Nathan the Wise

FROM FOLGER THEATRE'S ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

“Tis he, tis Nathan! Thanks to the Almighty! That you’re at last returned.”

These, the opening lines of the original Lessing play, could not have better expressed the joy, the relief, the sense of fulfillment that we find in ourselves on the road to a new theatrical normal. This is my first production as Folger Theatre’s new Artistic Director and as the Director of Programming for Folger Shakespeare Library. Now more than two years in the making, this production of Nathan the Wise could not be more timely.

We are living in tumultuous times where our differences are gigantic obstacles that seem to divide us. And here is an old story that reminds us, we’ve known difference and division before. Here is a story that offers us an opportunity to reassess how and why we are religiously, ethnically, culturally, and racially dissonant in Babylonian proportions. Where else but the theater can you go to process these conundrums of humanity?

And what’s more, we will do it together. Two years of isolation and physical separation have made us insecure, timid, and agoraphobic while simultaneously, ravenous for human connection, in both body and spirit. We are not designed to live alone. We were made to gather, commune, and celebrate our experiences with others. To that end, it is particularly joyous for Folger Theatre to return to production with a play that highlights the variety of truths that can co-exist within people. To do that justice requires care, and I am proud of the work done by Theater J and the company to ensure the myriad of diverse perspectives within Nathan are shown with grace and respect.

Collaboration is the main tentpole of theater - it takes many hands, hearts, and perspectives to serve a story. It is our joy and privilege to do this in partnership with our neighboring institutions such as Theater J and the National Building Museum, the site of our summer production, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As we reawaken to the possibilities beyond our front door, Folger Theatre is excited to continue the journey into the magic and wonder of dreams to come.

I wholeheartedly invite you to join us!

Karen Ann Daniels (she/her) Director of Programming and Artistic Director of Folger Theatre

FROM THEATER J’S ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND MANAGING DIRECTOR

Dear Friends,

Thank you for joining us for this production of Nathan the Wise.

One of the hallmarks of Theater J’s programming is producing “forgotten masterpieces” of Jewish theater. Nathan the Wise was written in 1779, by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, and originally dedicated to (and inspired by) the author’s friend, the German Jewish philosopher, critic, and translator Moses Mendelssohn. The play is closely modeled on Shakespeare; the

L-R: David Lloyd Olson and Adam Immerwahr original version in German is written in iambic pentameter, and an astute playgoer will recognize familiar Shakespearean plot devices, structure, and tropes throughout the piece.

Nathan the Wise was last professionally produced in the DC region in 2003, at the now-defunct Theater for the First Amendment, in an adaptation by Paul D’Andrea. Our production is the world premiere of a new adaptation of the classic German text, adapted by DC’s own Michael Bloom. We are delighted that a contemporary audience will see this fascinating play anew, and we are enormously grateful to our colleagues at Folger Theatre for joining us in this venture—without them it would not have been possible to share this play with you today.

Theater J is the nation’s leading Jewish theater, and we are delighted to invite you to join us next season for what promises to be a breathtaking set of plays and musical stories. Our season begins with a terrific new klezmer musical, performed by the Canadian company that created it. Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story tells the story of a pair of Romanian refugees meeting and falling in love on the shores of Halifax in 1902. Next up will be a classic American drama by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage. Nottage’s Intimate Apparel tells the story of a Black seamstress in 1905, who becomes engaged to a Caribbean man, though her heart lies with a Hasidic fabric-merchant. The winter will bring us comedy, in the form of Seth Rozin’s side-splitting Two Jews Walk Into a War... a modern day vaudeville (based on a true story about the last two Jews in Afghanistan). Director Holly Twyford will return to Theater J to stage Gloria: A Life, a stirring play that chronicles the life of feminist organizer and political activist Gloria Steinem. Our season will close with a gripping new play, One Jewish Boy, which paints a searing portrait of growing antisemitism in the UK. Our production will be the US premiere of this unflinching and utterly vital play.

We hope you’ll consider joining us for the season—subscriptions start as low as $129. You can visit TheaterJ.org or call 202.777.3210 to sign up for your subscription, or just leave your name and email address on the form in our lobby, and we’ll be sure to follow up.

Thank you for joining us. If you have any thoughts or feedback you’d like to share on Nathan the Wise or your experience at Theater J, we invite you to email us at adam@theaterj.org and david@theaterj.org.

We’ll see you in the lobby!

Adam Immerwahr, Artistic Director, David Lloyd Olson, Managing Director

THANK YOU TO OUR THEATER J 2021–2022 SEASON SPONSORS

Leading Producers

The Bridge Fund, The Government of the District of Columbia DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Arlene and Robert Kogod, The Robert and Arlene Kogod Family Foundation

Sponsoring Producers

Susie and Michael Gelman, The Morningstar Foundation Sari R. Hornstein National Endowment for the Arts Revada Foundation of the Logan Family Share Fund The Shubert Foundation Arthur Tracy Fund Amy Weinberg and Norbert Hornstein

Supporting Producers

The Family of H. Max & Josephine F. Ammerman and Andrew R. Ammerman Bruce A. Cohen Ginny and Irwin Edlavitch Patti and Mitchell Herman Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind Nussdorf Family Foundation Kay Richman and Daniel Kaplan Helene and Robert Schlossberg Patti and Jerry Sowalsky

THANK YOU TO OUR PRODUCTION ANGELS

Howard Berger and Linda Goldsmith Andrea Boyarsky-Maisel Susan and Dixon Butler Bonnie and Louis Cohen Myrna Fawcett David and Patricia Fisher Cheryl Gorelick Meg and John Hauge Dianne and Herb Lerner Marion Ein Lewin Ellen and Gary Malasky Carl and Undine Nash M. Craig Pascal, In Memory of Victor Shargai Patricia Payne and Nancy Firestone Nancy and Saul Pilchen Barney Shapiro and Susan Walker Dr. Stuart Sotsky

