Tuesday, July 23rd begins the "Three Weeks", which lasts until Tuesday, August 13th.
July 23rd is the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz, and August 12-13th is the Fast of Tish'a B'Av.
The “Three Weeks” and Tisha B’Av are designated as a time of mourning over the destruction of the Holy Temple and the galut (exile).
In This Edition: Announcing our PlayMakers Lab Artists (applications still open for Actors!), New AJT Monthly Meet-ups, Member News, On The Bimah, and more!
Announcing AJT's First PlayMakers Lab Artists!
(top row, L to R) Emmy Weissman, Leela Velautham, Adi Eshman
(middle row, L to R) Hank Kimmel, Izzy Salant, Malka Wallick, Bradley Cherna
(bottom row) Desiree Gezentsvey
The AJT PlayMaker Lab meets monthly on Zoom from August through October for two-hour sessions.
LAB DATES-
August 25th - Lab 1, 4-6 PM ET / 1-3 PM PT
September 22th - Lab 2, 4-6 PM ET / 1-3 PM PT
October 27th - Lab 3, 4-6 PM ET / 1-3 PM PT
November 24th - Lab 4, 4-6 PM ET / 1-3 PM PT
MORE DETAILS on which artist will
present at which lab coming soon.
Pssst! We need more actors still!
Please complete the application below as soon as possible.
A Grants Session with the National Endowment for the Arts hosted byCANVAS
on Zoom, July 25 from 12-1pm ET
Ever wondered how to navigate the federal arts funding landscape? Is my organization eligible for an NEA grant, and how should I think about a proposal?
Join CANVAS and the National Endowment for the Arts on July 25 from 12-1pm ET for a virtual field-wide grants session for arts and culture non-profit organizations—large and small—about national, regional, and local opportunities available through public arts funding.
NEA Media Arts Specialist Avril Claytor and Literary Arts Specialist Jessica Flynn will offer information on NEA grant guidelines, tips on crafting a strong proposal for public funding, and inspirational programs and projects to inform your approach to an application. The presentation will be followed by a Q+A session with participants moderated by CANVAS COO Sarah Burford.
Be sure to register below in advance to join the conversation!
on Zoom, Wednesday, September 18th 10am PT/ 1pm ET/ 8pm Israel Time.
Bring your Casting Director questions!
How do you use a casting director? Can your small company/production see a cost savings with a casting director? What value does a casting director bring? How does my pool of actors change with a casting director? Joining Daryl is Voices Festival Productions leader Ari Roth.
FREE to AJT Members, $18 for non-members
DARYL EISENBERG (she/her)is a proud Jewish Casting Director and Owner of Eisenberg Casting- an Artios-nominated full-service casting office. Eisenberg Casting is a fast-paced, bi-coastal casting office with extensive experience casting for Broadway, Off-Broadway, Regional Theater, National Tours, Film, TV, Commercials, Voiceover, and New Media. Daryl Eisenberg creates a comfortable space for actors to take risks and re-imagine their potential as artists in a progressing industry. Eisenberg Casting connects talent to clients with thoughtfulness and vision while maintaining an efficient and enjoyable process for the artists on both sides of the table. Daryl has covered nearly all the major and minor markets coast-to-coast and her films have played major festivals such as Sundance, Venice, Tribeca, TIFF, SXSW, San Diego, Cleveland, Atlanta, Soho, and have also received distribution theatrically and streaming. Daryl is the chair of the Somerset County Film Commission and is a former Watchung Borough Councilmember. She was awarded the 2021 Eleanor Roosevelt Volunteer Service Award by the Somerset County Federation of Democratic Women. Daryl was listed in the Insider 100: Millennial Power List and is a recipient of the Somerset County Business Partnership Top 40 Under 40 Award. Daryl has taught at schools and institutions around the country. She holds a BFA from Tisch School of The Arts/New York University and Playwrights Horizons Theater School. Member of Casting Society of America. @EBCastingCo. www.ebcastingco.com
ARI ROTH is a producer, playwright, dramaturg, educator, songwriter, and child of Holocaust refugees. He served as Artistic Director of Theater J from 1997 to 2014 and established Mosaic Theater Company of DC in late December of 2014 as its Founding Artistic Director.
What Has Always Been / Radicle, not Radical: Season 4, Ep. 3
Have you heard the most recent ON The BIMAH?
"What Has Always Been / Radicle, not Radical" (Season 4, Episode 3), the newest episode of our season, dropped Monday, May 20. We called to the Bimah composer, playwright and teacher Bronwen Mullin (she/her) and rabbi, writer, teacher, and theater artist Nicole Fix (she/her).
Based in West Philly, Bronwen and Nicole are the co-founders of the Rabbinic Arts Company, a unique initiative that integrates rabbinic training with theater arts. Their work explores the intersection of Jewish tradition, contemporary performance, and social justice.
We spoke with Bronwen and Nicole about their journey of bringing together their rabbinic and artistic paths. They shared insights into their process of adapting Jewish texts for the stage in ways that are both deeply rooted in tradition and radically contemporary. We discussed their vision for a "modern-day practice of rabbinic arts" and how they aim to cultivate a global appreciation for Judaism through their work.
