29 minute read
Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story
LETTER FROM THEATER J'S MANAGING DIRECTOR
ב״ה
Dear Friends,
הנה מה–טוב ומה–נעים שבת אחים גם יחד
“How good and pleasant it is join together in community.”
This rough translation of Psalm 133 inspires us as we welcome you to Theater J’s 22-23 season. Our mission as a theater and as a program of the Edlavitch DCJCC is to create a space to gather in community, for good, and for pleasure.
As we planned this season on the heels of unprecedented times, we found ourselves turning to stories of triumph and resilience, joy and hope. We were also drawn to shows that would give us a sense of greater belonging to the fabrics of community that stretch across time and borders. And we were gratified to discover that our own urgent need to communicate, to share, and to listen was met by a world of collaborators possessed by an equally urgent need.
You will see what we mean right away, as we kick off our season with this trio of visionary talents from Canada, Ben Caplan, Christian Barry, and Hannah Moscovitch. They will rock us to our klezmer cores in the season’s opener: Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story.
I hope you will join us in community again next month when we present Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel. Through the eyes of Esther, an African American seamstress, we see the intimate lives of 1905 Lower East Side Manhattan where many people find their hopes and dreams for love and success met with the harsh realities of city living. This beautiful story was adapted into an opera last year that will be shown on PBS later this month. We are delighted to be staging Nottage’s original play for you in the coming weeks.
After that, we’re bringing back The Pianist of Willesden Lane. After a sold-out run at the Kennedy Center, Grammy ® -nominated pianist Mona Golabek makes her triumphant return in what will be one of the most powerful performances in Theater J’s history. Set in Vienna in 1938 and in London during the Blitz, The Pianist of Willesden Lane combines enthralling storytelling with breathtaking live performances of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and more.
Our season continues in 2023 with Seth Rozin’s hilarious comedy, Two Jews Walk Into A War…, Emily Mann’s ode to a feminist icon, Gloria: A Life, and Stephen Laughton’s urgent look at antisemitism in the UK, One Jewish Boy. It would be good to have you with us all season, so consider subscribing to ensure you don’t miss out. Make sure to tell your friends and family so they can join you at the theater too. Together we can behold how sweet, joyous, and pleasant it is to be in community together.
In joy,
David Lloyd Olson, Theater J Managing Director
THANK YOU TO OUR 2022/2023 SEASON SPONSORS
LEADING PRODUCER
The Bridge Fund, The Government of the District of Columbia
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Covenant Foundation
SPONSORING PRODUCER
Susie and Michael Gelman, The Morningstar Foundation
Sari R. Hornstein
The Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts
Nussdorf Family Foundation
Revada Foundation of the Logan Family
Kay Richman and Daniel Kaplan
Share Fund
The Shubert Foundation
Arthur Tracy Fund
George Vradenburg
Amy Weinberg and Norbert Hornstein
SUPPORTING PRODUCER
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
Helene and Robert Schlossberg
Barney Shapiro and Susan Walker
Patti and Jerry Sowalsky
This production is funded by the Arthur Tracy "The Street Singer" Endowment Fund which honors the legacy of renowned singer and entertainer Arthur Tracy.
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.
Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story is supported by The Embassy of Canada in Washington, DC
AARON & CECILE GOLDMAN THEATER • TRISH VRADENBURG STAGE
THEATER J David Lloyd Olson, Managing Director
Originally produced by 2B theatre company in co-production with the National Arts Centre
OLD STOCK: A Refugee Love Story
created by Hannah Moscovitch, Ben Caplan, & Christian BarrySEPTEMBER 7–25, 2022
Playwright...................................................Hannah Moscovitch
Director........................................................Christian Barry
Songs by.......................................................Ben Caplan & Christian Barry*
*Except for Traveler’s Curse by Geoff Berner, The Happy People by Danny Rubenstein, and Od Yishama by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach
**Additional Music Composed by Graham Scott
The Wanderer, Guitar and Banjo..........Ben Caplan
Chaya, Violin...............................................Shaina Silver-Baird
Chaim, Woodwinds...................................Eric Da Costa
Keyboard and Accordion.......................Graham Scott
Drumset.......................................................Jamie Kronick
Stage Manager.........................................Christine Oakey
Production Manager...............................Louisa Adamson
Sound Engineer.........................................William Fallon
Music Director............................................Graham Scott
Tour Producer.............................................Rebecca Desmarais
Assistant Stage Manager.......................Taylor Kiechlin
Set Design...................................................Louisa Adamson & Christian Barry
Lighting Design.........................................Louisa Adamson & Christian Barry
Sound Design............................................Jordan Palmer, Graham Scott, Christian Barry, & Ben Caplan
Costume Design........................................Carly Beamish
Assistant Director......................................Laura Vingoe-Cram
Voice and Speech Coach.......................Susan Stackhouse
TIME & PLACE: Halifax, Nova Scotia, beginning in 1908
The production runs 90 minutes with no intermission.
