Arlene and Robert Kogod, The Robert and Arlene Kogod Family Foundation
SPONSORING PRODUCER
Cathy Bernard
Norbert Hornstein and Amy Weinberg
Sari R. Hornstein
The Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation
Dianne and Herb Lerner
Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind
Patricia Payne
Revada Foundation of the Logan Family
Kay Richman and Daniel Kaplan
Hank Schlosberg*
Shapiro Family Foundation, Inc.
Share Fund
The Shubert Foundation
George Vradenburg
Helaine Zinaman and Roselyn Abitbol*
SUPPORTING PRODUCER
The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
Bruce A. Cohen*
Patti and Mitchell Herman
The Morgan Fund at the Seattle Foundation
Nussdorf Family Foundation
Helene and Robert Schlossberg
PRODUCTION ANGELS
Ann Gilbert
Bonnie and Alan Hammerschlag
Sherry Nevins
Paul and Zena Mason
Les Silverman
Stuart Sotsky
Manny Strauss and Betsy Karmin
Joan S. Wessel
Christopher Wolf and James Beller
Judy and Leo Zickler
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 gratefully ackowledges these donors who have supported Theater J since July 2023 through July 2024.
Hayley Finn, Artistic Director
David Lloyd Olson, Managing Director
PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC
By Joshua Harmon, Directed by Hayley Finn
October 30 – November 24, 2024
Director.......................................................................Hayley Finn**
Scenic Designer........................................................Misha Kachman⁺
Costume Designer...................................................Danielle Preston⁺
Lighting Designer.....................................................Colin K. Bills⁺
Sound Designer........................................................Sarah O’Halloran⁺
Properties Artisan Pamela Weiner
Properties Assistant Aiden Galbraith
NY Casting Director Elizabeth Hay
Casting Director Kate Poms
Production Dramaturg Charlotte La Nasa
Assistant Director Tyler Herman
Intimacy Choreographer Sierra Young
Dialect Coach Katie McDonald
Production Stage Manager Anthony O. Bullock*
Assistant Stage Manager Hansin Arvind
Assistant Stage Manager Jordyn Fields
CAST (in alphabetical order)
Irma Salomon............................................................Brigid Cleary*
Young Pierre Salomon.............................................Jeremy Allen Crawford
Charles Benhamou..................................................Ariel Eliaz*
Molly............................................................................Jourdan Lewanda
Adolphe Salomon/Pierre Salomon.....................Stephen Patrick Martin*
Daniel Benhamou/Lucien Salomon....................Ethan J. Miller
Patrick Salomon........................................................Cody Nickell*
Marcelle Salomon....................................................Danielle Skraastad*
Elodie Benhamou.....................................................Dani Stoller*
Voice of Rabbi...........................................................Stephen Russell Murray
The video or audio recording of this performance by any means is strictly prohibited Prayer for the French Republic is three hours including two intermissions.
PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatrical on behalf of Samuel French Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
Originally commissioned by the Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director, Barry Grove, Executive Producer with funds provided by Bank of America and received its world premiere there on January 11, 2022.
PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC is the inaugural winner of the Theater J Trish Vradenburg Jewish Play Prize. Adam Immenwahr, Artistic Director; Jojo Ruf, Managing Director
PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC was developed as part of the Martha Heasley Cox Virgin Play Festival at Magic Theatre in San Francisco. Loretta Greco, Artistic Director
*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
**The Director is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), a national theatrical labor union.
+Member of United Scenic Artists Local 8
Brigid Cleary* (Irma Salomon): has performed extensively in the Washington, D.C. area: Arena Stage, Round House Theatre, Signature Theatre, Studio Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, Kennedy Center (Shear Madness) Taffety Punk’s Riot Grrl’s Trojan Women, and over 40 productions at Olney Theatre Center for the Arts spanning over 4 decades, most recently as Ashlee in Clare Barron’s Dance Nation. She played Homebody in the production of Tony Kushner’s Homebody/Kabul directed by John Vreeke, co-produced by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and Theater J. Other Theater J credits include Bal Masque, Sons of the Prophet, and Sotto Voce. A 4 time Helen Hayes nominee, Brigid made her West Coast debut at the Mark Taper Forum in Lisa Loomer’s Expecting Isabel, for which she received a Garland Award and Ovation Award nomination, reprising roles she played in the Arena Stage world premiere.
Jeremy Allen Crawford (Young Pierre Salomon): is excited to be making his Theater J debut in Prayer for the French Republic! Recent Credits include American Psycho (Monumental Theatre Company), Sing Down the Moon: Appalachian Wonder Tales, Junie B. Jones (Adventure Theatre MTC), Shakespeare in Love (Keegan Theatre), Little Women, Lucky Stiff (NextStop Theatre Company), Rent (Iron Crow Theatre), Goldilocks, Atlantis, The Treasure Quest, The Birthday Curse (English Musicals Korea). Training: Catholic University B.M. in Musical Theatre. @jeremy.crawford.99
Ariel Eliaz* (Charles Benhamou) Ariel’s theater credits include John Proctor in The Crucible; Tom Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie; James Bates in Book of Days; Lenny Ganz in Rumors. Ariel’s film and television credits include The Chosen (Angel Studios), Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War (Netflix), Matlock (Paramount), The Hunt (Universal), Power Book III (STARZ) The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon), Low Tide (A24), Snowfall (FX), Shiva Baby (SXSW), S.W.A.T. (CBS), Blacklist (NBC), Blue Bloods (CBS), The Kill Room (Shout!) Gotham (FOX), Homeland (SHOWTIME), Bull (CBS), Macgyver (CBS), among others. Ariel is fluent in English, Hebrew, and Italian.