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

Adam Immerwahr, Artistic Director | David Lloyd Olson, Managing Director

THE TRISH VRADENBURG STAGE • AARON & CECILE GOLDMAN THEATER MORRIS CAFRITZ CENTER FOR THE ARTS

NATHAN THE WISE

MARCH 16 – APRIL 10, 2022

Written by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

Adapted by Michael Bloom

Directed by Adam Immerwahr

Produced in Association with Folger Theatre

Time & Place 1192 AD, and Now, Jerusalem

Cast (In Order of Appearance) Templar...........................................Drew Kopas* Rachel...........................................................................................................Em Whitworth

Al-Hafi...........................................................................................................Sorab Wadia* Daya.......................................................................................................................Jo Twiss* Nathan.............................................................................................................Eric Hissom* Friar.......................................................................................................James J. Johnson* Sittah...............................................................................................................Sarah Corey*

Salah ad-Din..............................................................................Maboud Ebrahimzadeh* Patriarch......................................................................................................John Lescault*

Artistic & Production Team Director....................................................................................Adam Immerwahr^ Set Design..............................................................................................Paige Hathaway+

Costume Design...........................................................................................Ivania Stack+

Lighting Design..............................................................................................Colin K Bills

+ Sound Design.........................................................................................Sarah O'Halloran

Props Design...............................................................................................Pamela Weiner Choreographer.......................................................................................Amanda Herring

Cultural Competency Consultant...............................................Adam Ashraf Elsayigh

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

NYC Casting.......................................................................................Calleri Jensen Davis

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

Assistant Stage Manager...............................................................................Carrie Edick

Assistant Stage Manager/COVID Safety Manager...............................Taylor Kiechlin

+Member of United Scenic Artists Local 829

*Appearing through an Agreement between this theatre 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, a national theatrical labor union.

Photography, video and/or audio recording of this performance by any means whatsoever are strictly prohibited.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Sarah Corey (Sittah) (she/her/hers) is thrilled to return to the stage at her beloved Theater J after last appearing in Love Sick. Off-Broadway: A Letter to Harvey Milk, Love & Real Estate, Souvenir Stories, Illyria. International: Death for Five Voices. Selected regional: Ghost of Christmas Past/Belle in A Christmas Carol at TheatreSquared, Anisah in In the Book Of… at Alabama Shakespeare Festival (world premiere) and Florida Studio Theatre, Ana/Anne/Aminah in Oil at Olney Theatre Center (Helen Hayes nominations - Outstanding Production of a Play and Outstanding Ensemble), Grocer’s Wife and Mrs. Boeuf in Rhinoceros at Tantrum Theater, Olivia in Twelfth Night at Mountain Playhouse, Aouda in Around the World in 80 Days, Kate Jerome in Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound at Oldcastle Theater Company, Woman 2 in John Cariani's Love/Sick at The Public, Kate in Lippa’s The Wild Party at New Repertory Theatre (IRNE Award for Best Supporting Actress), Eva Peron in Evita at Worcester Foothills Theatre, Rose Gellman in Caroline, or Change at SpeakEasy Stage, Ensemble in A Thousand Splendid Suns at Arena Stage. TV/Film: We Own This City, Unravel, A Good Cop. Proud graduate of Princeton University. This performance is in loving memory of her dear friend, a dear friend to Theater J and to all of us, Ellen Brie Houseknecht.

Maboud Ebrahimzadeh (Salah ad-Din) Theater J: The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, Boged (Traitor): An Enemy of the People. Other theatre includes: McCarter Theatre Center: Disgraced, Murder on the Orient Express; Milwaukee Rep: Disgraced; Theatre Exile: The Invisible Hand (Barrymore Award for Outstanding Lead Actor); Hartford Stage: Murder on the Orient Express; People’s Light: Shakespeare in Love, A Christmas Carol; Round House Theatre: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Oslo, Small Mouth Sounds, The Book of Will, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo; Arena Stage: The Price; The Kennedy Center: Mockingbird; Folger Theatre: 1 Henry IV, King John, Timon of Athens, and Julius Caesar; Studio Theatre: Water by the Spoonful, Edgar & Annabel; Baltimore Center Stage: The Container; Gulfshore Playhouse: The Liar; Olney Theatre Center: Oil, The Invisible Hand; Forum Theatre: The Pillowman, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Bobrauschenbergamerica, Scorched; Taffety Punk Theatre: Henry VI 1, Henry VI 2, Henry VI 3, Richard III, Love’s Labour’s Lost, and Pericles. Film/ Television: Jessica Jones, Imperium, Sally Pacholok, Homebound. maboudebrahimzadeh.com | @mindthechasm

Eric Hissom (Nathan) Eric is very happy to return to Theater J, where his credits include Everything is Illuminated, Life Sucks (or the Present Ridiculous), and The Body of an American. DC area credits include The Great Leap at Round House Theatre; Arcadia at Folger Theatre (Helen Hayes award); Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at Arena Stage; The Diary of Anne Frank at Olney Theatre Center; Born Yesterday at Ford’s Theatre; In the Next Room, or the vibrator play at Woolly Mammoth Theatre; The Effect at Studio Theatre, and many others. Regional credits include work at Seattle Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, Cleveland Play House, Milwaukee Rep, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Syracuse Stage and many others. He did the national tour of The Thirty-Nine Steps, and has done a smattering of TV and film, including the feature Out of Time. He has an MFA from Florida State’s Asolo Conservatory.

James J. Johnson (Friar) (he/him/his) is excited to make his debut with Folger Theatre. He last appeared at Theater J in the 2013- 14 production of Darrah Cloud’s Our Suburb, directed by Judith Ivey. His last stage appearance was in the 1st Stage/Olney Theatre Center co-production of The Royale which closed right before the pandemic. Other theatre credits include: Ruined (Arena Stage); Hero’s Welcome (1st Stage); Les Deux Noirs (Mosaic Theater); Stick Fly (UVA Dept. of Theatre - Equity Guest Artist); The Member of the Wedding (Ford’s Theatre); The Unmentionables (Woolly Mammoth Theatre); Kingdom, Wedding Dance, Buffalo Hair (African Continuum Theatre Co.); Zomo the Rabbit (Imagination Stage); Homer P. Figg (The Kennedy Center). EDUCATION: BFA, Virginia Commonwealth University. James is a part of 1st Stage’s Solo Commissions. He recently received his first writing credit on IMDb, as a co-writer for the short film Silent Partner which won awards at several film festivals in 2021. James is also a founding member of Galvanize, a support network for local theater artists of color. IG: @jamesjjohnson1 Twitter: @jamesjjohnson TikTok: @mediocredope