Thanks to The Citadel Theatre and the Theatre Arts Residency program at Banff Centre for their contributions to the development of Old Stock, and to our co-production partners at the National Arts Centre.
Thanks to the Azrieli Foundation for their support of Old Stock's 2020/21 touring activity.Thanks to 2b’s Supporting Sponsor Cox & Palmer.This work premiered in 2017 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, at the Waiting Room.
FOR 2b theatre company:
Christian Barry, Artistic Director LaMeia Reddick, Executive Director Jacob Sampson, Associate Artistic Director Louisa Adamson, Managing Director & Director of Production Rebecca Desmarais, Director of Touring Chelsea Dickie, Administration & Outreach Manager Francesca Masters, Director of Development & Communications Gloria Mok, RBC Emerging Artist-in-Residence Luciana Fernandes, RBC Emerging Artist-in-Residence
2b is represented by touring agent Menno Plukker (Menno Plukker Theatre Agent Inc.) menno@mennoplukker.com.
2b theatre company receives operating support from the Canada Council for the Arts, Arts Nova Scotia, and the city of Halifax.
Thanks to the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture, and Heritage for their support of this show and of arts and culture in Nova Scotia.
2b theatre company is a member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres and engages, under the terms of the Canadian Theatre Agreement, professional artists who are members of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association.
ABOUT 2b theatre company 2b is a Halifax-based, internationally-acclaimed theatre company creating works for the regional, national, and international stages. Led by Artistic Director Christian Barry, 2b creates, develops, and produces new work that is distinguished by innovation in staging, polish in design, and virtuosity in performance. Our work is part of the evolution of contemporary theatre aesthetics. We are also an incubator, central to a thriving national theatre community, that offers a range of creation, performance, and production opportunities for arts professionals from our region and beyond.
http://2btheatre.com
2b would like to thank Andrew Cull, Taryn Kawaja, Kathryn McCormack, Ryan Parker, Vanessa Sabourin, and Jeff Schwager for their participation in the workshopping and development of this project.
SONGS
• Traveller's Curse *written by Geoff Berner
• You've Arrived
• Truth Doesn't Live in a Book
• Od Yishama *by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach
• The Happy People *written by Danny Rubenstein
• Minimum Intervals
• Plough the Shit
• Lullaby
• Fledgling
• What Love Can Heartbreak Allow*songs written by Ben Caplan and Christian Barry except where indicated*
PLAYWRIGHT’S NOTES
The text in this project is the story of my paternal family. When there have been gaps in my knowledge of actual events, I have taken artistic liberties. For instance, I do not know the full story of how my great-grandfather Chaim Moscovitch’s family died in Romania. And because I have often been working from incomplete information, I have discovered over the course of this project that I have parts of my family’s history wrong. In two instances, I decided to leave my inaccuracies in the text. I originally thought that Chaya was older than Chaim; I later found out from a census that they were in fact the same age. And I believed that Sam Moscovitch, my grandfather, was the oldest child in the family. He was in fact the second child: his sister Mary (Michal) Moscovitch was the firstborn. –Hannah Moscovitch
RESOURCES
Pogrom is a Russian word meaning to wreak havoc and destroy violently. The word is most commonly used to reference brutal attacks on Jewish people between 1881-1921 in Russia and Eastern Europe. These mob attacks wiped out entire Jewish communities. As the pogroms became more frequent, millions of Jews were forced to leave their homes in search of safety. The Holocaust is often referred to as “The Last Pogrom”.
