Theater business – Jerusalem English Theater Community

My Theatrical Predictions

This week during my JET Live! broadcasts I kept mentioning that I would write my predictions for what theater will look like as we continue our lives throughout COVID – 19 and post COVID -19.

Well here it goes. As I had mentioned in one of my first Theater vs. COVID – 19 posts I joined the Theatermakers Studio and this week we did a virtual zoom meeting (which was unprecedented). The discussions centered on the challenges of theater now and the future of theater as we know it. It was very fascinating and I hope my thoughts here will reflect what I learned and what was discussed. I have done two Zoom readings and am looking forward to being involved in a third one this coming week. And of course I launched JET Live! inspired by Ken Davenport’s The Producer’s Perspective Live! And SGN by John Krasinski.

What does the Future hold?

So what do I think will happen in the future for theater in Jerusalem and the world? What will we be able to do? Well, in a nutshell I think theater will be able to grow and adapt and be even better than it has been. But let me list some ideas while I get to that.

First of all, community theater, original work, and regional theater will flourish while big commercial theater will learn from us. This is the time to create new stories and showcase them or do a reading of something that resonates with you and create discussion while the bigger theatrical spaces will need to wait it out . Ken Davenport says it here that Broadway will have an advantage but I would argue that the advantage is for all those regional and community theaters. Our community can create and build and bring original work to the table and Broadway will learn from us. Most of the time we pull our shows from Broadway but this creates an opportunity for it to be the other way around.

My Specific Points:

Lower capacity in theaters: We will see theaters opening up but they will never be full. Either it will be an official percentage of capacity or audiences will decide on their own to keep the social distancing. This creates opportunity for different ticket pricing as well as open space theater. Theater in the Rough is a perfect example of open space theater.

Investors will want more insurance: Theatergoing will be riskier and therefore investors will want to have more assurance of quality and the safety of the theatrical experience.

Actors fear: Actors will be afraid of coming together onstage or being surrounded by audiences.

Economic repercussions: The understanding of how to monetize the shows, through ticket sales, donations, or such will need to change. How much a ticket can be and how people obtain them will change.

Rebudgeting: Budgeting will have to be reconfigured in order to still be able to bring quality performances without a big spectacle.

Space will be reconsidered and more nuanced: We will be using all kinds of spaces for theater. Zoom; an empty warehouse, a stage, a bedroom, etc.

Readings of new and old material can flourish via livestream: We can share more this way and reach a larger audience while tweaking our work.

Musicals vs. Plays: The demand for musicals will still remain higher than plays for entertainment value but re budgeting will be an issue and therefore there may be more plays on the horizon but the most important thing will be quality.

Talk-backs will replace bows for now: Discussions after the shows will help engage audiences and online we don’t bow. So it’s possible that instead of bowing actors will take their seats and conversation will ensue. Check out what Theater and Theology has done in the past, what CBDB Productions did on Yom Hashoa with Ira Fuchs’ “Vilna”, JET Community did with Yasmine Beverly Rana’s “Paradise”, and Theater in The Rough did with William Shakespeare’s “King Lear” have done, and Thursday night I stayed up and saw The Oedipus Project with Bryan Doerries with fascinating discussion which this forum of theater really speaks to’(and it will happen again). But don’t worry, bows will return in with the live show but talk-backs should come with it much more than before.

What was Sophocles’s Message?

One of the questions Bryan Doerries asked during The Oedipus Project Thursday was what was Sophocles’s message, why did he write it and why was it performed during a plague in Athens?

Well my answer is that theater lives on and is an important tool for discussion and connection during hard times. And it will live on today. There are so many creators out there doing what Sophocles had done and who are creating and bringing works of theater to enhance our human connection and discussion. And that was Sophocles’s message. We will only be blind if we choose to be of the present, future, and around us. But we can see the truth and we can be empowered by it. People will be back in the theater and we will see many new powerful productions and shows informed by this time. And theater as we know it will adapt and we will be all the better for it.

I think all of these things will bring out an adaptation of theater even while some places will go back to the normal theatrical experience. We will be seeing more theater have a livestream or be directly virtual. New scripts are being written specifically for this kind of technology with Zoom. But what I envision is a Hybrid theater where there will be live performances along with a live stream of the event. There are ways for people who want to see it live to pay a fee or to donate, and people who watch it via livestream can also pay a smaller fee or donate. What some companies are doing is having a limited stream for a specific time.