Drew Kopas (Templar) happily returns to Theater J where he was last seen in Trayf. DMV credits: Olney Theatre Center, Mosaic Theater, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Everyman Theatre, Constellation Theater Company, 1st Stage, Keegan Theatre, Rep Stage, Faction of Fools Theatre Company, We Happy Few, and the Capital Fringe Festival. Regional: Cleveland – Great Lakes Theater, Dobama Theatre; Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Virginia Shakespeare Festival. MFA - Acting, Western Illinois University. DrewKopas.com

John Lescault (Patriarch) Theater J: Life Sucks, Hannah and Martin, The Disputation, Death and the Maiden. Folger Theatre: Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, School for Scandal, Elizabeth the Queen. International: Defiant Requiem (Prague), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (STC/Macau Arts Festival). New York: Handbagged (59E59/ RHT), Le Deserteur (Opera Lafayette at Lincoln Center). Regional: Native Gardens, A Prayer for Owen Meany (Cincinnati Playhouse). DC/VA/MD: The Second City’s Twist Your Dickens, Love Factually; and Opera Lafayette’s Sancho Panca; as Beethoven and Dvorak with the NSO (Kennedy Center), Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Round House Theatre, Signature Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, Studio Theatre, Olney Theatre, and CATF. Film/TV: Lincoln, The Day Lincoln Was Shot, Unsolved Mysteries, Beautiful Something, The Fox Hunter, and Dakota. John has been a narrator of commercial audiobooks and for the Library of Congress’s Talking Books program for 30 years. He is a graduate of The Catholic University of America.

Jo Twiss (Daya) Jo has performed in many theaters around the country, most recently Jo was seen onstage in Cabaret as Fraulein Schneider at Bristol Riverside Theatre (BRT) which closed because of COVID. Broadway: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Select recent regional theater credits: The Producers at BRT, A Christmas Carol at the McCarter Theatre Center, A Christmas Story at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Shakespeare in Love, Richard 2 and Romeo and Juliet at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, as well as the new musical Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole at People's Light. Recent TV credits include FBI Most Wanted, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Broad City, The Affair, Seven Seconds, as well as the Indy film Benim and major film Shirley. She can also be seen as a recurring character on the HBO series Run, and this summer filmed Viral with Blair Underwood. She is a proud long time company member of The Circle Rep Theatre Company in NYC.

Sorab Wadia (Al-Hafi) is from Bombay, India. Sorab has performed internationally as an actor and singer in an eclectic mélange of projects from The Play of Daniel, a medieval music-drama, at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, to the notorious Jihad! The Musical on London’s West End. In 2016 he played Shylock #1 and Gratiano in Karin Coonrod's historic production of The Merchant of Venice performed in the Jewish Ghetto in Venice, commemorating the 500th anniversary of the founding of the Ghetto. He garnered rave reviews for his Ali Hakim on the Broadway tour of Oklahoma! Recent credits include the musicals of Bend It Like Beckham (Toronto) & Monsoon Wedding (Berkeley Rep), and an extensive tour of a oneman adaptation of The Kite Runner. Off-Broadway: Babette's Feast (The Theatre at St. Clement’s), Tempest (LaMama), Bunty Berman Presents (The New Group), Nymph Errant (Prospect Theater Co.). TV: Blacklist: Redemption, Madame Secretary, Law & Order: SVU, 30 Rock, Chapelle’s Show. @SorabWadia

Em Whitworth (Rachel) is delighted to make her Theater J/Folger Theatre debut. Recent credits include The Master and Margarita (Constellation Theatre Company), Annie Jump and The Library of Heaven (Rorschach Theatre); The Wizard of Oz, Titus Andronicus, Sleeping Beauty, Much Ado About Nothing (Synetic Theater); Love & Information, Dry Land, What Every Girl Should Know (Forum Theatre); The Interstellar Ghost Hour, Whipping, or the Football Hamlet (Longacre Lea); A Moving Picture (Mosaic Theater); and Our New Girl (Solas Nua). Thank you to Adam, the cast, crew & creative team, and JM, CG, and CHB.

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (Playwright) In his own times, Lessing (1729 - 1781) might have been called an Aufklärermann, an ‘Enlightenment man.’ Today, we’d call him the equally mouthy ‘multi-hyphenate.’ Born to a prominent family of preachers in a provincial town in present-day Germany, Lessing had so many interests and careers he would have broken LinkedIn. Accepted at the University of Leipzig at age seventeen, he would go on to be a poet, playwright, translator, critic, editor, aesthetician, philosopher, lay theologian, journalist, publicist, archivist, historian, and librarian before his death at 52. He could read eight languages. His collected works run ten volumes. He fenced, danced, and rode horses. He became a Freemason. He hung out with the theatrical revolutionary Caroline Neuber and attempted, more than once, to start a national theater. He was best friends with polymath philosopher Moses Mendelsohn, with whom he advocated for religious tolerance. Though today he is often overshadowed by his late contemporaries Goethe and Schiller, Lessing lived and worked at a true pivot point in European culture and history. He championed freedom of thought, pushed back against myopic religious doctrines, and provided an example of a person striving tirelessly to better human understanding and relationships.

Michael Bloom (Adapter) is a writer-director whose work has been seen Off-Broadway, at many regional theatres, and in Japan. He adapted Jane Austen's Emma for Cleveland Play House, where he was artistic director, and Ostrovsky's Artists and Admirers. He is the author of Thinking Like A Director and numerous articles for American Theatre Magazine and The New York Times. Off-Broadway he directed the NY premiere of Sight Unseen at Manhattan Theatre Club for which he received a Drama Desk nomination. Regional work includes Gross Indecency at Huntington Theatre Company (Elliot Norton Award, Best production) and the premiere of Dinner with Friends at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Other theatres include Williamstown Theatre Festival, South Coast Rep, Berkeley Rep, Old Globe Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, Milwaukee Rep, Geffen Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Kansas City Rep, and Seattle Rep. In Tokyo he directed The Glass Menagerie and The Miracle Worker. Local productions include Oh, G-d at Mosaic Theater and The Invisible Hand and The Price at Olney Theatre Center. He is grateful to Theater J and Folger Theatre for producing the world premiere of his adaptation of Nathan the Wise.