By WWI, Canada’s Jewish population was over 100,000. While Canada was a new home, many Jewish refugees were met with antisemitism and continued marginalization.
Over the next hundred years Canada would accept thousands of refugees escaping war and persecution from places such as Hungary, Chile, Uganda, Vietnam, and the former Yugoslavia.
Today, Canada is settling refugees from conflict zones including the Middle East and North Africa. Unfortunately, Islamophobia and xenophobic attitudes are still alive and well in Canada making the transition even more difficult for refugees from these areas.
If you would like to dig deeper, here is a list of resources.
LOCALLY:
• HIAS Headquartered in Silver Spring, MD, HIAS works around the world to protect refugees who have been forced to flee their homelands because of who they are, including ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities. For more than 130 years, HIAS has been helping refugees rebuild their lives in safety and dignity.
OTHER CHARITIES:
• United Nations Refugee Agency The UNHCR coordinates UN refugee responses, including support for host countries providing assistance for refugees.
• International Organization for Migration The IOM is an intergovernmental organization which provides services and support to governments and migrants.
• Unicef Canada The United Nations Children's Fund is a child-focused humanitarian organization operating in 192 countries.
• Doctors Without Borders Doctors Without Borders, or Médecins Sans Frontières, operates medical facilities inside countries like Syria and supports more than 100 clinics, health posts and field hospitals in the country.
• Oxfam Oxfam is an international confederation of 17 organizations working around the world to find solutions to poverty and support human rights.
• Amnesty International Amnesty International is a non-governmental organization with a focus on human rights.
• Canadian Red Cross Part of the international humanitarian organization Red Cross/Red Crescent, the Canadian Red Cross is helping to support the efforts of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent in Syria.
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 Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story. Guests and times subject to change. All events are free and open to everyone.
Sunday, September 11 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.
Monday, September 12, 7:00 PM SPECIAL EVENT: LOCAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE GLOBAL REFUGEE CRISIS The number of people forced to flee conflict, violence, human rights violations, and persecution has now crossed the staggering milestone of 100 million for the first time on record, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine and other conflicts. While this number is hard to even comprehend, it is made up of individual human beings with hopes, dreams, and realities that must be faced every day. So where do we find hope? To complement our Theater J production of Old Stock, A Refugee Love Story we invite you to hear from a panel of speakers presenting different perspectives on the refugee crisis the world is experiencing and how we move forward.
Wednesday, September 15 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, September 18 following the 2:00 PM performance SUNDAY SYMPOSIUM: Learn about the work of the immigrant and refugee service organization HIAS through a panel moderated by Sonya Weisburd, director of the Edlavitch DCJCC’s Morris Cafritz Center for Social Responsibility.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Louisa Adamson - Production Manager, Co-Lighting and Set Designer
Louisa is a theatre maker & manager, a collaborator in design & production, a builder of systems & spaces, an instructor & consultant based in Kji'puktuk/Halifax N.S.
Louisa works with 2b theatre company, Accidental Mechanics Group, ReWork Productions, and Kazan Co-op and delighted to be working on several new projects with Home Economics Project, Kinuk Studio / Ursula Johnson, and Avondale Artist’s Village. Past work includes: Spatz Theatre, Zuppa Theatre, Eastern Front Theatre and The Atlantic Film Festival. Nominated for 2018 NYC Drama Desk Awards; Best Set Design and Best Lighting Design. Recipient of the Scotland Herald Angel Award and the ‘little devil’ award and 7 Merritt Awards for Stage Management and Design. Graduate of the Technical Scenography Program at Dalhousie University.
Christian Barry - Director, Co-Lighting and Set Designer
Christian Barry is a multi-award winning director and theatre-maker from Halifax, Nova Scotia. His productions have toured to prestigious festivals and theatres around the world. Christian was nominated for four individual Drama Desk Awards in 2018, including Best Director, and received a nomination for Best Production. Other select awards: Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Production, Three Theatre NS Merritt Awards for Outstanding Direction (nine nominations), Two for Outstanding New Play, and two for Outstanding Lighting Design. Christian received the Halifax Mayor’s award for an Emerging Artist, the Urjo Kareda residency at the Tarragon Theatre, and is a winner of the Nova Scotia Masterworks Award - the largest arts prize in the province. He was also a finalist for the 2019 Siminovitch Prize for Directing. Directing credits for 2b: Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story, What a Young Wife Ought to Know, The God that Comes, Homage, Revisited, The Russian Play, The Story of Mr. Wright, East of Berlin, Manners of Dying, and Cherry Docs.