Jourdan Lewanda (Molly) is a Chicago-based actor (and Olney, MD native) making her DC debut! Chicago: you know, that Bakery out in Bensonhurst... (Rivendell Theatre Ensemble), Our Dear Dead Drug Lord (Steep Theatre u/s), Marie Antoinette and the Magical Negroes (Story Theatre u/s), 2 unfortunate 2 travel (Prop Thtr), COWBOY PLAY (Interrobang Theatre Project), May Day (Rhinofest). Regional: Life Sucks, The Old Man and the Old Moon (Dobama Theatre) Pinocchio, Charley's Aunt, The Jungle Book (Peterborough Players). OTHER: The Enchanted (Book by John Kander and Greg Pierce) Education: Oberlin College, NTI at Moscow Art Theatre School. jourdanlewanda.com.
Stephen Patrick Martin* (Adolphe Salomon/Pierre Salomon): is honored and grateful to be returning to Theater J for this production of Prayer for the French Republic. His Theater J credits include Broken Glass, After the Fall, The Seagull on Sixteenth Street, and Andy and the Shadows. Some of Martin’s more recent credits include Agamemnon in The Oresteia at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company where he has also played Otto Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank and Van Helsing in Dracula. Last fall he played the Old Shepherd and Antigonus in The Winter’s Tale at Folger Theatre where he has also performed in Hamlet and Henry VIII. Prior to these he had the pleasure of playing the title role in Ben Butler at Washington Stage Guild and Andrew Undershaft in Major Barbara at the same. Martin has performed at other area theaters including Arena Stage, Delaware Theatre Co., Everyman Theatre, ExPats Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, Round House Theatre, Signature Theatre and The Shakespeare Theatre Co. Martin is a graduate of The Shakespeare Theatre’s Academy for Classical Acting and a proud member of Actors' Equity Association. He and his beautiful wife Vallerie live in Cheverly, MD.
Ethan J. Miller (Daniel Benhamou/Lucien Salomon): Ethan is thrilled to be back at Theater J playing Daniel in Prayer for the French Republic. Past Theater J shows include: This Much I Know (Harold). Other regional credits include: The Waverly Gallery (1st Stage), The Chosen (1st Stage, Helen Hayes Nomination), The Last Match (1st Stage, Helen Hayes Nomination), Macbeth (The Drunk Shakespeare Society). Other theater credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Theater at Monmouth), As You Like It (The Theater at Monmouth). Film credits include: Citified (Blue Rocket Productions), Devils (West Egg Media). Education: University of Minnesota Guthrie BFA Program.
Cody Nickell* (Patrick Salomon): is excited to return to Theater J where he was previously seen in Tuesdays With Morrie. Other DC credits include: Folger Theatre: The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest (produced by Round House Theatre), The Merry Wives of Windsor, Antony and Cleopatra, Mary Stuart, The Taming of the Shrew (Helen Hayes nomination), Arcadia (Helen Hayes nomination), The School For Scandal, Macbeth; Shakespeare Theatre Company: Richard III, The School For Lies (Helen Hayes nomination), Romeo and Juliet; Round House Theatre: Ink (Helen Hayes Nomination), we declare you a terrorist (World Premiere), Curious Incident…, Oslo; Woolly Mammoth Theatre (Company Member): The Nosebleed, Botticelli in the Fire, Stupid F***ing Bird (World Premiere), Clybourne Park (Helen Hayes nomination). Other regional credits include plays at Santa Cruz Shakespeare, Portland Center Stage, Syracuse Stage, Playmakers Repertory Company, San Jose Repertory Theatre, The Wilma Theatre, Arden Theatre Company, Capitol Repertory Theatre, and Gulfshore Playhouse (Artistic Associate for three seasons). Cody’s work also includes film, television and voiceovers.
Danielle Skraastad* (Marcelle Salomon): Broadway: All My Sons. Off Broadway: Anon and Paris (The Atlantic) Moundbuilders (Signature), Hurricane Diane (NYTW/WP), Architecture of Becoming (WP), IHO (Signature/The Public) and The Wake (The Public) A Bright Room Called Day (The Public), The Pain and the Itch (Playwrights Horizons), Big Times (W.E.T.), Lidless (Page 73) Regionally Danielle has worked at People's Light, Miami New Drama, Ancram OperaHouse, The Studio Theater, Premiere Stages, Two River Theater, Berkeley Rep, Cleveland Playhouse, Gulfshore Playhouse, The Kirk, Berkeley Rep, Capital Rep/Albany, ACT/Seattle, StageWorksHudson, The Human Festival and more…Film/TV: 27 Dresses, Draw Up and Stare, Hard Sell, Michael Clayton, Succession, Speed Mating, SVU, L&O, Unforgettable, Mercy, Fringe. MFA NYU
Dani Stoller* (Elodie Benhamou): is a performer and playwright from Brooklyn, New York. Past Theater J credits include This Much I Know and Hester Street. DC credits include: Which Way to the Stage, Ragtime (Signature Theatre, Helen Hayes Nomination for 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. Playwriting credits: Easy Women Smoking Loose Cigarettes (Signature Theater) Just Great: an adaptation of some book by F Scott Fitzgerald (recently published by Broadway Licensing), The Voices of Blackwell Island, The Possumneck Playhouse Presents... (Signature Theater SIS Program), Girlhood (Round House Theatre TPC commission), The Joy That Carries You, co-written with Awa Sal Secka (Olney Theatre Center, Winner of the Helen Hayes Charles MacArthur Award for Best New Play) Education: BFA Ithaca College, MFA CUA Upcoming SIS Commission: Failureland at Signature Theatre.