Adam Immerwahr (Director) See page 12.

Paige Hathaway (Scenic Designer) is based in the Washington, DC area. At Theater J, her favorite designs include Becoming Dr. Ruth, Sheltered, Talley's Folly, and Everything is Illuminated. Her DC area credits include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, The Book of Will, and Or, at Round House Theatre; Rent, Ain't Misbehavin', John, and The Gulf at Signature Theatre; Familiar at Woolly Mammoth Theatre; and South Pacific and Godspell at Olney Theatre Center. Her regional credits include Matilda, Cinderella, and A Chorus Line at the Muny; Sweat at Asolo Repertory Theatre; and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Arden Theatre Company. Instagram: @ paigehathawaydesign. www.paigehathawaydesign.com

Ivania Stack (Costume Designer) is delighted to return to Theater J. Her Regional and DC area theater credits include: Arena Stage, Seattle Rep, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Baltimore Center Stage, Everyman Theatre, The Wilma Theater, The Karski Project, Andy’s Summer Playhouse, The Second City, The Contemporary American Theater Festival, Woolly Mammoth Theatre (Company Member), Ford’s Theatre, Round House Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Signature Theatre, Imagination Stage, Studio Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Pointless Theatre, Theater Alliance, Rorschach Theatre, MetroStage, and GALA Hispanic Theatre. She has an MFA in design from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Colin K. Bills (Lighting Designer) returns to Theater J, where his most recent designs have been 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 and is the Producing Director for the Washington Revels. Colin has won three Helen Hayes Awards and is a recipient of a Princess Grace Fellowship in Theater. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College.

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

Pamela Weiner (Resident Props Designer) is elated to be back and producing live theater again. Her work has previously been seen on stage at The Kennedy Center, Folger Theatre, Round House Theatre, Constellation Theatre Company, and Signature Theatre. This is her third season with Theater J.

Amanda Herring (Choreographer) is the Director of Jewish Life and Learning at the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center (EDCJCC) and the Co-founder of Gold Herring LLC. Amanda received her master’s degree in Experiential Education and Jewish Cultural Arts at GWU. In addition to teaching, she has been dancing for nearly 30 years and teaches Israeli dance monthly at the EDCJCC. She is delighted to be working with Theater J on this performance, the EDCJCC is a wonderful place to work because of cross-departmental opportunities like this!

Adam Ashraf Elsayigh (Cultural Competency Consultant) is an Egyptian writer, theater maker, and dramaturg in his first season as the Literary Manager and Resident Dramaturg of the Asolo Repertory Theatre. Adam writes theater and TV scripts that interrogate the intersections of queerness, immigration, and colonialism from his lens as a queer, Arab, immigrant. Adam’s ethos is to tell and amplify stories from communities that have been historically under and misrepresented on American television screens and stages. Adam’s plays (including Memorial, Jamestown/ Williamsburg, The Marginalia and Drowning in Cairo) have been developed and seen at The Lark, The Tisch School of the Arts, the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, and Golden Thread Productions. Adam is a Co-founder of The Criminal Queerness Festival with National Queer Theater, and a fellow at Georgetown University's Laboratory for Global Performance & Politics. He holds a BA in Theater with an emphasis in Playwriting and Dramaturgy from NYU Abu Dhabi and is an MFA Candidate in Playwriting at Brooklyn College. Learn more about what Adam is up to at adamaelsayigh.com

Jenna Place (Casting Director) is Theater J's resident Casting Director, a freelance casting director and director in the DC area, and the Associate Artistic Director at Olney Theatre Center. Past casting has included work at Imagination Stage, Adventure Theatre MTC, Mosaic Theater, Forum Theatre, Studio Theatre, the Laboratory for Global Performance & Politics, and more.

Calleri Jensen Davis (James Calleri, Erica Jensen, Paul Davis) (NYC Casting) is a creative casting partnership of over 20 years. Awarded 16 Artios Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Casting. Broadway credits include Thoughts of a Colored Man, Burn This, Fool for Love, Venus in Fur, Hedwig & The Angry Inch, The Elephant Man (also West End), Of Mice and Men, Hughie, The Visit, 33 Variations, A Raisin in the Sun, Living on Love, Chicago, James Joyce's The Dead, and the upcoming Broadway revivals: For Colored Girls...and The Piano Lesson. TV credits include: Love Life (HBO Max) Queens (ABC) Dickinson (Hulu), The Path (Apple+), Lipstick Jungle, Army Wives, Monk, Hope & Faith, Ed.

Anthony O. Bullock (Production Stage Manager) is the Resident Stage Manager for the 21-22 season. Past Theater J projects include Compulsion or the House Behind, Tuesdays with Morrie, The Wanderers, Sheltered, Occupant, Love Sick, The Jewish Queen Lear, and Actually. NYC credits include The School for Lies (Classic Stage Company), A Nation Grooves (workshop) and The Night Falls (workshop) with Project Springboard: Developing Dance Musicals. DC credits include Signature Theatre, Arena Stage, Baltimore Center Stage, and Studio Theatre. Other regional credits include McCarter Theatre Center, Barrington Stage Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Passage Theatre Company, TheatreSquared, and Shakespeare & Company, among others. He toured with The White Snake by Mary Zimmerman in association with Goodman Theatre, as part of The Wuzhen Theatre Festival in Wuzhen, China. He received his BFA from Oklahoma City University. He is a proud member of AEA.

FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY | FOLGER THEATRE

Folger Shakespeare Library is the world’s largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. The Folger welcomes millions of visitors online and in person. We provide unparalleled access to a huge array of resources, from original sources to modern interpretations. With the Folger, you can experience the power of performance, the wonder of exhibitions, and the excitement of pathbreaking research. We offer the opportunity to see and even work with early modern sources, driving discovery and transforming education for students of all ages. Folger Theatre is the preeminent showcase for the performing arts at this world-class cultural institution. Now under the leadership of Artistic Director Karen Ann Daniels, Folger Theatre has been honored with 158 Nominations and 31 Awards by the Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in acting, direction, design, and production. Folger Theatre has received the Outstanding Resident Play Award for Measure for Measure, Hamlet, The Taming of the Shrew, and Sense and Sensibility. While the Folger’s historic landmark building undergoes a multiyear renovation, we invite you to join us online and on the road. Learn more at folger.edu

THEATER J LEADERSHIP

Adam Immerwahr (Theater J Artistic Director) has served as the Artistic Director of Theater J since 2015. He is the former Associate Artistic Director at McCarter Theatre Center, a Tony Award-winning theater in Princeton, NJ, where his directing credits include Sleuth, The Understudy, The Mousetrap, and a now-annual production of A Christmas Carol, and his producing credits include world premieres by Edward Albee, John Guare, Will Power, Christopher Durang, Marina Carr, Danai Gurira, and many more. He was the Resident Director at Passage Theater in Trenton, NJ, and the Artistic Director of OnStage, a company of New Jersey senior citizens who collected and performed the stories of their community. Adam has directed at some of the top theaters in the country, including The Public and Theater Row (both for Summer Play Festival), Ensemble Studio Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, McCarter Theater Center, Cleveland Play House, Theater J, Passage Theater, Luna Stage, Hangar Theater, Bristol Riverside, and many others. Internationally, he directed the African premiere of The Convert (nominated for Zimbabwe’s National Arts Medal). He was the recipient of 2010 NJ Theatre Alliance “Applause Award” and 2014 Emerging Nonprofit Leader Award presented by Fairleigh Dickinson University. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of the Alliance for Jewish Theater, and is an inaugural member of the Drama League Director's Council. Adam is a graduate of Brown University, where he studied both Theater and Renaissance/ Early Modern Studies.

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

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 actorsequity.org.

BEYOND THE STAGE

Theater J is dedicated to taking its dialogues beyond the stage, offering public discussion forums which explore the theatrical, cultural, and social elements of our art throughout the year. Below are the events planned during the run of Nathan the Wise. Guests and times subject to change. All events are free and open to everyone.

Sunday, March 27 following the 2:00 PM performance

CREATIVE CONVERSATION: An insider’s reflection on the creative process. Artists answer questions and offer insight about design, inspiration, rehearsal, and collaboration.

Wednesday, March 30 following the 7:30 PM performance

CAST TALKBACK: Join members of the cast to ask your burning questions about their artistic practice and the production.

Sunday, April 3 following the 2:00 PM performance

SUNDAY SYMPOSIUM: Hear from experts on topics related to each production. Theater J invites specialists in their fields to delve deeper into the significance of a play’s history, cultural context, or theme.

EVENTS SPONSORED BY FOLGER THEATRE

Thursday, March 24, 6:30 PM | $15

BREWS & BANTER: Join two cast members from the company of Nathan the Wise in conversation. Have your questions ready for this off-the-cuff pre-show gathering.

Thursday, March 31, 6:30 PM | $20

PRE-SHOW TALK: Folger Shakespeare Library Director Michael Witmore shares his perspective on Nathan the Wise in an insightful pre-performance discussion.

Thursday, March 31, following the 8:00 PM performance (FREE)

POST-SHOW TALK WITH MEMBERS OF THE CAST: Join members of the cast for a post-show discussion about Nathan the Wise.

Nathan the Wise: The Who and the What, A Guide and Glossary

Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub (1137-1193 CE) was a Sunni Muslim Kurd, and founder of the Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt. His kingdom encompassed Damascus, Aleppo, Kurdistan, Yemen, and Mesopotamia. Sultan Salah ad-Din shocked the world by defeating the army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1187, taking control of the cities Acre, Tiberias, Caesarea, Nazareth, and Jerusalem. Maimonides, the esteemed rabbi, served as a royal physician to Salah ad- Din. The Sultan was known for his love of poetry, hunting, and gardening, as well as generosity. By his death he had given away much of his personal wealth. 1.

The Third Crusade (1189-1192 CE) launched to retake Jerusalem after its fall to the Muslim Sultan Salah ad-Din. The Crusade was led by three European monarchs (hence the alias, 'The Kings' Crusade'): Frederick I Barbarossa, King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor; Philip II, of France; and Richard I 'the Lionhearted', of England.

Richard Lionheart was the son of King Henry II and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Campaigned with his brothers against their father, King Henry. On July 5th, 1189, Richard became King of England, Duke of Normandy and Count of Anjou. Over ten years as monarch, he spent nearly all his time with the Third Crusade, where he earned the moniker of ‘Lion Heart’.

The Third Crusade ended with the Treaty of Jaffa (1192), signed by Salah ad-Din and Lionheart, which granted a three-year truce between the armies. The treaty left Jerusalem in Islamic control but opened the city up for Christian pilgrimages.

Templar Knights

During the First and Second Crusades, Christian armies captured Jerusalem from Muslim control, and groups of pilgrims from across Western Europe started visiting the Holy Land. Because many pilgrims were robbed and killed on the journey, a monastic order arose pledging to protect Christian visitors to Jerusalem, with headquarters in a wing of the royal palace on the Temple Mount, in the captured Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Temple Mount had a mystique because it stood above the purported ruins of the Temple of Solomon. Referring to their new headquarters as ‘Solomon's Temple,’ the monks adopted the name of Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon, or Templar Knights.

The Templars were successful soldiers, often taking direct orders from the Patriarch, the papal voice of Jerusalem. They boasted a sizable fleet of ships, controlled the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, and served as a lending bank to European monarchs and nobles. Highly trained, they became known as fierce fighters and shock troops. They acted as the advance force in several Crusade battles.