Carly Beamish - Costume Design
Carly Beamish is a Costume Designer and Builder. She completed her B.A. in Costume Studies at Dalhousie University but now lives and works in Toronto. Carly has stitched and dressed shows at Mirvish Theatre (Book of Mormon, Piaf/Dietrich, Anastasia), designed costumes for Lifetime movie A Killer In My Home and recently had the pleasure of stitching on Ross Petty’s Little Red Robin Hood, The National Ballet of Canada’s Swan Lake and Stratford’s Chicago. Notable treasured positions from her time in Halifax include Stitcher at Neptune Theatre (Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Shrek, Great Expectations); Dresser and Head of Wardrobe for Symphony Nova Scotia’s The Nutcracker; Costume Designer/ Builder for local productions (Waiting For Bardot, Playing House, EDNOS). Carly is thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with such an extraordinary team of artists on Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story.
Ben Caplan - The Wanderer
Ben Caplan released his first studio album in 2011, and has spent the last ten years recording music and performing in music clubs and theatres around the world. For the ten year anniversary of his first music release, Caplan has recorded a retrospective collection of stripped back re-interpretations of songs from across his catalogue. The album, entitled Recollection, was released in October of 2021 followed by an extensive European and Canadian tour.
Eric Da Costa - Chaim, Clarinet & Various
Eric is very excited to be a part of 2b theatre’s Old Stock. He is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy where he studied theatre in NYC and LA. He has been a musician for as many years as he has been a performer, so this opportunity is an exciting one. Previous credits include: Annie, Honk!, Snow White: the Panto, Peter Pan: the Panto (Drayton Entertainment), Key Change (Globe Theatre Regina), Hollywood Hits (Stage West Calgary). Huge thanks to the entire Old Stock team and as always, special thanks to family and friends for their constant support. This one is for Grandpa Da Costa.
William Fallon - Sound Engineer
Sound Mixer (selected): Passing Strange, The Wild Party, Once On This Island, Falsettos (Musical Stage). Sound Designer (selected): Boy Falls From The Sky (Mirvish/Past Future Productions); Cliff Cardinal’s CBC Special (Imaginary Force); Mary Poppins (YPT); ONCE (The Grand Theatre); You Are Here (Thousand Islands/Musical Stage Co); Into The Woods (Thousand Islands). Associate/assistant Sound Designer (selected): Guys & Dolls, HMS Pinafore, A Chorus Line, A Little Night Music, The Sound of Music, Carousel, Crazy for You, and Man of La Mancha (Stratford); Life Reflected (National Arts Centre Orchestra). William is member of the IATSE Local 58 and Local ADC 659.
Jamie Kronick - Drumset
Jamie Kronick, based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, lives a double artistic life as a session drummer and fine art photographer. www. jamiekronick.com
Hannah Moscovitch - Playwright
Hannah Moscovitch is an acclaimed Canadian playwright, TV writer and librettist whose work has been widely produced in Canada as well as around the world. Hannah has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Trillium Book Award, the Nova Scotia Masterworks Award, both The Scotsman Fringe First and The Herald Angel Award at the Edinburgh Festival, and the prestigious Windham-Campbell Prize administered by Yale University. She has been nominated for the international Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, New York City’s Drama Desk Award, and Canada’s Siminovitch Prize and Governor General’s Award (twice each). Past stage work includes East of Berlin, This is War, Bunny, What a Young Wife Ought to Know, Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes, and her confessional work for the stage, Secret Life of a Mother (with Maev Beaty and Ann-Marie Kerr). Hannah has been a Playwright-In-Residence at Tarragon Theatre, in Toronto, since 2007.
