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5 1
Up At Th
R A PH
Nex
t
TO G il 24
PHOrch 23–Apr
Ma
A play that glows
with intelligence
and humanity”
- Backstage

By Anna Ziegler
Directed by Daniella Topol
Featuring Elizabeth Rich
With Clinton Brandhagen, James Flanagan,
Tim Getman, Michael Glenn and Alexander Strain

(800) 494-TIXS • theaterj.org • 16th & Q Streets NW

A funny, moving portrait of the unrequited life of
Developed and produced by The Ensemble Studio Theatre/
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Science & Technology Project.
This production funded in part through the EST/

Rosalind Franklin, one of the great female scientists Sloan Project Mainstage Initiative.

of the 20th Century, and her fervid drive to map the

contours of the DNA molecule. A chorus of physicists
relives the chase, revealing the unsung achievments
of this trail-blazing woman whose stunning discover-
ies included the beating of her own romantic heart.
 S E N
E C HO
TH

March 8–27, 2011

Arena Stage at the
Mead Center for American Theater
Welcomes its first
Guest Company-In-Residence
 From the Artistic Director
It’s an honor to be asked to share our work, our heritage, our mis-
sion, and our spirit with this extraordinary theater company. Arena
Stage has always been a model theater citizen, helping to raise the
game, and extend a hand, to smaller companies all over town. Now,
in this glistening new jewel box, Arena is reaching out as never be-
fore to companies across the country and throughout the city, to
help broaden and deepen the range of work that’s to be shared with
its audience.

And in reaching out to us, Arena has invited in the Theater J au-
dience as well, a nucleus of some 1,400 subscribers and 36,000
ticket buyers this past calendar year, to add a Jewish Voice and Pres-
ence to Arena’s most significant inaugural relaunch. We are proud to be that Jewish
voice, bringing a universal message of what it means to be an immigrant in America;
what it means to be of faith in America—and to have that faith challenged by the forces
of modernism, intellectual freedom, and even—lurking around the corner—the dreaded
(though frequently inevitable and often seductive) assimilation.

Aaron Posner’s wonderful adaptation of Chaim Potok’s masterpiece plays to multiple

generations at one and the same time, speaking to teenagers who’ve judged a book
by its cover, so to speak, only to be startled to find that underneath the façade—the
stereotype—lurks something surprising, inspiring, and utterly identifiable. For a non-
Jew to find himself or herself in Danny Saunders is not only miraculous; it’s a testament
to the persuasiveness of Chaim Potok’s creation. And yet adults as well may very well
approach these characters—the Hasidic, Orthodox Jews—and assume a difference; a
lack of familiarity that breeds contempt; and so many of us, in our humanism, assume
that same secular snobbery; a superiority banked on our own liberation from tradition
and its yoke of adherence to ritual, to dress code, to diet.

And so this play—this elegant force of literature—comes at the apikoris in all of us

(which is to say the skeptic, the slacker, the “bad Jew”) like one of the more provocative
subversions our thought-provoking theater has ever offered. Because this work quietly,
unassumingly, soulfully binds us each to the other, breaking down preconceptions—
linking secular to religious; orthodox to liberal; right-wing to left—each of us finding, like
Danny and Reuven, something to admire and to envy in the other, even as we are made
to appreciate who we are by the generosity of spirit which pervades this novel, which
our adapter has shaped so lovingly for the stage.

Our theater seeks to build bridges in the dramas we present, but frequently there is the
assumption that those bridges only span the distance between our community and our
neighbors. The Chosen reminds us today, as it did 10 years ago, that there are equally
critical bridges to traverse within our own circles, our own schools, our own families,
within our own hearts. We are all as divided as Revuen and Danny, as Reb Saunders
and David Malter, stamped by our heritage, yet set free in this great land. We are trans-
ported by the love that’s transmitted in this work, and hope to hold onto this grace for
a long while—after this brief three-week residency on the Fichandler Stage comes to
an end, we’ll remember how we were touched by this magical place, this magical book,
this magic called theater.

Come back and see us over on 16th and Q! We’ve got great art and ideas mixing it up
on a nightly and daily basis in one of the most vibrant JCC’s in the world. Like Arena,
it’s a special place.

- Ari Roth
2
 From the Director
So, I’ve directed well over 100 plays during my 20+ years as a
professional director, and adapted more than a dozen works of lit-
erature for the stage. I have loved some, liked more, and enjoyed
most. But I have never felt more proud—or that I have been doing
something more worthwhile—than I have while working on bring-
ing Chaim Potok’s masterful novel of friendship, family and faith,
The Chosen, to the stage.

I had the honor of working closely with Chaim on this adapta-

tion. The conversations we had were meaningful to me not only
in the work, but in my life as well. He was a wise and passionate
artist and teacher, and he believed deeply in the power of what
he would call, with full and careful emphasis, “serious literature.” He did not write to
; simply entertain, but rather to illuminate, to explore, to celebrate and to connect.
s
I hope you will find this simple, hu-
man story of two fathers and two
sons as compelling as I do. While it
takes place in a very Jewish world,
k I know a huge part of Chaim’s suc-
cess as a novelist was his ability to
cross boundaries of all kinds. You
t do not have to be Jewish to under-
stand or connect deeply to his work.
a He took special pride, in fact, in let-
e ters he would receive from readers
all over the world—many of whom
had never met a Jew—who felt that
he was telling their story, too.
s
I am grateful to be immersed in his
world once again here in Washing-
— ton, DC with this exceptional group
of artists and these two exceptional
e theater companies. Theater J was
the first to produce THE CHOSEN
after its inaugural production in
1999, and Ari Roth helped spread
Chaim Potok
the word about the script that has
lead to over 50 professional productions nationwide over the last decade. I am equally
pleased to be part of Arena’s inaugural season in this sparkling new facility. Both com-
panies have been wonderfully supportive of this project and a joy to work with.
- Finally, I would like to dedicate this production to my wondeful parents, and to my once
and future walking partner and fellow secular spiritual explorer, Clarke.
, Thanks for coming. I hope you enjoy THE CHOSEN. And I hope you will be compelled to
read more of Chaim’s “serious literature.” It is wonderfully worthwhile.