NATHAN THE WISE STAFF

Head Electrician: Garth Dolan Charge Artist: Carolyn Hampton Lead Shop Associate: Jonathan Dahm Robertson Light Board Programmer: Cody Whitfield Sound Board Operator: Megan Holden Load-in Crew: Danny Debner, Anna Feinerman, Matty Griffiths, David Higgins, Megan Holden, Stephen Indrisano Costume Manager: Andrew Landon Cutler Violence Consultant: Cliff Williams III

EDLAVITCH DCJCC LEADERSHIP & THEATER J STAFF

EDLAVITCH DCJCC Chief Executive Officer: Dava Schub Chief Financial Officer: Craig Mintz Chief Operating Officer: Bini W. Silver

THEATER J STAFF Artistic Director: Adam Immerwahr Managing Director: David Lloyd Olson

Associate Producer: Kevin Place Associate Artistic Director: Johanna Gruenhut Resident Casting Director: Jenna Place “Expanding the Canon” Rosh Beit: Sabrina Sojourner Commissioned Writers: Lila Rose Kaplan, Caraid O’Brien, and Aaron Posner

Teaching Artists: Dr. Debra Caplan, José Carrasquillo, Evan Casey, Felicia Curry, Hadar Galron, Kimberly Gilbert, Tyler Herman, Eric Hissom, Naomi Jacobson, Caleen Sinnette Jennings, Kate Eastwood Norris, Cody Nickell, Tracy Lynn Olivera, Jenna Place, Aaron Posner, Howard Shalwitz, Dani Stoller, Diep Tran, Holly Twyford, Erin Weaver, and Em Whitworth

Director of Marketing and Community Engagement: Stephanie Deutchman Director of Patron Experience: Chad Kinsman Creative Director, Edlavitch DCJCC: Molly Winston Ticket Office Manager: Jasmine Jones Development Coordinator: Emily Gardner Press Representative: Kendra Rubinfeld PR

Technical Director: Thomas Howley Production Coordinator: Danny Debner Resident Production Stage Manager: Anthony O. Bullock Resident Props Designer: Pamela Weiner House Managers and Ticket Office Associates: Mitchell Adams, Charlie Aube, Kaiya Lyons, KJ Moran Velz, Hadiya Rice, Sam Rollin, Robert Reeg, Jill Roos, Nitsan Scharf, and Mary-Margaret Walsh

Founding Artistic Director: Martin Blank

THEATER J COUNCIL

2021–2022 THEATER J COUNCIL Rae Grad, Co-Chair Robert Schlossberg, Co-Chair

Mara Bralove Bruce A. Cohen Nancy Firestone Mindy Gasthalter Ann Gilbert Cheryl Gorelick Patti Herman Daniel Kaplan Arlene Klepper Kenneth Krupsky

Stephen Lachter Karen Lehmann-Eisner Ellen Malasky Meredith Margolis Howard Menaker Alfred Munzer Sherry Nevins Saul Pilchen Elaine Reuben Bella Rosenberg

THEATER J HONORARY COUNCIL Patty Abramson*

Paul J. Mason

Michele G. Berman Hank Schlosberg

Marion Ein Lewin Trish Vradenburg*

Evelyn Sandground Mita M. Schaffer Lewis Schrager Terry Singer Stuart Sotsky Patti Sowalsky Manny Strauss Bob Tracy Kathryn Veal

Joan S. Wessel Irene Wurtzel

EDLAVITCH DCJCC 2021–2022 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OFFICERS Saul Pilchen, President Daniel Hirsch, Senior Vice President Johanna Chanin, Vice President Janis Schiff, Vice President

Eric Zelenko, Vice President Jonathan Grossman, Treasurer David Goldblatt, Assistant Treasurer Benjamin D. Loewy, Secretary

BOARD MEMBERS Barbara Abramowitz Janet B. Abrams Andrew Altman Joan Berman Michele G. Berman Jordan Lloyd Bookey Jennifer Bradley Jaclyn Lerner Cohen Eva Davis Jonathan Edelman Myrna Fawcett Meg Flax

Brian Gelfand Dina Gold Debra Goldberg Rena Gordon Julie Lundy Meredith Margolis Sid Moskowitz Alfred Munzer Alyson Myers Melanie Franco Nussdorf Arnold Polinger Shannon Powers

Norm J. Rich Sharon Russ Jonathan Rutenberg Michael Salzberg Rhea Schwartz Michael Singer Tina Small Mimi Tygier Diane Abelman Wattenberg Dava Schub, Chief Executive Officer, Ex Officio

FOUNDING DIRECTOR Ginny Edlavitch

DIRECTORS EMERITI Rose H. Cohen Jill Granader Martha Winter Gross

Stephen Kelin William Kreisberg John R. Risher, Jr.*

Mindy Strelitz Robert Tracy

VICE PRESIDENT EMERITUS Lee G. Rubenstein

HONORARY DIRECTORS Stephen Altman Lynn Skolnick Sachs

Deborah Ratner Salzberg Francine Zorn Trachtenberg

Ellen G. Witman

*of blessed memory19

Tradition! Looking at a Play Through Judaism's Lens

By Theater J Associate Artistic Director, Johanna Gruenhut

Time, place, destiny, and coincidence…

Our first performance of Nathan the Wise coincides with the Jewish holiday of Purim. This holiday celebrates the heroine Esther, who through cunning and courage saved the Jewish community in ancient Persia from near destruction at the hands of Haman.

Is the timing a coincidence? Well… yes.

There is nevertheless a deep resonance between the story of Purim and our play today. Hidden, mistaken, and eventually revealed identities are the fuel for both plots. In the Purim story—the Megillah of Esther—Esther first hides her identity as a Jew from both Haman and her husband, the king. Her calculated revealing of the truth ultimately puts an end to Haman’s sinister plan, and it initiates a complete reversal of fortunes. Another major plot point depends, nearly sitcom-like, on the king talking about Mordecai (an adoptive father to Esther) while Haman thinks that the king is talking about Haman himself. The confusion leads Haman to recommend that the king bestow great honor and fortune on Mordecai. Only Haman believes that the recommended prize is intended for himself, realizing far too late the great favor he extended to his greatest enemy.

Nathan the Wise also involves a young Jewish woman, a male Jewish relative (Nathan), a king, and a knight, with lots of mistaken, miscommunicated, and discovered identities (as well as coded conversations and reversals of fortunes). The story so depends on unlikely circumstances that the characters themselves wonder, could there be divine intervention taking place?