Joshua Harmon (Playwright): Plays include Bad Jews, Significant Other, Admissions, Skintight, and Prayer for the French Republic. He and Sarah Silverman co-wrote the libretto for The Bedwetter based on her memoir. His plays have been produced on Broadway and the West End; off-Broadway at Roundabout Theatre Company, Lincoln Center Theater, Manhattan Theater Club and Atlantic Theater Company; across the country at Geffen Playhouse, Speakeasy, Studio Theatre, Theater Wit, About Face, Actor's Express, and The Magic, among others; and internationally in a dozen countries. He is a two-time MacDowell fellow and an Associate Artist at Roundabout. Graduate of Juilliard.
Hayley Finn** (Director): See bio on page 11.
Misha Kachman+ (Scenic Designer): has worked at Arena Stage, Asolo Rep, Baltimore Center Stage, Berkeley Rep, Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cleveland Playhouse, Court Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Olney Theatre Center, Opera Royal Versailles, Pasadena Playhouse, Portland Center Stage, Rattlestick Theatre, Round House Theatre, Seattle Opera, Seattle Rep, Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, Signature Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Theatre for a New Audience, The Wilma Theater, Woolly Mammoth, 59E59 Theaters and
many other companies in the United States and abroad. Misha’s previous Theater J credits include The Odd Couple, The New Jerusalem, Lost in Yonkers, Race, Our Class and This Much I Know, among many others. Mr. Kachman is a Helen Hayes Award recipient and a Company Member at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, as well as an Associate Artist at Olney. He is a graduate of the Academy of Theatre Arts in St. Petersburg, Russia. Misha serves as Professor and Head of MFA in Design at University of Maryland. For more information visit www.mishakachman.com.
Danielle Preston+ (Costume Designer): Theater J: This Much I Know, The Chameleon, One Jewish Boy, The How & The Why, The Christians, Roz & Ray. DC: The Sensational Sea Minkettes (Woolly Mammoth), Fat Ham, Clyde's, The Mis-edumacation of Dorian Belle (Studio Theatre), Passing Strange, Penelope (Signature Theatre), A Good Indian Boy (Olney Theatre), Regional: Blues for an Alabama Sky (Barrington Stage), Locomotion (Children's Theatre Company), Schoolgirls: Of the African Mean Girls Play, The Realness (Hangar Theatre) Education: MFA in Costume Design, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, daniellepreston.com @danielleprestondesign
Colin K. Bills+ (Lighting Designer): he/him/his returns to Theater J, where his most recent designs have been Hester Street, 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.
Sarah O’Halloran+ (Sound Designer): is a sound designer and composer. Her theater credits include Theater J: This Much I Know, The Chameleon, Gloria: A Life, Nathan the Wise, Compulsion, 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, 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): Theater J: How to be a Korean Woman, The Hatmaker’s Wife, Hester Street, 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.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Manhattan Theatre Club: Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, MTC has become one of the country's most prominent and prestigious theatre companies. The mission of MTC, since 1972, has been to produce innovative theatre of the highest quality by American and International playwrights, with a focus on presenting New York, American, and world premieres. Over more than four decades, MTC productions have earned numerous awards including 7 Pulitzer Prizes, 28 Tony Awards, 50 Drama Desk Awards and 49 Obie Awards. Some of our most recent premieres include Prayer for the French Republic by Joshua Harmon; Cost of Living by Martyna Majok; The Collaboration by Anthony McCarten; Summer, 1976 by David Auburn; Skeleton Crew by Dominique Morisseau; Morning Sun by Simon Stephens; Lackawanna Blues by Ruben Santiago Hudson; My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout, adapted by Rona Munro; Ink by James Graham; Choir Boy by Tarell Alvin McCranev; and August Wilson's Jitney. For more information on MTC, please visit www. ManhattanTheatreClub.com
SONG CREDITS
“Forever Young”
Words and music by Bob Dylan
© Universal Tunes (SESAC)
Not for broadcast transmission
“I Thought About You”
Written by James Van Heusen and Johnny Mercer
Published by Range Road Music Inc. (ASCAP) and WC. Music Corp. (ASCAP). All rights reserved. Used with permission from Round Hill Music and Warner Chappell Music.
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.
