Category: Community

Alumni, Community

Our Community: Alumni Edition #1

JET

Aviva Solkowitz – Alumni from the community

  • Tell us you name, age, and background.

My name is Aviva Solkowitz, I’m 19, I’m from Bethesda Maryland and I’ve been doing theater for about 10 years. I started with Shakespeare productions when I was 9 or 10. Then as I got older I started doing more musicals.

  • Why were you in Israel?

I was in Israel on a gap year program called Nativ, as a part of that program I was living in Jerusalem and studying at Hebrew University.

  • First Experience in the theater community in Israel?

While I was touring Hebrew U before my classes began, I was told that there were auditions that day for the show Cinderella, and that was my first experience with the Jerusalem Theater Community. The auditions were immediately followed by the first rehearsal, so the other Nativers and I got to meet the rest of the cast immediately.

  • General Experience in theater community in Israel?

I’ve seen quite a few shows from the AACI, and Starcatcher, as well as participated in various events involving the theater community as well like the Hannukah party, and a karaoke event at the AACI.

  • What was the highlight of your time with the theater community here?

I don’t know if I could pick just one… there were so many amazing things to happen. I suppose if I had to choose, it would be being able to watch the friends I made perform in other shows. It was really rewarding to be able to see my friends do such great work and to watch them from an audience perspective rather than being next to them on stage.

  • What do you miss most?

Performing and working with the people there. It was really so great to work with such amazing people, and getting to know everyone in the theater community was really rewarding. I became friends with everyone, so of course I miss my friends.

  • What are you doing now?

Right now, I’m at University majoring in theater in New York. I’ve auditioned for a couple things in the city and the school as well as done an audition for a Broadway show.

  • Do you plan on coming back?

I would love to come back and do theater again! I really hope that I’m able to come back for a little while and at least see a show, but hopefully be able to perform in one again.

  • How do you stay connected ? Or do you stay connected with friends you made in the community?

I mainly keep in contact with people through Facebook and WhatsApp. I text people all the time, and get them to update me on what shows are going on each season.

  • Anything you wanna add?

When people ask me what my favorite part of my gap year was, I say that it was performing in Cinderella. Doing that gave me exposure to an entire world of theater in Jerusalem that I didn’t know existed. I was able to make so many friends and I wouldn’t have traded that experience for anything. One other thing is that shortly after the run of Cinderella that I was in, I actually got recognized because of it. I was really surprised, but I happened to be sitting next to someone and we started having a conversation. I told him that I was studying at Hebrew University, and he just turned to me and asked “wait, were you just in their show Cinderella?” It kind of freaked me out because I had never met this person before and he remembered me from the show. I said yes and he started saying how much he loved it, and that he wanted to see more shows so I recommended other shows that were being done in the coming months.

  • Has the theater community in Israel given you any life experience that is helping you today in your endeavors?

Of course. Performing in Jerusalem felt like a more professional production than anything I had done in school before, so that was a really good experience to get.

  • How many roles or shows did you play? Which was your favorite?

In Israel, I (unfortunately) was only in one show. In my entire acting experience, I’ve been in about 14 shows total. My favorite was probably a show I did called Xanadu, it was such a fun show that was meant to make fun of the movie it was about. This allowed us as actors to have a lot of fun with it, and exaggerate a lot to make it bad on purpose. Shows, to me, are the most fun when you get to have fun with it while putting on a good production.

  • What is your favorite thing in Israel?

In all of Israel? I love how important community is in Israeli culture. While I was there I was able to become a part of so many different communities and meet some really incredible people. I think that’s something really defining about Israel is the people and how welcoming they are. I’ve had multiple times where random people and I would have a conversation while we were on a bus together, and those smaller memories of random acts of kindness and genuine interaction are really what stand out in my mind when I think about my time in Israel.

  • Would you encourage others to join the community?

Absolutely! In fact, I already have. When I left Nativ, I left a letter there for someone from my home town who I knew was going to do Nativ the following year. I had done theater before with her and in the letter, I mentioned doing the show at Hebrew U, and encouraged her to do it.

  • What do you think can encourage and help people learn more about the theater community?

I think if more people knew about it, they would want to see a show. Recognition and publicity are really what can help people to become interested in the theater community. They just need to see one show, and that will be the beginning for them to become involved in the community in general.

Community, Couples, Family, Guest post, Home, Starcatcher, Welcoming All

A Place to Call Home: Guest post by Rachel Sofaer

JET

When I think about the impact that community theatre has had on my life, the answer is one you may not expect. Of course, I love the actual process of being involved with a show, from the auditions to the rehearsals and the performances. Theatre has been my hobby since I was a kid and I’ve been involved with a number of different companies. However, what is different about the English community theatre scene in Jerusalem is that we are about more than the show. There is a sense of unity being among Israelis, many of which are Olim or children of Olim.

As an olah who made aliyah five years ago, this community has been my rock. I first discovered them when a friend told me about auditions for A Chorus Line, being produced by Encore Youth and Starcatcher. At the time, I was studying at a midrasha in Bat Ayin, which was rather isolated and, beyond the beautiful surroundings, there wasn’t much to do. I jumped at the opportunity to audition for this show, but I didn’t know what to expect. I arrived at auditions not knowing anyone, but people were welcoming and there was a friendly atmosphere.  I had the best audition of my life and I had a great feeling about this production. Little did I know that this would be my first of five shows working with Starcatcher. I had found my people.

After my first show, I wanted to see what else was out there so I went on to work with AACI and Beit Hillel and meet more people. When someone first moves to a country, it’s difficult to make friends and feel immediately comfortable. I believe that having a strong support system around you is vital. I made aliyah after living in Israel for a year, and one of the biggest reasons that made me feel I could be at home here was the theatre community. I didn’t feel like I was on my own because I not only saw my cast mates at rehearsals, but also at Shabbat meals and weekday hang outs. One of these get-togethers actually led me to meet my husband, Jojo, who came to see J-Town Playhouse’s production of Second Star to the Left. We happened to sit next to each other at dinner on closing night, he told me he was single, and we hit it off right away. All right, all Chicago references aside, it was a significant night for me, and one that wouldn’t have happened without the fact that theatre people have the urge to spend 24/7 together during a run.

Since that night, we have enjoyed countless chagim and Shabbatot together with our mutual friends from the theatre. We are both olim with a small number of relatives in Israel, so these people have really become like our family. People have given us advice about living in Israel and have always welcomed us into their homes (thanks Kaufmans).

I strongly encourage anyone that is looking for a wonderful group of people to not only perform with, but to build a life with, to check out the Jerusalem community theatre scene. It has been a life-changing experience for me and one I am eternally grateful for.