Christine Oakey - Stage Manager
Christine is a stage manager based in Kjipuktuk/Halifax. Some of her favourite and most recent credits include 6 seasons with Blyth Festival, Old Stock, When it Rains, Invisible Atom, Unconscious at the Sistine Chapel (2b), Woman in Black, Calendar Girls (Neptune Theatre), Hamlet (Below the Salt), The Children (Keep Good Theatre), The Boat (TNB/Neptune), Bittergirl (Charlottetown Festival) and 12 international tours with Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia. She has twice received the Merritt award for Best Stage Manager, most recently in 2014. Christine currently is a part time teacher and production coach in the theatre department at Dalhousie University. She is a graduate of the University of King's College and the National Theatre School of Canada.
Graham Scott - Music Director, Keyboards and Accordion
Graham is a Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary musicmaker. When he really wants to pull out all the stops for breakfast, he deploys his friend Allison’s sourdough pancake recipe! The night before, he prepares by dissolving 1 tbsp of yeast (or 2 tbsp of sourdough starter!) in 2 cups of warm water, then adds 1 tbsp of yogurt and 2 cups whole wheat flour, beating until smooth, then covering loosely to let sit on the counter overnight. In the morning, he stirs together 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp of salt, then mixes this together with last night's batter and lets it rest 15 minutes before cooking on a seasoned griddle over medium heat. He flips them over when the top is no longer shiny, et voilà—perfect sourdough pancakes!
Shaina Silver-Baird - Chaya, violin
Shaina is thrilled to be playing Chaya and telling the story of Jewish immigrants like her own Bubbe and Zaide. Since graduating with a BFA from the Acting Conservatory at York University and the Professional Theatre Program at Citadel Theatre/Banff Centre, Shaina has been working as an actor, singer, songwriter and writer. Favourite acting roles include: Charlotte (Charlotte: A Tri-Colour Play with Music – Theaturtle, European Tour); Juliet (Romeo & Juliet – Citadel Theatre); Toba (Chasse Galerie - Soulpepper/Storefront Theatre, MyTheatre Award Nomination Outstanding Performance/ Dora Award Best Ensemble). She is also the lead singer/ songwriter for electro-pop band Ghost Caravan. Her single “Damn You” was Song of the Week on CBC Radio and 3 of her songs were featured in season 3 of “Kim’s Convenience” (CBC, Netflix). Upcoming she will be co-writing and starring in new digital series Less Than Kosher (Filmcoop/ HighballTV). For Josh, Emi, Mom and Dad. @shainasb and @ghostcaravan
Laura Vingoe-Cram - Assistant Director
Laura is a freelance director and co-artistic director of Keep Good (Theatre) Company in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her recent directing credits include Crypthand (Galeforce Theatre), Love and Information (The fountain school of performing arts), The Children (Keep Good (Theatre) Company), Miss N’ Me (Eastern Front Theatre) Interactions with Art (Halifax Theatre for Young People) Time of Trouble (Opera Nova Scotia) Constellations (Keep Good (Theatre)Company). She recently completed a year at the Stratford Festival working as an assistant director under Nigel Shawn Williams and was a member of the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction. In 2015 she graduated from The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow with a masters in theatre directing.
ABOUT THEATER J
—The Washington Post
Theater J is a nationally-renowned, professional theater that celebrates, explores, and struggles with the complexities and nuances of both the Jewish experience and the universal human condition. Our work illuminates and examines ethical questions of our time, intercultural experiences that parallel our own, and the changing landscape of Jewish identities.
As the nation’s largest and most prominent Jewish theater, we aim to preserve and expand a rich Jewish theatrical tradition and to create community and commonality through theatergoing experiences.
The Edlavitch DCJCC embraces inclusion in all its programs and activities. We welcome and encourage the participation of all people, regardless of their background, sexual orientation, abilities, or religion, including interfaith couples and families.
THEATER J LEADERSHIP
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 serving as managing director of Quintessence Theatre Group in northwest Philadelphia. 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.
TRADITION! LOOKING AT A PLAY THROUGH JUDAISM'S LENS
By Johanna Gruenhut, Associate Artistic Director
The Jewish people, after a harrowing escape from Egypt, find themselves safely on the shores of a sea that parted for them, and they break out in song. Exodus 15:20-21: “Then Miriam…picked up a hand-drum, and all the women went out after her in dance with hand-drums. And Miriam chanted for them: Sing to the Holy One.” The first klezmer performance!
