Over 18 years, theater director Ari Roth built Theater J into a Jewish Washington, D.C. powerhouse that often debuted works by major writers. But six years ago, the theater, which was housed by and associated with the Washington DC Jewish Community Center, fired him amid claims that a festival he was running was too pro-Palestinian.…
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On Stage
Culture
East Bay Jewish arts lab seeks 2021 fellows — pandemic or not
LABA East Bay, an incubator and study program for Jewish artists run by the JCC East Bay, is in search of its second cohort of Bay Area artists. LABA…
Theater
Demagogue president revived in Yiddish theater's take on 1936 play
In 1936, the play “It Can’t Happen Here” by American writer Sinclair Lewis was presented simultaneously by 21 theater companies across the country. The…
First Person
Watching ‘Hamilton’ as an Israeli in America
Every work of art is about symbolism, but “Hamilton” takes this a step beyond. Not content with the symbols of other great Broadway hits — love and…
Theater
Online Irving Berlin concert to raise money for local theaters
Social distancing may prevent some people from dancing cheek to cheek these days, but Hershey Felder is offering up an alternative: a livestream…
The Matzo Chronicles
The show will go on (again) … and I, for one, can’t wait
Amid pandemic and economic turmoil, there is speculation about life “after” and what the new “normal” will look like. Change is inevitable, even in good…
Passover
Saturday Night Seder yields $2.6M for charity, 4 insights about being Jewish
With its glittering assembly of stars, jokes that worked and attendees who could, well, sing, it was the Zoom Seder you wished you had. The Saturday Night…
Theater
Mock trial for Shylock is ‘intellectual reality TV’
If you’ve always thought Shylock’s punishment in Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” was harsh, you’re not alone. At his trial in the play, Shylock is…
Bay Area
Traveling Jewish Theatre’s Corey Fischer suffers serious brain bleed
Actor, director and playwright Corey Fischer, best known as co-founder of The Jewish Theatre, suffered a brain stem bleed on Dec. 3, according to his…