Beit Hillel Theater Workshop, Community, Encore, Khan Theatre, plays, Readings, Starcatcher, Streaming, Theater Vs. Virus, virtual, Year Review, Yom Hashoa

Theater vs. COVID – 19 A Year in Review

2020 has been a weird year for theater in the world and in the Jerusalem English Theater Community. We have seen new theater companies emerge and older companies move on. We have seeked new ways of doing theater when the old ways just couldn’t happen. COVID – 19 and lockdowns became a regular occurrence in our lives and what people knew as theater either stopped entirely or completely changed.

In 2018 I was in New York and met a few people at a bar celebrating the end of a successful New York New Works festival. I said I was from Israel and someone there started a conversation with me about what it could mean to do virtual theater where someone from one country joins someone from another country onstage. Another woman that I met there was involved in the conversation and unbeknownst to either of us we actually ended up making this happen in 2020.

Theater in general changed this year. Some say for the worse and some say for the better. But all I can say is that we saw new theater and a lot of creativity from new sources that has shown the resilience of theatermakers all over the world and especially in Jerusalem. 

While there were a few live productions in our community in the beginning of 2020 with Fiddler on the Roof produced by Beit Hillel ending right at the tail end of 2019 on December 29th, the COVID – 19 crisis and ensuing lockdowns of society eventually shut down most productions. But our community has been as resilient as ever and while theaters were closed there were still theatrical moments throughout. 

But let us first reflect on what has actually happened this past year.

In the beginning of January we had one of the older companies, Encore, produce Rothschild and Sons at Beit Shmuel, which happened to be the last of a triple header of Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock musicals done in the community since November with J-Town’s She Loves Me and Beit Hillel’s Fiddler on the Roof in December. Also in January, a new company called Theatre Zion produced an original production of The Trial of Uncle Charlie by Yehudit Shier Weisberg at the Khan Theatre. Theatre Zion is run by Arye Weisberg and his wife who have produced many productions in Canada before making aliyah and starting Theatre Zion. 

Then Israel Musicals produced Of Thee I Sing at Beit Shmuel. A musical about the ludicrousness of politics, which we saw a bit of in reality in 2020.

In February we were touched by J-Town Playhouse’s The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown which was J-Town Playhouse’s goodbye show to AACI. The AACI decided to close down their theatrical space that was used for dozens of different productions and hundreds of cultural events over the past eight years. Where J-Town Playhouse will end up in the future, who knows. But they also pivoted to virtual theater, which we will get to soon.

At the same time Theater in the Rough produced The God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza in people’s living rooms which was a big success.

In March we saw Starcatcher’s Chicago but unfortunately it only lasted a few performances due to the first COVID – 19 lockdown. It was a masterpiece and Starcatcher always challenges itself to be better. The hope is that when live theater can happen again they will continue to bring challenging theater at its best to the live stage.

And then theater spaces were shut down and what was the community to do?

Well the first foray into the virtual space was readings with Theater in the Rough’s King Lear, Jerusalem Public Theater’s Twelfth Night, and JET Community’s CB Davies reading Paradise with playwright Yasmine Beverly Rana. Theater in the Rough did another reading of The Rivals by Richard Brinsley Sheridan as well.

Then CBDB Productions produced a special virtual reading of Vilna by Ira Fuchs for Yom Hashoa.

After that JET Community launched JET Live! which saw many artists from the community in Jerusalem as well as artists from Broadway, the Philippines, and other places come together online in special interviews to talk about theater and keep each other positive and build a community feeling during the lockdowns.

And thanks to that, JET was able to have a workshop with Yael Silver, alumnus of the JET Community and producer on Broadway. She was able to speak with artists in our community about what it means to be a producer and her journey.

In July CBDB Productions produced The Fallen by Yasmine Beverly Rana which worked on making the virtual space more than just a reading. You can still view this play on Facebook. 

At some point during this time Aviella Trapido, producer and director of J-Town Playhouse and Yael Valier, producer and director of Theater and Theology met at a routine dentist appointment check up and went on to create and produce together Corona Monologues, a series of monologues of different perspectives about COVID – 19 and the period we are living in. It featured a talkback with Rabbi, psychologist, and artist Rabbi Dr. Krug.

Evan Kent did a virtual performance of his show Shards virtually.

Women’s Performance Community also branched out with special events on Zoom, creating GRIDVID’s every other month which speak to a holiday or events of the day and released a recording of their last production HIDDEN: The Secret Jews of Spain online.

A new theater initiative by Crossroads Jerusalem, a youth theater project called Crossroads Theater Shed, produced a virtual ten minute play festival with talkbacks with the playwrights and the youth.

The Shine/Markowitz Family produced a theatrical movie with the community of “Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat” for their son Adin’s Bar Mitzvah celebration which was a huge hit.

And right at the end of the year after experimenting with virtual readings and productions CBDB Productions produced After Rome by Yasmine Beverly Rana on December 27th.

All of these projects featured something that may not have been possible in the past. People from all over the world were involved with these productions. Including playwrights themselves, other artists, and friends and family that would have never been able to be a part of the special community that is Jerusalem English Theater.

During all this time different companies did try to prepare for the inevitable time when live theater would happen again but the timeline of COVID – 19 did not allow this in 2020. We hope soon in 2021;

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Israel Musicals rehearsed with social distancing throughout the summer but ended up stopping without performing.

Henry IV: In Motion by Theater in the Rough rehearsed with social distancing in the summer, also without performing.

Aida by Beit Hillel is rehearsing currently with social distancing. This was the first year in 36 years that there was no show on Chanukah at Beit Hillel but rehearsals started in September and continue throughout with social distancing to prepare for the time when theaters will hopefully soon be open again.

Raise Your Spirits has been rehearsing their new show via Zoom and live with social distancing called “Rebecca! Mother of Two Dynasties”

And Theater in the Rough has planned a special event of Shakespeare Monologues with different artists in the community and beyond to perform in a park when it again becomes possible.

And to quote one of our community, Toby Greenwald, “Like all of the community theaters in Jerusalem and elsewhere, it is never just about “the show.” Whoever has tried to rehearse a show or put up a show even in these trying times the feeling of community that we create and the spirit that theater brings to our lives can never be taken away. Somehow we will see the end of COVID – 19 and the beginning of live theater, with a few virtual performances here and there. On to 2021!”

We’re entering 2021 with the actual vaccine. We will see the end of COVID – 19 and live theater will be renewed. But our hope is that everything that has happened in 2020 will continue to make us stronger as a community and as people and artists. And our new horizons have only just begun.

Community, Theater business, Tu B'Shevat, Year Review

Tu B’Shevat–Enjoying the Fruits of Our Labors: 2019 Jerusalem English Theater Recap and What’s Happening in 2020

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.