Now, we find ourselves metaphorically (and with some luck) on the safer side of a harrowing time. What better way for us at Theater J to celebrate than with klezmer, the unique blend of music that traveled with Ashkenazi Jews after their exile from Israel/Judea/Palestine to Central and Eastern Europe. Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story is filled with klezmer music that sounds new, vibrant, and fresh, and at once magically ancient, hallowed—a kind of music that links the past and the present.
Music can make sense of our emotions and experiences when words and reason fail us. We rely on music as a conduit and conductor of joy and sadness. Officially, there are ten songs designated in the Hebrew Bible, alongside scores of references to other instrumental and vocal music. We read descriptions of the musicians and vocalists who accompanied sacred processions. They played flutes, lyres, harps, tambourines, drums, and pipes. The sages teach that each instrument captures an aspect of the human condition: the drums our hearts, the flutes our inner spirits, and the stringed instruments the grace inherent in our motion. We read how this music transformed a disparate people into a nation, strangers into lovers, and a couple into a family.
But it is not just what we read, but how we read. Music and song are essential to daily, Shabbat, and Festival prayers. Every phrase in the Torah has a sign to show how it should be sung or chanted. Melodies become the fabric of heritage.
The word klezmer itself is an interesting one that says a lot about the role of music in Jewish tradition. It is a concatenation of two words, ‘kli’ (vessel) and ‘zemer’ (song) or music. The name elevates individual acts of musical creation to vessels that connect a flow of music through Jewish history, like a system of rivers, tributaries, and basins, from Miriam on the shores of the Red Sea to the characters of Old Stock on the shores of Canada.
OLD STOCK: A REFUGEE LOVE STORY STAFF
Head Electrician: Garth Dolan
Load-in Crew: Tad Howley, David Higgins
EDLAVITCH DCJCC LEADERSHIP & THEATER J STAFF
Edlavitch DCJCC Chief Executive Officer: Dava Schub
Chief Financial Officer: Craig Mintz
Chief Operating Officer: Bini W. Silver
Senior Director of Institutional Advancement: Emily Jillson
Theater J Managing Director: David Lloyd Olson
Director of Production: 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
"Expanding the Canon" Commissioned Writers: Carolivia Herron, Harley Elias, Jesse Jae Hoon, Kendell Pickney, MJ Kang, Thaddeus McCants, and Zachariah Ezer
Teaching Artists: Dr. Debra Caplan, Evan Casey, Sarah Corey, Felicia Curry, Naomi Jacobson, Aaron Posner, Howard Shalwitz, Dani Stoller, Holly Twyford, and Erin Weaver
Education Programs Assistant: Erin Murphy
Director of Patron Experience: Chad Kinsman
Creative Director, Edlavitch DCJCC: Molly Winston
Ticket Office Manager: Jasmine Jones
Development Manager: Emily Gardner
Press Representative: Kendra Rubinfeld PR
Technical Director: Thomas Howley
Director of Stage Operations: 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
COMING NEXT
Stitching a Story: TEXTILES TELL THE TALE IN INTIMATE APPAREL
By Kevin Place, Theater J Producing Director
Satin, silk, cotton, and lace: these fabrics adorn not only the characters in Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel but also title the scenes in this contemporary classic. The action of the play unfolds via textiles—the Crêpe de Chine and Valenciennes lace that we see Esther, an African American seamstress in turn-of-thecentury New York, turn lovingly into lingerie and the gabardine, chiffon, andJapanese silk sold to her by Mr. Marks, a Romanian Orthodox Jewish immigrant and Esther’s wouldbe love interest.
The very act of sewing, and Esther’s talent with a sewing machine, frame the story’s narrative, as Nottage told Chicago Reader in 2022: “At the start of the play… the sewing machine is very much a symbol of her oppression that she feels locked into, and it at first seems unfulfilling to her… what she comes to understand is that the sewing machine is actually her tool of liberation. Because she has a relationship with this new machine, she’s able to really spin a life for herself.”
Costume designer Moyenda Kulemeka has longed to work on the show: "I feel a natural connection to Esther as I too have found liberation through garment design. So much of this story unfolds through fabric and the unseen labor force of the garment industry. Rarely, if ever, do we stop to think about the lives of those who make our clothes—let alone see their stories unfold onstage.