PHOTOS:
• Page 2: Hayley Finn. Photo by Josh Olson
• Page 3: David Lloyd Olson. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography
• Page 4: (Top to Bottom) Grant Harrison in Moses by Michele Lowe. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography. Maboud Ebrahimzadeh and Tyler Herman in The Hatmaker's Wife by Lauren Yee. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography. Sara Kapner, Jake Horowitz, and Michael Perrie Jr. in Hester Street A play by Sharyn Rothstein, with original music and songs by Joel Waggoner, based on the film by Joan Micklin Silver. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography. (Left to Right) Firdous Bamji, Ethan J. Miller, and Dani Stoller in This Much I Know by Jonathan Spector. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography.
• Page 12: (Clockwise from Left) Jason Cohen, Morgan Morse, and Lauren Jeanne Thomas in Hester Street. A play by Sharyn Rothstein, with original music and songs by Joel Waggoner, based on the film by Joan Micklin Silver. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography. Iris Bahr in See You Tomorrow. Photo by Jacob Ettkin. Sun Mee Chomet in How To Be a Korean Woman. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography. (Left to Right) Arielle Moore, Dina Thomas, Eric Hissom, Emma Wallach, Sarah Corey, and Nancy Robinette in The Chameleon by Jenny Rachel Weiner. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography.
Hayley Finn** (Theater J Artistic Director) (she/her/hers) 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. Most recently at Theater J, she directed the regional premiere of Jonathan Spector's This Much I Know.
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) 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.
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 theater-going experiences.
The Edlavitch DCJCC embraces inclusion in all its programs and activities. We welcome and encourage the participation of all people, regardless of their background, sexual orientation, abilities, or religion, including interfaith couples and families.
All of the programs at the Edlavitch DCJCC are supported in part by a generous gift from the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.
EDLAVITCH DCJCC LEADERSHIP
Edlavitch DCJCC
Chief Executive Officer: Jennifer Zwilling
Chief Finance and Administrative Officer: Charlie Winters
Chief Experience Officer: Jesse Bordwin
Senior Director of Institutional Advancement: Emily Jillson
THEATER J STAFF
Artistic Director: Hayley Finn
Managing Director: David Lloyd Olson
Production
Production Manager: Mark T. Berry
Technical Director: Tom Howley
Associate Producer: Charlotte La Nasa
Technical Coordinator: Willow McFatter
Company Management Associate: Grace Carter
Head Electrician: Garth Dolan
Properties Artisan: Pamela Weiner
Properties Assistant: Aiden Galbraith
Scenic Charge: Danielle Harris
External Affairs
EDCJCC Arts Marketing Manager: Jill Gershenson
EDCJCC Arts Marketing Coordinator: Byron Escobar
Director of Patron Experience: Jasmine Jones
Development Executive Assistant: Ryan Muha
Ticket Office and Front of House Manager: Nino Porter
Assistant Ticket Office Manager: Lauren McNeal
Marketing Consultants: Rachel Hewitt, Adriana Cisneros Emerson, and Jasmine Jones, Rachel Media
Publicist: Kendra Rubinfeld and Travis Hare, Kendra Rubinfeld PR
Graphic Design: Molly Winston
House Managers and Ticket Office Associates: Sophia Bonde, Steve Chazanow, Emily Eason, Allen Eldridge, Lily Goldberg, Sarah Moosadzeh, Robert Reeg, Hadiya Rice, Kaneeka Rice, Sam Rollin, Alia Schreiber-Goldstein, and Mary-Margaret Walsh.
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, and Kendell Pinkey
Teaching Artists: Rebecca Berman, Erin Cleary, Nikki Crawford, Noah Israel, Jen Jacobs, James Carlos Lacey, Aaron Posner, Lynette Talya Rathnam, Howard Shalwitz, Jamie Steinman, Holly Twyford, and Erin Weaver.
Founding Artistic Director: Martin Blank
PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC STAFF
Head Electrician: Garth Dolan
Load-in Crew: Barrett Doyle, Nico von Friedeburg, Alexander Hewlett, Tad Howley, Justin Metcalf-Burton, Taylor Stewart, Kendall Wieneck
Scenic Construction: Justin Metcalf-Burton
Scenic Painter: Sarah Phillips-Hooley
Casting Director: Kate Poms
Audio Engineer: Kaitlyn Sapp
Soundboard Operator: Quincy Fuller
Weekday Lightboard Operator: Willow McFatter
Weekend Lightboard Operator: Megan Amos
Lightboard Programmer: Dominic DeSalvio
Wardrobe Manager: Cheyenne Hill
2024–2025 THEATER J COUNCIL
Mara Bralove, Chair
Mindy Gasthalter
Ann Gilbert
Cheryl Gorelick
Rae Grad
Patti Herman
Aimee Imundo
Daniel Kaplan
Arlene Klepper
Liz Kleinrock
Kenneth Krupsky
Stephen Lachter
Karen Lehmann-Eisner
Ellen Malasky
Meredith Margolis
Howard Menaker
Alfred Munzer
Sherry Nevins
Patricia Payne
THEATER J HONORARY COUNCIL
Patty Abramson*
Michele G. Berman
Bunny Dwin
Lois Fingerhut
Marion Ein Lewin
Paul J. Mason
Evelyn Sandground
Hank Schlosberg*
Saul Pilchen
Bella Rosenberg
Mita M. Schaffer
Robert Schlossberg
Terry Singer
Stuart Sotsky
Manny Strauss
Bob Tracy
Kathryn Veal
Trish Vradenburg*
Patti Sowalsky
Joan S. Wessel
Irene Wurtzel
EDLAVITCH DCJCC 2024–2025 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Johanna Chanin, President
Eva Davis, Vice President
Meredith Margolis, Vice President
Janis Schiff, Vice President
Janet B. Abrams
Olufunmike Adeyemi