What about rights and investors?

Will rights holders allow this? I think so. We all want our work to be seen. If we monetize correctly then why not?

Will investors trust this? If done right and pitched correctly it can work and will work. First of all this can create more jobs as you will need dedicated livestream workers. It will also create more opportunities to be seen and more opportunity to share worldwide.

New Works, new tools, and a bright new light when the stages open.

I believe we will see a lot of new original works for this kind of theater. Shorter shows and more engagement as we allow for comments throughout the performances. And a younger audience participation especially via the livestream. The quality of theater will be different but I think it will be better with this collective awareness worldwide.

We can only be stronger from this and we are learning so many new ways to share our love of storytelling and sharing our art.

Just a few of the tools to stream your readings and shows are Zoom, Streamyard, Youtube and I am sure there are more ways being discovered and put together.

We are all in this together. And theater will live on in a new light which will burn brighter.

What do you think? Please share in comments or write to jerusalemenglishtheater@gmail.com

It’s Tu B’Shevat, the 2019-2020 season is well underway, but the 2018-2019 season left an indelible impression. It was a season that brought the community original, hard-hitting drama and sparks of musical innovation. The year also saw the establishment of new theater companies, CBDB productions and Theater Zion. The English speaking theater community has grown substantially, both in the number of companies and plays and in the sizes of audiences enjoying high-quality English language dramas and musicals in Jerusalem.

Mikveh the Musical, Music and Monologues from the Deep is an immersive experience that brings to the audience true stories written by women and set to lively, familiar tunes. The play was produced by the all-women’s company Raise Your Spirits and presented the play as a Reader’s Theater with performers holding scripts and bringing the text alive through facial expressions and light choreography. The play was performed on January 6th at Nishmat and March 27 at the Eden Center and was performed overseas.

Shards, a compelling one-man show by cantor and veteran performer Evan Kent returned to Jerusalem after a successful tour in the United States. Through music, storytelling and puppets, composer and performer Evan Kent brings the audience on a journey into his family’s history and his aliyah to Eretz Yisroel. Shards also appeared at the AACI in January 2020 before additional performances overseas.

God of Isaac was the second show produced by Ben Bard players after its hard-hitting original play about the Holocaust, The Statement, in 2018. God of Isaac, which director Barak Bard refers to as a “serious comedy,” takes the audience on a private tour of Isaac’s identity crisis. The play is poignant, funny and a nostalgic look at one man’s return to his Jewish roots. It was performed at the Khan in late February.

In the Heights, created by Broadway innovator Lin-Manuel Miranda, author of the hugely successful musical Hamilton, took Beit Shmuel by storm in February and March. Starcatcher’s bright and lively production was a breath of fresh air in late winter and dazzled audiences with an energetic cast, colorful sets and masterful choreography.

The original musical, Rewrite the World, by director of Israel Musicals, Yisrael Lutnick, appeared in March and May for a second time in Jerusalem after its premiere run a decade ago. The production also traveled to Netanya for additional shows. The musical illustrates the challenges of a teenager who finds clues in the weekly Torah portion and discovers ways to encourage his quarreling parents to reconcile. The musical demonstrates parallels between Biblical and modern characters with insight, warmth, humor and musical charm.

Steel Magnolias was a favorite 1980s film with an all-star cast after a successful run as a Broadway play. This down-home tale of female bonding in the Deep South resonated with audiences in Jerusalem as the play conveyed its wisdom through laughter and tears. The play was produced by J-Town Playhouse and appeared at the AACI in March

It’s No Job for a Nice Jewish Girl hit Jerusalem after sold-out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This award-winning one-woman show by UK-based actress and comedian Rachel Creeger was performed for Jerusalem audiences in March.

Irena’s Vow is a tale of Holocaust survival from the point of view of the rescuer. The play was breathtakingly honest in its portrayal of a woman’s sacrifice to behave morally in an environment where others were content to obey brutal orders. The play was produced by J-Town Playhouse in May and appeared on Yom haShoah.

Encore brought the uplifting tunes and erudite lyrics of Gilbert and Sullivan to life once again with its spring production of Pirates of Penzance in May and June. Brilliant sets and captivating costumes enhanced the talents of Encore singers and actors who performed for sold-out houses in Beit Shmuel.