This is also the key question asked for centuries about the Megillah: is the good luck of the Jews, of Esther, and of Mordecai, a case of divine intervention? Among all the books of the Tanach (the canon of Old Testament texts), and especially among stories that are chanted out loud on a holiday, the Megillah of Esther notably omits any mention of G-d, by name or otherwise. Yet a sense of destiny, of greater purpose, of the force of justice, saturates the story. So too in the world of Nathan the Wise, in this universe hidden forces seem to lurk behind luck and circumstance.

So, first performance on Purim? Perhaps not such a coincidence after all!

THE WORLD COMES TO YOU, ON SCREEN AND STAGE

The pandemic may have delayed your travel plans, but JxJ—the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center’s film and music program—makes accessing the cultural riches of the world easy, right here in Washington, DC. Founded in 1990 as the Washington Jewish Film Festival, the initiative quickly became one of the largest and most respected Jewish film festivals in North America. Music was added in 1999 and has become an essential part of the arts program. Both through its annual festival in May and year-round offerings, JxJ highlights global Jewish stories with dramas, documentaries, and concerts hailing from Israel, Europe, and Latin America.

“One of the great callings of the arts is to forge community, connection, and understanding between people from vastly different backgrounds, religious traditions, and political leanings,” says Ilya Tovbis, JxJ’s Artistic and Managing Director. “Movies perform an incredible magic: they transport the viewer in time and place, allowing you to experience the world through the eyes and cultures of people thousands of miles away. By attending JxJ screenings over the past few weeks, you could have mingled with the Jews of Mallorca (Xueta Island), sat in on Egyptian-Jewish animators honing their craft, or experienced the migration of Ethiopian Jews to Israel in daring airlifts.”

JxJ’s concert lineup is similarly expansive and inspiring of wanderlust: recent shows have focused on Israeli jazz and classical traditions, Yiddish tunes by way of Amsterdam, and the intersection of African American and Jewish song. “It’s hard to overstate the power of tapping your toes along with a room full of friends, family and strangers to melodies and rhythms that echo and encompass generations of our history, struggles, and achievements,” says Tovbis.

The JxJ Festival runs from May 12-22, 2022 and will showcase entries from over 30 countries—consider your film and concert tickets a bonafide passport to a world of wonders. For tickets visit: www.jxjdc.org

FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY STAFF

Michael Witmore, Director

ADMINISTRATION Ruth Taylor Kidd, Chief Financial Officer

Business Office Adrienne Jones, Director of Finance Mimi Newcastle, Staff Accountant

Facilities Joshua Berkeley, Associate Director, Architecture Allison Fuentes, Facilities Manager Mitchell Norman, Chief Engineer Arnaldo Caldiera and Joshua Childs, Building Services Technicians Wenqi Han, HVAC Specialist

Gift Shop Matthew Frederick, Shop Operations Manager

Human Resources Kimberley Mauldin, Director of Human Resources Sarah Christian, Benefits and Training Programs Administrator Elton Clark, Recruitment and Internships Manager

Information Technology Luis Sato, Systems Engineer Stephanie Svoboda, Tessitura Administrator

Security Rodney T. Parks, Head of Security and Safety Terrill Tiggle, General Office Assistant Stephen Howard and Alonzo Macon, Security Shift Supervisors Sumorry Alpha, Charles Crews II, LaTanya Gant, D’Vida Mack, John Morris, Helen Rowe, Gwendolyn Smith, Lucien Thony, Full Time Security Officers Brittany Baker, Kevin Beynum, Ricardo Gross, Priscilla Leach, Herbert Montague, Andre Myrick, Cornell Washington, Eugene Witherspoon, Part Time Security Officers

COLLECTIONS Greg Prickman, Eric Weinmann Librarian, Director of Collections Caroline Duroselle-Melish, Associate Librarian for Collection Care and Development and Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Early Modern Books and Prints Michelle Lee Silverman, Louis B. Thalheimer Associate Librarian for Researcher Services Julie C. Swierczek, Associate Librarian for Collection Description and Imaging Dr. Heather Wolfe, Associate Librarian and Curator of Manuscripts

Collection Care and Development Elizabeth DeBold, Assistant Curator of Collections Urszula Kolodziej, Acquisitions Specialist Renate Mesmer, J. Franklin Mowery Head of Conservation Adrienne Bell, Book Conservator Rhea DeStefano, Senior Paper Conservator

Collection Description and Imaging Dr. Erin Blake and Deborah J. Leslie, Senior Catalogers Sara Schliep, Archivist and Cataloger Emily Wahl, Metadata Librarian Dr. William Davis, Senior Photography Associate Melanie Leung, Image Request Coordinator Christine Naulty, Imaging Associate

Exhibitions Kristen Sieck, Exhibitions Coordinator

Researcher Services Rosalind Larry, Head of Circulation Abbie Weinberg, Research and Reference Librarian Rachel B. Dankert, Learning and Engagement Librarian LuEllen DeHaven and Camille Seerattan, Reference Assistants Morgan Ellison, Researcher Registration Assistant Meghan Carafano, Circulation Assistant

COMMUNICATION Garland Scott, Head of External Relations Esther French, Digital Managing Editor Benjamin Lauer, Social Media and Communications Manager Peter Eramo, Jr., Events Publicity and Marketing Manager

DEVELOPMENT Abbey Silberman Fagin, Chief Advancement Officer Cari Romeu Mozur, Associate Director of Development Allison Munoz, Associate Director, Planned and Major Gifts Ari Silber, Associate Director, Corporate and Foundation Relations Elizabeth Stevens, Development Officer, Membership and Individual Giving Anthony Fiore, Development Associate for Planned and Major Gifts Haley Khosrowshahi, Advancement Associate Evan Crump, Development Specialist, Data Entry

DIGITAL MEDIA AND PUBLICATIONS Eric Johnson, Director of Digital Access Stacey Redick, Digital Strategist

Sophie Byvik, Digital Projects Associate Michael Poston, Database Applications Associate Jennifer Wood, Production Associate

Shakespeare Quarterly Dr. Gail Paster, Director Emerita and Editor of Shakespeare Quarterly Dr. Jessica Frazier, Assistant Director of Publications and Managing Editor, Shakespeare Quarterly Dr. Jennifer Wood, Editorial Assistant