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
Daniel O. Hirsch
Jonathan Grossman, Treasurer
Amie Perl, Assistant Treasurer
Benjamin Loewy, Secretary
Daniel Glickman
Dina Gold
Debra Goldberg
David Goldblatt
Rena Gordon
Brad Lackey
Joshua Maxey
Alyssa Moskovitz
Sid Moskowitz
Alfred Munzer
Alyson Myers
Melanie Franco Nussdorf
Amie Perl
Arnold Polinger
Shannon Powers
Norm Rich
Ilene Rosenthal
Michael Salzberg
Max Sandler
Rhea Schwartz
Michael Singer
Tina Small
Mimi Tygier
Diane Abelman Wattenberg
Jessika Wellisch
Eric Zelenko
Jennifer Zwilling, Chief Executive Officer, Ex Officio
Stephen Kelin
William Kreisberg
Saul Pilchen
John R. Risher Jr.*
Lynn Skolnick Sachs
VICE PRESIDENT EMERITUS
Lee G. Rubenstein
HONORARY DIRECTOR
Barbara Abramowitz
Deborah Ratner Salzberg
Mindy Strelitz
Francine Zorn Trachtenberg
Robert Tracy
Ellen G. Witman
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 available at our Ticket Office. They are free-ofcharge and offered on a first-come, first-served basis at all performances.
OPEN CAPTIONING
Captions will be offered at three shows this production. Contact the Ticket Office and selected dates. Captioning sponsored by Dianne and Herb Lerner
LARGE PRINT PROGRAMS
Large print programs are available at our Ticket Office, located on the first floor. Or read a low vision digital program on your mobile device by scanning the QR code outside the theater.
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.
THE IMPORTANCE OF JEWISH TIME
Prayer for the French Republic asks implicitly and explicitly: how does one’s Jewish identity affect their relationship to place? Characters navigate the challenges, dangers, and opportunities of being identifiably Jewish in a variety of places. They wonder: what does it mean to “look Jewish” in this place? Where are we safe?
Interestingly, as the play explores the complexities of the where of Jewish identity, it simultaneously explores the when of Jewish identity. Throughout the play, the characters celebrate Shabbat, Passover, and Chanukah, grounding the play not only in Jewish space, but also into Jewish time. Perhaps, Jews are not always safe in their current geography. However, Jews have used the calendar to carve a space for themselves in time.
Shabbat, Passover, and Chanukah are poignant choices to make such a statement. Shabbat is the way Jews have structured their weeks for millennia. In his beautiful book, The Sabbath, theologian Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel describes how Shabbat creates a palace in time. Even when we might struggle to build palaces in place, we can create meaning through intentional use of time.
Passover and Chanukah are holidays of overcoming oppression: Passover celebrating the Exodus from slavery, and Chanukah celebrating the defeat of a Hellenist army. Each holiday, in its own way, celebrates complex and often contradictory Jewish identities in the face of forces that would see Judaism fully assimilated or erased.
Importantly, none of the holiday celebrations in Prayer for the French Republic are strictly traditional. Each character relates to the holidays differently based on differing backgrounds, and the holidays are also often the times of deep conflict. However, in carving space for Jewish time, they create a safety in time when safety in space feels precarious. The palaces of time continue to welcome Jews of all backgrounds and identities.
BY RABBI ATARA COHEN, DIRECTOR OF JEWISH LIFE AND LEARNING AT THE EDLAVITCH DCJCC
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.
TINY LIGHTS
BY HESTER KAMIN
My first memory is sitting in front of a black and white TV, watching a giant face appear in clouds of smoke and cry, “I am the great and powerful Wizard of Oz!” I remember it then, and I remember the first time I saw it in brilliant Technicolor, and the first time I read the book, and the first time I saw it on the big screen. The impact The Wizard of Oz had on my life, and on our common cultural reference, is immeasurable. We can all summon the Wicked Witch’s laugh. The flying monkeys. The ruby slippers.
Stories are how we understand the world. And everyone remembers the stories we first heard as children that became a cultural touchstone for the rest of our lives. For many people, these were the folktales of Isaac Bashevis Singer, which are as funny and touching today as when they appeared in 1966 and brought the magical world of Jewish folklore into mainstream American life. They are tales of adversity and courage, poverty and community, finding a light in the dark. Not everyone has been told to take their prized goat to the market, but everyone does understand what it is argue with their parents, to go out in lousy weather, and to develop unexpected friendships.
In our age of fast fashion, of liking and swiping and ghosting, of cancel culture and fake news and doomscrolling, it’s the stories that last. They remind us who we are and where we’re from. We invite you to join us this December to see Aaron Posner and Erin Weaver’s beautiful and hilarious production of Tiny Lights, based on three Isaac Bashevis Singer stories. As you watch the spirited actors, Zlateh the Goat and Dreidl the Parakeet and Noah come to life again, glowing gold with stage lights and with our memories of when we first met and loved them, all those years ago.
Click your heels together three times: there’s no place like home.