Theater and Theology addressed the contemporary controversy of Jewish conversion with the original play In a Stranger’s Grave by Miriam Metzinger. The play borrowed its structure from classical drama but dealt with an issue that creates conflict in modern Israeli families and communities. There were intense talkbacks with Jerusalem-based scholars following performances at the Khan in June, September and in Beit Shemesh in December.

J-Town Playhouse brought Shakespeare’s fantastical favorite about exotic islands, romance and cultural conflict to the AACI. The Tempest, which included music, dance and plenty of humorous touches, appeared in June.

Theater in the Rough brought the #Metoo controversy and the incandescent language of the Bard to Bloomfield Gardens to over 2,000 viewers in August with their production of Measure for Measure. Theater in the Rough celebrated a decade since its first popular Shakespeare performance in the park. Theater in the Rough also presented its direct experience of theater into actual Jerusalem living rooms with God of Carnage in January 2020. The contemporary comedy of manners by French playwright Yasmina Reza was performed in private homes for small, enthusiastic audiences.

JET Venues began its inaugural year with a steady series of events, classes and resources for the community from regular karaoke nights to weekly classes in everything from Krav Maga to ballet. There was also a successful summer theater camp for kids. It was also the venue for a musical theater workshop by actor, director and choreographer Miguel Braganza. sponsored by CBDB Productions.

JET Venues also hosted a 24 hour play festival in July that featured a variety of plays composed by several groups of talented writers and performers. The plays ranged from drama to comedy and everything in between with recognizable names and new faces in the theater community.

The 2019 and 2020 Season

The 2019-20 so far has been unique, because it includes three musicals by the writing team Bock and Harnick: She Loves Me, Fiddler on the Roof and Rothchild and Sons. She Loves Me is a charming musical story of romance and friendship in a Hungarian perfumery in the 1930s. The musical was produced by J-Town Playhouse and appeared in December.

The perennial Jewish favorite, Fiddler on the Roof, brought warmth, music and nostalgia to a particularly cold and rainy Jerusalem winter. Chanukah is not the same without the annual Beit Hillel production, and Fiddler on the Roof delighted families in packed houses at the Beit Hillel Theater.

Encore kicked off 2020 with the third Bock and Harnock musical of the season, Rothschild and Sons, which told the story of the Rothschild dynasty from its humble origins in the ghetto of Frankfort to the courts of princes and spheres of influence established by the five Rothschild sons. Elegant costumes and an intergenerational cast, including youthful and mature actors portraying the Rotshchild sons, brought dimension to this musical saga, which appeared at Beit Shmuel to full houses in January.

Another production that brought 2020 to a strong start was Israel Musicals’ production of the Pulitzer Prize winning 1931 musical Of Thee I Sing, with music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin and script by George Kaufman, who wrote for the Marx Brothers. Although political satire was considered relatively new to the theater in the 1930s, the topic feels at home on the contemporary stage. Of Thee I Sing appeared at Beit Shmuel in late January and early February.

The new theater company Theater Zion began its premiere production with the drama The Trial of Uncle Charlie about an Israeli trying to deal with his past and present. He revisits his memories of battles against the British to smuggle Holocaust survivors into Eretz Yisroel and the toll those sacrifices took on his personal and family life. The play appeared at the Khan theater in late January and early February.

The AACI has been a home to J-Town Playhouse for almost a decade. Many people in the theater community reacted to the news that The Last Five Years would be the final production at the AACI with sadness and nostalgia. The Last Five Years, a play that follows the ups and downs of a couple’s complex relationship, produced by J-Town Playhouse, is being performed in February. A farewell party for the AACI after the final performance of the play will mark a bittersweet farewell to this familiar space. From kids getting their theatrical start in Crossroads presentations to veteran and professional actors joining the community for dream roles in classic plays, the AACI has provided a creative space for actors, singers, dancers, comedians, directors and set and lighting designers. Although J-Town Playhouse expects to continue to produce the kind of plays and musicals the community is accustomed to, it is time to say farewell to the AACI as a theatrical value and cherish the memories.

Upcoming productions for 2020 include Starcatcher’s Chicago in March, Encore’s South Pacific in May, Ben Bard Players’ The Consul, the Tramp and America’s Sweetheart in June, Theater and Theology’s Miracle on S. Division Street in May and June and Theater in the Rough’s Henry IV in August. The community looks forward to new productions from companies such as CBDB Productions, which is planning a production of Song of Solomon, the compelling musical drama of the life of King Solomon, and the next chapter for J-Town Playhouse.

Category: Theater business

Theater vs. COVID – 19 #8