Kulemeka's color palette for the costumes is inspired by autochrome and hand-tinted photographs of the period, and the muted-but-distinct colors she sees in them. "This palette captures the romantic nostalgia of old photography, while still allowing for bold moments of striking, saturated color. It gives me the freedom to play with audience expectations of what people wore at the turn-of-thecentury; a chance to ensure this period piece tells a vibrant and invigorating story."
See Kulemeka’s costumes in action when Intimate Apparel takes the stage October 19 through November 13.
DEEPEN YOUR IMPACT
Theater J is dedicated to producing work that illuminates ethical questions of our time, examines the changing landscape of Jewish identities, and celebrates inter-cultural experiences. It is because of you, our community, our audience, our supporters, that Theater J has grown to be “the nation’s most prominent Jewish theater” (American Theatre Magazine). Less than half of Theater J’s budget comes from ticket revenue. We are reliant on generous gifts from audience members like you, who see the value of having a thriving Jewish cultural center in the heart of the city.
We invite you to join your friends and neighbors in supporting our work. With your gift, you’ll be recognizing the vital role Theater J plays in our community–a place where the stories of immigrants are proudly told, where we ask that theater engage both the head and the heart, and where we produce art that reminds you of who you are.
WAYS TO GIVE
Theater J accepts contributions by mail, phone, online, or through stock donation. Checks can be made payable to Theater J and mailed to 1529 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036. For more information or to make a donation visit TheaterJ.org/Donate or contact Emily@theaterj.org or call 202.777.3225.
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 of its programs and activities. Theater J strives to make our productions accessible to all by providing the following to meet the needs of our patrons, and to enhance their experience at the theater. For more information, please contact our Director of Patron Experience at 202.777.3268 or contact our ticket office at theaterj@theaterj.org.
ACCESSIBLE SEATING: The Edlavitch DCJCC has ramp access from the Q Street entrance and all our restrooms are ADA accessible. In the Goldman Theater, removable seats provide patrons with the opportunity to be seated with their companions while sitting in their wheelchair.
ASSISTIVE LISTENING: Assistive listening devices are free-of-charge and offered on a first-come, first-served basis at all performances.
OPEN CAPTIONING: Open Captioning is offered during one performance of each Theater J production.
LARGE PRINT PROGRAMS: Large print programs are available at our Ticket Office, located on the first floor.
Theater J respects and welcomes gender diversity. Please use the restroom which makes you most comfortable or most closely fits your gender identity or expression. An allgender restroom is located on the Lower Level.
ONLINE CLASSES FOR THEATER LOVERS
Deepen your knowledge or explore a new aspect of theater with our award-winning artists alongside fellow theater lovers. Register at theaterj.org/classes.
PLAYS, RIGHT?: DISCUSSING THEATER WITH PLAYWRIGHTS
Taught by Johanna Gruenhut and Chad Kinsman 5 sessions | $169 (Subscription & Angel Donor $149) Thursdays 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM ET | September 29 – October 27, 2022
Someone, maybe Dorothy Parker, once wrote “No one likes writing. Only having written.” Join our Associate Artistic Director and Director of Patron Experience as they put this witticism to the test through bighearted conversations with a diverse group of playwrights—including some who are noted nationally and internationally already and some who are soon to be. Each week you’ll read a new script and then engage its writer in a moderated discussion to learn more about their writing process and how they collaborate with directors, designers, and actors to bring their work from a blank page to a full stage.
STAGING HISTORY: PREPARING FOR GLORIA: A LIFE
Taught by Holly Twyford 5 sessions | $169 (Subscription & Angel Donor $149) Mondays 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM ET | November 7 – December 5, 2022
How does a director move a play from concept to audience? How does she plan collaboration with writers, actors, and designers in the creation process? And how does she tackle telling the story of the iconic Gloria Steinem? Go inside of a director’s head as you peek into Holly Twyford’s preparation for Theater J’s spring 2023 production of Gloria: A Life. Sessions will feature behind-the-scenes insights into creative decision making, detailed analysis and conversations, and interviews with guest artists and experts. Get a true insider’s view of a production from the ground up with one of DC’s most accomplished directors and performers.