TINY LIGHTS plays in Cafritz Hall on Saturday, December 7 at 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM; Sunday, December 8 at 3:00 PM; Saturday, December 14 at 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM; and Sunday, December 15 at 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM.
This Fall, JxJ’s programming will highlight cultural bridge building – both through the arts, and through our cross-community alliances. Tickets are available now!
DARYL DAVIS & SETH KIBEL — JEWISH RECORD LABELS OF AMERICAN ROOTS
MUSIC
Sunday, November 3, 11:30 AM
Daryl Davis and Seth Kibel celebrate the music produced by a number of highly influential record labels run by Jewish record producers. You can bring the little ones to dance with the band – Children under 7 years old attend free of charge.
A REAL PAIN
Tuesday, November 12, 7:30 PM
Mismatched cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple’s old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.
CITIZEN WEINER
Thursday, November 7, 7:30 PM
Zack Weiner and his friend Joe embark on a unique project: to make a film about running for city council, while actually running for city council. Through some unconventional tactics, Zack sees his local campaign explodes into a national scandal.
CENTERED: JOE LIEBERMAN
November 17–21, 2024
Joe Lieberman, the first Jewish person to be a Vice Presidential candidate on a major party ticket in the US, is celebrated for putting principles above party. This timely feature doc chronicles Lieberman’s extraordinary journey, his 40+ years of public service and the depth of his commitment to the American people.
FRIENDS OF THEATER J
Theater J gratefully acknowledges the following donors who have given to Theater J from September 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024.
Leading Producer ($100,000+)
Covenant Foundation+
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
Sponsoring Producer ($25,000–$99,999)
Cathy S. Bernard 0
Norbert Hornstein and Amy Weinberg 0
Sari R. Hornstein
Daniel Kaplan and Kay Richman + The Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation
Supporting Producer ($18,000–$24,999)
The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
Bruce A. Cohen*
Leading Angels ($10,000–$17,999)
James Beller and Christopher Wolf
James A. Feldman and Natalie Wexler
Cheryl Gorelick
Marion Ein Lewin
Sponsoring Angels ($6,000–$9,999)
Michele and Allan Berman
Susan and Dixon Butler
Ann Gilbert ¶
Rae Grad and Manuel Schiffres
Meg and John Hauge
Supporting Angels ($3,000–$5,999)
The Family of H. Max & Josephine
F. Ammerman and Andrew R. Ammerman
Mara Bralove and Ari Fisher
Bonnie and Louis Cohen
Clark-Winchcole Foundation
Bunny Dwin
Lois and Michael Fingerhut
Patricia and David Fisher
Mindy Gasthalter ¶
Enthusiasts ($1,000–$2,999)
Joyce and Fred Bonnett
Johanna Chanin and Randall Levitt
Debra Lerner Cohen and Edward Cohen
Marcy and Neil Cohen, Ryna Cohen
Linda Goldsmith and Howard Berger
Michael Gross
Robert M. Fisher Memorial Foundation Theater for Youth Fund Δ
Arlene and Robert Kogod, The Robert and Arlene Kogod Family Foundation
Dianne and Herb Lerner 0
Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind Δ +
Patricia Payne 0
Revada Foundation of the Logan Family
Hank Schlosberg*
Shapiro Family Foundation, Inc. Δ Share Fund Δ
The Shubert Foundation
George Vradenburg 0
Helaine Zinaman and Roselyn Abitbol*
Patti and Mitchell Herman Δ
The Morgan Fund at the Seattle Foundation 0
M. Craig Pascal
Diane and Arnold Polinger
Bella Rosenberg ¶
April Rubin and Bruce A. Ray
Bonnie and Alan Hammerschlag
Daniel Hirsch and Brenda Gruss
Karen E. Lehmann
Sherry Nevins
Nora Roberts Foundation
Martha Winter Gross and Robert Tracy
Arlene and Martin Klepper
Barry Kropf
Sandra and Stephen Lachter
Ellen and Gary Malasky
Paul and Zena Mason
Howard Menaker and Patrick Gossett ¶
Jeff Menick
Undine and Carl Nash
Saul and Nancy Pilchen
Hillel Kaye
Meredith Margolis and Gary Goodweather
Mary Lynne Martin
Alan McAdams and Ellen Dykes
Morgan Stanley Foundation
Trina and Lee G. Rubenstein
Nussdorf Family Foundation Δ Helene and Robert Schlossberg
Evelyn Sandground and Bill Perkins
The Leshowitz Family Foundation, Terry Singer +Δ
April Rubin and Bruce A. Ray
Manny Strauss and Betsy Karmin
Dr. Kathryn Veal + Judy and Leo Zickler
Ilene and Steven Rosenthal
Mita M. Schaffer and Tina M. Martin*
Leslie Sewell and James Jaffe
Barney Shapiro
Les Silverman
Stuart Sotsky
Patti and Jerry Sowalsky
The George Wasserman Family Foundation
Joan S. Wessel
Ruth and Samuel Salzberg Family Foundation
Peggy and David Shiffrin
Philip Teitelbaum
Ziva and Aaron Tomares
Helene Weisz and Richard Lieberman
¶ Denotes a member of the EDCJCC’s Community Pillars program. These supporters have committed to leaving a legacy by including Theater J in their estate planning.
+ Denotes support of our New Play Development during the 2024-2025 season.
