Tag: theater in the rough

CBDB Productions, Community, Crossroads Theater Shed, Encore, Israel Musicals, Raise Your Spirits, Starcatcher, Theater And Theology, Theatre Zion, Year Review

Year in Review: 2022-2023

JET

And another year is coming to a close while another is just beginning. The Jewish new year, Rosh Hashana, is celebrated to welcome a new year for new opportunities and to reflect on our past accomplishments and mishaps. Our Jerusalem English Theater community has had theatrical productions and projects in this past year which are behind us and many more to look forward to. There were many successes and new projects being introduced. Looking forward to sharing with you the amazing year we had while bringing in the new year.

The theatrical year started in December of 2022 with Rhinoceros Productions first ever production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. What a way to start out the year with a new company showcasing its first production. Raise Your Spirits put on a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which was actually an encore of their first ever production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. And on Hanukkah Beit Hillel Theater Workshop produced Oliver!

In January Encore! Produced Hello Dolly, a classic while Israel Musicals produced The Four, an original work.

Then in February we had two straight play productions of Hard Love by Theatre Zion and My Name is Asher Lev by CBDB Productions.

In March we returned to some musicals with Starcatcher’s Into the Woods and a visit from our neighbor down south with LOGON’s Wizard of Oz.

We also saw another Young Playwrights and Performers Festival by Crossroads Theater Shed which featured 7 original youth plays including some musical numbers and improvisations.

April introduced us to a reprise of The Blessing of A Broken Heart by Theater and Theology and in June we had a reprise of The Four by Israel Musicals, an original musical Wandering Stars by Encore and a special evening of improvisation of Thursday Night Live by Crossroads Theater Shed.

Also in June an amazing project was started called Carousel – An Open Stage, where people were able to showcase their talent and original work. It was created by Rhinoceros Productions with Starcatcher in collaboration with The Incubator Theater

In August we had our usual staple of Theater in the Rough’s Shakespeare: In Motion with Julius Caesar: in Motion and introducing a Chorus into the fray. Along with Shakespeare we had many youth projects including Theater in the Rough’s Shakespeare Camp with a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Young Playwrights and Performers Summer Festival with 6 original plays and improvisations by Crossroads Theater Shed as well as The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee which was produced by Encore.

Starcatcher with Incubator Theater had a special evening of concert and comedy called Make Em Laugh that was part of the Comedy Festival in Jerusalem.

And right before we enter into the new year, Rhinoceros Productions started another great project of Dramatic Readings in conjunction with Baka Community Council.

Special shout out to the JELLY theater camp and Danny Freedman’s super amazing architect final project which showcased our community and showed what kind of home space we could share. We also had our Annual JET Picnic in June which was a great chance to see all the people involved in theater and hear about what is coming up. 

On that note usually this is a time when we have auditions and people are preparing for shows. So break a leg to all those in rehearsals or preparing for an audition. Auditions for Addams Family by Starcatcher, a reading of The Chair by Theater and Theology, a production of A Night in Florence by J-Town Playhouse, Fame by Beit Hillel Theater Workshop, and Miracle on South Division Street by Theater and Theology coming soon to Jerusalem. 

Whew, what a year it has been. On to 2023-2024 Theater Season and Shana Tovah!

Beit Hillel Theater Workshop, CBDB Productions, Crossroads Theater Shed, Israel Musicals, Starcatcher, Theater And Theology, Theatre Zion, Women's Performance Community, Year Review

Year In Review: 2022

JET

The Jerusalem community has experienced yet another vibrant year of theater. We have bounced back from the pandemic with resilience and a continued passion for our craft, and it paid off. 2022 was full of exciting productions and other events within our community, including the following highlights.

The year started off strong with Theater and Theology’s production of The Blessing of a Broken Heart. This thought-provoking play took place at the Khan Theatre back in January.

Also in January, Theater in The Rough held their second Shakespeare Monologues performance near the Arnona Promenade.

The next show was After Rome by CBDB Productions. The performances occurred in February at the Khan Theatre and this powerful play left a meaningful impact on its audience.

March was a big month for Jerusalem’s theater community. It began with Whisper Freedom by the Women’s Performance Community. This musical is centered around the struggles of Soviet Jews in the 1970s, and it took place at the IASA Theater.

Theater and Theology also held more performances of The Blessing of a Broken Heart in mid-March. This time, they performed at Beit Mazia. The show continued to have a profound impact on its audience.

Additionally, Starcatcher held performances of Heathers all throughout March. This rock musical took place at Beit Mazia, and the dark yet comedic nature of the show captivated its audience.

Another production that took place in March was The Broadway Cure by LOGON. This original show set in the near post-pandemic future occurred at the Jerusalem Theater.

The final event of March was the Young Playwrights and Performers Winter Theater Festival held by Crossroads Theater Shed. This program gave teens the opportunity to learn about theater and playwriting with the help of mentors. The performances took place at the Khan Theatre.

In April, CBDB Productions produced The Candlesticks at the Khan Theatre. This show was in honor of Yom Hashoah, and there was a special Yom Hashoah ceremony before each performance.

Theatre Zion’s production of Peace Warriors also took place at the Khan Theatre in May. This satirical yet witty play centered around the anti-Israel attitudes at elite college campuses in America.

In June, Israel Musicals produced a workshop of The Four. This new, uplifting musical comedy occurred at the Khan Theatre.

Encore! Educational Theater Company also produced H.M.S. Pinafore in June. This family-friendly Gilbert & Sullivan musical took place at the Masorti High School Auditorium.

Another production that occurred was The Geography of Night by Danny Paller. The performances took place at the end of June and beginning of July.

The summer continued with even more projects and productions. Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice: in motion was produced by Theater in the Rough. The performances occurred all throughout August at Bloomfield Park, along with two talks exploring the play.

Crossroads Theater Shed then produced their Young Playwrights and Performers Summer Theater Festival. This event occurred at the end of August at the Khan Theatre.

Lastly, The Magic of Musicals by Encore! held performances in late August and early September at the Khan Theatre. This exciting youth performance featured songs performed in previous Encore productions.

In addition to these performances, we continued with some of the community events we held last year. We had our third annual JET community picnic, and Broadway With a Twist has continued to host their Broadway mic nights.

As for the upcoming year, Encore! just held auditions for their upcoming production of Hello, Dolly! and Beit Hillel Theater Workshop also held auditions for Oliver! The Musical for their annual Hanukkah performance. Starcatcher is also holding auditions for Into The Woods on October 24th-26th. Mikva the Musical will be performing in October and Raise Your Spirits Theatre will be performing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Jerusalem in December. Additionally, Rhinoceros Productions begins performances for their production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf on December 1st. Stay tuned for information about these performances and more!

We are so proud of our community and everything we have accomplished in 2022. Shana Tovah and here’s to everything that 2023 will bring!