As queer Jewish women, Bronwen and Nicole also reflected on how their identities shape the stories they tell and the communities they serve. We explored the Rabbinic Arts Company's dual mission of training artists and producing work, and how they see these goals supporting each other.
Looking ahead, Bronwen and Nicole shared their excitement for the future of Jewish theater and scholarship. They discussed where they see potential for innovation in Jewish theatre-making and rabbinic leadership, and how they hope the Rabbinic Arts Company will evolve to serve that vision.
"On the Bimah" continues to illuminate the heart, soul, and diversity of contemporary Jewish theatre, guided by your host Danielle Levsky.
This podcast is an Alliance for Jewish Theatre program, produced by Danny Debner and Danielle Levsky. Our theme music is by Ilya Levinson and Alex Koffman, and our logo is by Alize Francheska Rozsnyai.
Bake-Off 2024
was a huge success!
Thank you to everyone who made our shows possible, including all of the wonderful playwrights, actors, and directors.
Here are some of the highlights!
1) Aaron Posner's talk back with everyone
2) and 3) (Above and below) are PANDERING: A BAKE-OFF PLAY by Izzy Salant
4) A YOUNG GIRL WITH A SUPERNATURAL POWER MEETS THE YOUNG BOY WEARING A MINT GREEN DRESS by Hank Kimmel (Above)
5) AN AMAZING PESADIC CHOCOLATE CAKE by Melinda Gros (Above)
6) & 7) THE FIFTH QUESTION, An Afikomen Murder Mystery by Harrison Bryan (Above and below)
8) MATZAH HOUSE by Robin Pullen (Above)
9) THE CHOICE by Lorraine Anastasio (Above)
Hey there, member actors! Member Theatres are seeking actors to fill roles throughout the country and internationally on a regular basis. Please be sure to check our Casting Calls "virtual callboard" on a regular basis.
AJT Member and Theatremacher Alum Lauren Schaffel writing and producing short film, Catalogue of Noses.
CATALOGUE OF NOSES is a dark musical comedy following Jewish teen actor, Emily, who faces off with her mother and Jewish plastic surgeon on the day of her rhinoplasty.
The story is set to original Fiddler on the Roof parody songs to further illustrate the sacrifices Jewish women make to assimilate.
It's a satirical, hilarious piece that weaves Lauren's real-life experience of having a nose job at 16 to fit as a young Hollywood actor, with some deep truths about the underlying antisemitism that still exists in Hollywood today (ie. Bradley Cooper's fake nose to play Leonard Bernstein).
Hi friends! We are currently crowdfunding on Seed&Spark (link below), and would be honored if you would consider a donation to support a fellow AJT member in bringing this short film to life. We've got LOTS of great perks for you to choose from (including links to the finished film, albums of parody songs, producer credits, and more).
I wrote this film to combat the harmful portrayal of Jews in media that still exists today — and the best antidote to hate is comedy.
This film has a good, hearty laugh at ridiculous American standards of beauty, and is not just about Jewish women, but about anyone who's been told they need to change their appearance to feel worthy.
We believe that with your help, we could get this project in front of the viewers who need it most! To learn more about our film and the incredible team working on it, check out our INSTAGRAM PAGE HERE.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and the tips of our noses!
AJT Member Theatre, Six Points Theater of MN, proud to announce 30th Season!
A National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere explores bigotry and racism in a California city; in a newly minted Tony Award-winner, a solo show that’s hysterically funny and brutally honest follows a young Jewish stand-up comic as he checks out a white supremacist meeting in Queens; God takes the stage in a parody on the Ten Commandments, and lets us know in no uncertain terms which commandments should be improved upon, with hip and irreverent commentary brought to life by Sally Wingert in the role of God. Additional Programming, POLITICS AND THEATER: The Theatrics of Government, and Political Writing by Jewish Playwrights; and SURVIVORS will also be part of the season.
3 Mainstage Productions:
Just for Us
Alex Edelman
Directed by JC Cutler
October 26 - November 10, 2024
The Messenger
by Jenny Connell Davis
Directed by Faye Price
March 8 - 23, 2025
An Act of God
by David Javerbaum
Starring Sally Wingert
May 3 -18, 2025
Congratulations on 30 Years, Six Points Theater and Artistic Director Barbara Brooks!
Theatremacher and Theatremacher alumni gathered at the Jewish Plays Project National Contest in NYC on June 3rd.
Photo credit: Basil Rodericks - FaceItFoto
AJT Member Larry Hirschhorn's Grief: A Love Story receives performances in Philadelphia; role of young boy yet to be filled - seeks submissions.
September 20, 21, 22, 2024 7:30pm ET
Bob and Selma Huron Studio Theater, 62 North 2nd Street Philadelphia PA, 19106
The setting is a New York City Jewish neighborhood in 1951. Jacob and Eva are holocaust survivors who must adjust to “America.” They belong to an orthodox synagogue. Jacob struggles with his demons as he encounters both native-born American Jews and fellow refugees and survivors. The play’s twists and turns lead Jacob and others to consider experiences of God and forgiveness in a post-holocaust world. The play highlights the heretofore unexplored tensions and misunderstandings between Holocaust survivors and refugees and American-born Jews.
Currently Casting: A Boy to play 8-10 years old. Rehearsals begin August 19th. Please visit the link below to access full opportunity details and submission instructions.
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