Δ Denotes support of our Family and Education Programming during the 2024-2025 season.
0 Denotes support of a special initiative during the 2024-2025 season.
*of blessed memory
Admirers ($500–$999)
Anonymous
Shimmy
Michelle
Arlene
THEATER J BENEFIT
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 - June 30, 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 Jewish Federation of Greater Washington
$100,000 - $299,999
Anonymous
Bruce A. Cohen*
The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
$50,000 - $99,999
Covenant Foundation
Sari R. Hornstein
Norbert Hornstein and Amy Weinberg
Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF)
$25,000 - $49,999
The Aviv Foundation, Inc.
Cathy S. Bernard
Johanna Chanin and Randall Levitt
Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation
The Dweck Family
Lois and Richard England Family Foundation
Rena Gordon
The Kay Family Foundation
$10,000 - $24,999
Ronald and Anne Abramson
Suevia and Rudolph B. Behrend Fund
Bender Foundation
Michele and Allan Berman
Lisa and Josh Bernstein
Bookey Family Foundation
Abby and Andrew Cherner
CIBC Private Wealth Management
Sara Cohen and Norm Rich, Cyna and Paul Cohen, and Family
Myrna Fawcett
Ann Gilbert
Cheryl Gorelick
Jill and Robert Granader
Patti and Mitchell Herman
JCC Association
Elise and Marc Lefkowitz
$5,000 - $9,999
Janet Beth Abrams
Monica and Gavin Abrams
AllShifts
The Family of H. Max & Josephine F. Ammerman and Andrew R. Ammerman
Anonymous
Carol and Gary Berman
Joan and Alan Berman
Jordan Lloyd Bookey and Felix Lloyd
Andrea Boyarsky-Maisel
Susan and Dixon Butler
Bonnie and Louis Cohen
Cyna and Paul Cohen
Rose and Robert Cohen
Eva Davis and Justin Kramer
Bunny Dwin
Cindy Barad Elias
David and Patricia Fisher
Mara Bralove and Ari Fisher
Robert M. Fisher Memorial Foundation
Meg and Samuel Flax
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
Susie and Michael Gelman, The Morningstar Foundation
Nussdorf Family Foundation
Howard and Geraldine Polinger 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
Karen E. Lehmann
Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman Foundation
Thelma Z. Lenkin
The Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation
Marion Ein Lewin
Dan Mendelson and Jennifer Loew
Mendelson
Amy and Alan Meltzer
The Morgan Fund at the Seattle Foundation
Katharina Otto-Bernstein
M. Craig Pascal
Evelyn Sandground and Bill Perkins
Saul and Nancy Pilchen
Norman Pozez and Melinda Bieber
Mindy Gasthalter
Edith Gelfand, Brian and Jenny Gelfand
GMP LLP
Dina Gold
Debra Goldberg and Seth Waxman
Michelle and Jonathan Grossman
Meg and John Hauge
Embassy of Israel
Arlene and Martin Klepper
William Kreisberg
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
Saskia and Benjamin D. Loewy
Ellen and Gary Malasky
Marshfield Associates
Paul and Zena Mason
Howard Menaker and Patrick Gossett
Samuel G. Rose
Daniel Hirsch and Brenda Gruss
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, Inc.
Bella Rosenberg
Trina and Lee G. Rubenstein
The Abe & Kathryn Selsky Foundation
Janis and Philip Schiff
Lisa Silver and Barry Kopit and the Silver Family Foundation
The Leshowitz Family Foundation, Terry
Singer
Rae Grad and Manuel Schiffres
Helene and Robert Schlossberg
Richard Solloway
Manny Strauss and Betsy Karmin
Martha Winter Gross and Robert Tracy
James A. Feldman and Natalie Wexler
James Beller and Christopher Wolf
Jeff Menick
Sherry Nevins
Cozen O'Connor
Nora Roberts Foundation
April Rubin and Bruce A. Ray
Joan and Barry Rosenthal
Susan Sachs Goldman
Ruth and Samuel Salzberg Family Foundation
Lynn and John Sachs
Deserie and Allen Saunders
Mita M. Schaffer and Tina M. Martin
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.
Francine Zorn Trachtenberg and Stephen
Joel Trachtenberg
Mimi Tygier and Robert Rubin
Dr. Kathryn Veal
$2,500 - $4,999
Babs and Rabbi A.N. Abramowitz, Wendi and Daniel Abramowitz
Andrew Altman
Stephen and Amy Altman
Anonymous
Jamie and Joseph A. Baldinger
Joy and Leonard Baxt
Devorah and Kevin Berman
Lynn and Wolf Blitzer
Deborah and Charles Both
Debra Vodenos and Samuel Boxerman
Fani and Dan Brandenburg
Susie and Kenton Campbell
Marcy and Neil Cohen, Ryna Cohen
Susan Cohn
Dave Connick
Sara Cormeny and Peter Miller
Cornerstone Research, Inc.