DIRECTOR’S OFFICE Brian Rothbart, Executive Assistant to the Director

EDUCATION Dr. Peggy O'Brien, Director of Education Katie Dvorak, Education Project Manager Shanta Bryant, Education Program Coordinator Louisa Newlin, Senior Consultant

FOLGER INSTITUTE Dr. Kathleen Lynch, Executive Director of the Folger Institute Dr. Owen Williams, Associate Director for Scholarly Programs Dr. Ashley Buchanan, Associate Director for Fellowships Leah Thomas, Program Assistant, Folger Institute

PUBLIC PROGRAMS Karen Ann Daniels, Director of Public Programs and Artistic Director, Folger Theatre Beth Emelson, Associate Director of Public Programs and Associate Artistic Producer, Folger Theatre David Mozur, Folger Consort Manager Teri Cross Davis, Folger Poetry Coordinator David Polk, General Manager Charles Flye, Production Manager/ Technical Director Rebekah Sheffer, Assistant Technical Director Dr. emma poltrack, Public Programs Administrative Assistant Heather Newhouse, Patron Services Manager Danica Zielinski-Natter, Lead House Manager Dan Pyuen, Box Office Manager Bailey Blumenstock, Aaron Cromie, Hannah Manwiller, and Patrick Kilbride, Box Office Associates Elizabeth Andrew, Renee Beaver, Kaiya Lyons, and Lara Szypszak, House Managers Cidney Forkpah, Wardrobe Head Brandon Roe, Sound Engineer Michele Osherow, Resident Dramaturg

COMING NEXT AT THEATER J

FIRES IN THE MIRROR: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities Conceived, written, and originally performed by Anna Deavere Smith

Co-Directed by and starring January LaVoy

January LaVoy (she/her) is an Atlanta-based actress, best known for her role as Noelle Ortiz-Stubbs on the long-running ABC daytime drama One Life to Live. She has appeared on and Off-Broadway, in regional theaters across the country, and guest starred on several prime-time network series, including Elementary, Blue Bloods, and N0S4A2. An Audiofile Magazine “Golden Voice” since May 2019, January has an extensive body of work in both narration and commercial voiceover. She has hundreds of audiobook titles to her credit, and her voice has been heard in national campaigns for dozens of products. She shares a 2020 Grammy nomination with Meryl Streep and the cast of the Charlotte’s Web audiobook, in which she plays the title role of Charlotte.

Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities runs from June 9 to July 3, 2022. For tickets visit theaterj.org.

Thirty years after the Crown Heights riots, what is the most relevant thing to you about working on a play that centers those historical events?

LaVoy: In a way, it's very comforting to remember that the kinds of things that we have been dealing with are part of a much longer and bigger story than sometimes we remember. This history is something we can reach back and look at. I mean, many activists featured in the play are still doing the work they were doing then!

But it’s also a play that reminds us that our definition of community is one of the most important and relevant things we can think about at any time. Look at what we’re going through with the social, cultural, and racial uprisings that have been happening in this country over the past few years and the awareness those events have helped to create of communities outside of our own—those that maybe we don’t think about. How clear those events have made the divisions that break us down into separate communities—but also, in their aftermath, they have given us the opportunity to look around, to redefine community, and to say yes, these people are a part of my community.

We hear that echoed in a lot of the characters in Fires in the Mirror; one of my favorite characters talks a lot about her neighbors. If you can start thinking about people as your neighbors, as part of your community—I think there’s a way forward in that for all of us.

You play something like 26 roles in this show, many of them with strong opinions and perspectives. How do you navigate the diversity of all those thoughts in your performance?

LaVoy: A kind of guiding principle in any work that I’m doing as an actor is not to judge the character. No one ever does anything—no character, no person— because they think it’s the wrong thing. We do it because we think it’s the right thing. We think it’s going to get us what we want! So even if I can’t figure out a way to agree with the person whose perspective I’m inhabiting, it’s incumbent on me not to judge that person for having that perspective. Instead, I need to be able to approach them in a way that allows their ideas, their perspectives, their opinions to stand on their own and not to be infringed upon by what I think.

You and Theater J’s Artistic Director Adam Immerwahr created a version of this production live streamed to audiences in Atlanta in summer 2021. What are you most excited about exploring with in-person audiences in DC this coming June?

LaVoy: I can’t wait to be in the room with an audience. There are just things you can’t know about a show until the circuit is closed, and the circuit doesn’t close until the audience is present. I just can’t wait to be able to hear people’s laughs and gasps. Whatever it is they respond with, it’s going to teach me so much more about this show!

FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY BOARD OF GOVERNORS

J. May Liang, Chair

D. Jarrett Arp, Vice-Chair Roger Millay, Vice-Chair

Richard D. Batchelder, Jr. Sir Simon Russell Beale, CBE Jeff Bleich Rebecca Bushnell Vinton Cerf Florence H. Cohen Debbie Driesman Susan Sachs Goldman Rosa Joshi

Derek Kaufman Gail Kern Paster Eugene Pinkard Stuart Rose Charles Roxburgh Paul Smith Ramie Targoff Ayanna Thompson

EX OFFICIO Dr. Michael Witmore Director, Folger Shakespeare Library

FOLGER THEATRE SPONSORS

With special thanks to those donors who have supported Folger Theatre with sponsorship gifts over the past two years.

SEASON SPONSORS Maygene and Steve Daniels Helen and David Kenney and Family

PRODUCTION SPONSORS Keith and Celia Arnaud Nicky Cymrot

Neal T. Turtell*

Nancy and Steve Howard Robin and Roger Millay

CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS Judy Areen and Richard Cooper Weissberg Foundation Timothy J. Carlton

ASSOCIATE SPONSORS Howard M. Brown Louis and Bonnie Cohen Pam McFarland and Brian Hagenbuch

Denise Gwyn Ferguson Margaret and David Gardner Dr. David E. Johnson and Ms. Wendy Frieman Gail Kern Paster

Andrea "Andi" Kasarsky Rick Kasten Julianna Mahley

ARTIST SPONSORS Karl K. and Carrol Benner Kindel

*Deceased

ABOUT THEATER J

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.

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.

ACCESSIBILITY AT THEATER J

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

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

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