$1,000 - $2,499
Adas Israel Congregation
Eric Adler
Bette Ann S. Albert
Clement and Sandra Alpert
Laurence and Agatha Aurbach
Alison Baraf and Aryeh Portnoy
Cheryl and Herbert Baraf
Linda Goldsmith and Howard Berger
Emily and Adam Berman
State of Israel Bond (Bernstein Endowment)
Elaine and Richard Binder
Paul Blank
Joyce and Fred Bonnett
Susan and Steven Bralove
Ito Briones and Warren Coates
Marian and James Brodsky
Anita Wolke and Ken Brooks
Nancy Taylor Bubes and Alan Bubes
Morris J. Chalick, MD
Chevy Chase Trust
Howard and Carol Cohen
Jacqueline and Edward Cohen
Debra Lerner Cohen and Edward Cohen
Jeffrey Colman and Ellen Nissenbaum
Peggy and Morris Dahan
Toby Dershowitz
Yvonne and Jeffrey Distenfeld
Sonnie Dockser
Jessica Dodson and Jeremy Levine
Ilana Drimmer
Tamara Dunietz and David Dunn
Jonathan Edelman
John Edelmann
Anna Faure
Suzanne and Enrique Fefer
Rachel and Pete Federowicz
Daniel Freeman and Rebecca Zylberman
Laurie and Jerry Friedman
Natalie Friedman and Daniel Winston
Tova Geller
Morgan and Josh Genderson
Marsha Gentner
The George Wasserman Family Foundation
Diane Abelman Wattenberg
Jessika and David Wellisch
Scott Eric Dreyer and Ellen Clare Gillespie
Dreyer
Nancy and Marc Duber
Jay Freedman
Lois and Michael Fingerhut
Rhoda and Daniel Glickman
Paula Seigle Goldman
Leslie and Samuel Kaplan
Stacey Kluck
Aviva Kempner
Tamara Korolnek
Brad and Ali Lackey
The EJL98 Charitable Trust, on behalf of Edward Lenkin and Roselin Atzwanger
Johanna Chanin and Randall Levitt
Johannah and Jeremiah Lowin
Meredith Margolis and Gary
Goodweather
Ellen Gertsen
Bernard Gewirz
Catherine and Micah Gibson
Cathy and Michael Gildenhorn
Audrey Goldstein
Richard and Sue Goldstein
Lois and Hadar Granader
Helen Greenfeld and Richard Mintz
Michael Gross
Erwin Gudelsky
Erez Harari
Margaret Hoeger
Sandra Hoexter
Mariana Levinas Huberman
Maya Hyman
Nancy and Steven Jacobson
Rob Kallman
Sandy and Eliot Kalter
Sid Kaplan
Jared Kassoff and Jaime Creighton
Irene and Lou Katz
Ellen Kay
Hillel Kaye
The Kresge Foundation
Barry Kropf
Janet Leno and Peter Harrold
Kimberly and Bruce Levin
Jesse and Alyssa Levine
Kay Klass and Mark Levitt
Margery and Sheldon London
Melanie and Hal Marcus and Family
Philip Margolius
Ellen and Ken Marks
Alan McAdams and Ellen Dykes
Rona and Allan Mendelsohn
Elaine and William Miller
Gary Mintz
Rachel Moskowitz and Ari Moskowitz
Simor Moskowitz
Joan Nathan
Miriam Morsel Nathan and Harvey
Nathan
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
Eric Salzberg
Rubin Schron
Leslie Sewell
Peggy and David Shiffrin
United Bank
Heidi Wachs
Wealthspire Advisors
Susan Wedlan and Harold Rosen
Joan S. Wessel
Janice White
Carolyn and William Wolfe
Rebecca Wolozin and Louis Beckman
Gayle and Steven Neufeld
Victoria Odinotska
Ellen and Scott Paseltiner
James & Theodore Pedas Foundation
Marsha and Jamey Pelton
Amie Perl and Evan Goldman
Linda and Bruce Pollekoff
Joel and Nancy Poznansky
Deborah and Juan Prawda
Michael Rabinowitz
Rabbi Fred N. Reiner and Susan Liss
Renay and Bill Regardie
Suzanne and Bruce Rosenblum
Norman L. and Caryl G. Rosenthanl
Linda Rosenzweig and Sandy Bieber
Alfred Sanders
Lewis Schrager and Frances Marshall
Yechiel Schron
Dolores Seigel
David Selden and Julie Wallick
Susan Brett and Rob Shesser
Dale and Alan Sorcher
Barbara Silverstein and Alan Kirschenbaum
Mindy and Jeff Sosland
Leslie and Howard Stein
Susan Rubin Suleiman
Lise Van Susteren and Jonathan Kempner
Philip Teitelbaum
Ziva and Aaron Tomares
United Way of the National Capital Area
Janet B. Weiner
Helene Weisz and Richard Lieberman
Janyse and Bernie Weisz
Sharon Wilkes and Robert Kinberg
Carol and Michael Winer
Ellen Witman
Janet and Robert Wittes
Barbara Yellen and Phil West
Lynda Zengerle
Jennifer Zwilling Rosenwasser and Jon Rosenwasser
*of blessed memory
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.
OUT OF CHARACTER
Written and performed by Ari’el Stachel Directed by Tony Taccone
A Berkeley Rep production co-presented by Theater J and Mosaic Theater Company
JANUARY 8–26, 2025
Tony Award®-winner Ari’el Stachel’s one-man show brings to life a full ensemble of characters from his past, availing uproarious laughter, insight, and transformative performance to illuminate what it means to pursue – and accept – our complex identity.