Warmly,

Aaron Posner

3
Theater J’s Angels
This select group has provided generous support for THE CHOSEN
Esthy & Jim Adler Judy & Peter Kovler
Andrew Ammerman Faye & Jack Moskowitz
Michele & Allan Berman Diane & Arnold Polinger
Cheryl Gorelick Charlotte & Hank Schlosberg

The Fisher Family Visiting Artists Program

Robert M. Fisher Memorial Foundation
The Arlene and Robert Kogod New Play Development Program
Arlene & Robert Kogod

Theater J’s Passports Educational Program

The Jacob & Charlotte Lehrman Foundation

Theater J Council
Marion Ein Lewin Natalie Abrams Hank Schlosberg
Co-Chair Patty Abramson Mita Schaffer
Paul Mason Michele G. Berman Andy Shallal
Co-Chair Deborah Carliner Patti Sowalsky
Lois Fingerhut Mimi Conway Stephen Stern
Vice-Chair Myrna Fawcett Manny Strauss
Carolyn Kaplan Ann Gilbert Barbara Tempchin
Vice-Chair Cheryl Gorelick Trish Vradenburg
Mara Bralove Yoav Lurie Joan Wessel
Treasurer Jack Moskowitz Rosa Wiener
Ellen Malasky Elaine Reuben Irene Wurtzel
Secretary Evelyn Sandground Bernard Young
Margot Zimmerman

Washington DCJCC Leadership

President Mindy Strelitz Chief Financial Officer Judith Ianuale
Chief Executive Officer Arna Meyer Mickelson Chief Development Officer Mark Spira
Chief Operating Officer Margaret Hahn Stern Chief Programming Officer Joshua Ford

4
Fichandler Stage/Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater

March 8–27, 2011

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater presents
Theater J’s Production of

THE CHOSEN
Adapted and Directed by Aaron Posner
Based on the novel by Chaim Potok
Cast
Reb Saunders Rick Foucheux*
David Malter Edward Gero*
Older Reuven Aaron Davidman*
Danny Joshua Morgan
Young Reuven Derek Kahn Thompson

Artistic & Production Team

Scenic Designer James Kronzer**
Lighting Designer Nancy Schertler**
Costume Designer Kate Turner-Walker**
Stage Manager Susan R. White*
Sound Designer James Sugg
Properties Designer Michelle Elwyn
Production Dramaturg Stephen Spotswood
Dialect Coach Shelley Herman Gillon
Assistant Directors Alvin Ford Jr., Christina Halligan
Stage Management Assistant Michael D. Ward
Assistant to Set Designer Sean Urbantke
Assistant to Lighting Designer Andrew Cissna
Show Carpenter Sean Malarkey
Light Board Operator Scott Folsom
Sound Engineer Brian Burchett
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association
Props Marion Hampton Dubé
Wardrobe Alice Hawfield ** Member of United Scenic Artists Local 829

Theater J and Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American

Theater would like to extend Special Thanks to:
Stephanie Friedman
Deb Thomas of The Studio Theatre
Rabbi Ethan Seidel of Tifereth Israel Congregation
Rabbi James Michaels of Hebrew Home for the Aged
Rena Fruchter of the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy
Patrons are requested to turn off pagers, cellular phones and signal watches, and to refrain from tak-
ing photographs, text messaging, or making a recording of any aspect of this performance.
5
Glossary of Terms
(adapted from The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion, aish.com, and the Steppenwolf
Theatre Company Study Guide)
Apikorsim: Literally: unbeliever or heretic. A derogatory term referring to secular or less obser-
vant Jews—usually used by Orthodox Jews.

Eretz Yisroel: Literally: The Land of Israel. Area which Jews believe God promised them in the
Torah.
Gematriya: A method of interpreting a biblical word based on the
numerical value of its letters in the Hebrew alphabet. This discipline
of Jewish mysticism seeks to find hidden meanings of words through
numerology.
Goyim or Goy: [Yiddish] Non-Jews; Gentiles.
Haganah: A militia founded in Palestine in the 1920s to protect Jew-
ish settlements from attack by Arab Palestinians. At times the Haga-
nah cooperated with the British Army (which controlled Palestine at
the time); other times they acted against British policies. After 1948,
Haganah became the Israel Defense Force (IDF)—the Israeli army.
Hasidism: A Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) Jewish religious movment that
promotes strict observance of Jewish laws and rituals, and has a
connection to Jewish mysticism. Hasidism traces its roots to 18th
Century Eastern Europe, where Jews had lived for nearly 500 years.
In the mid-1600s a rebellion by the Cossacks and Orthodox Christian
classes targeted the Jews for their religious beliefs and their con-
nections to the gentry. Many Jewish communities in the area were
destroyed. Seeking spiritual relief, some Jews turned to Israel ben
Eliezer, a spiritual master and guide sometimes referred to as Baal
Shem Tov (Master of the Name). He taught that service to God did
Gematriya Table not consist solely of religious scholarship but also a sincere love of
God and a willingness to devote one’s life to Him. This belief put Ha-
sidic Jews, as the followers of ben Eliezer would eventually be called, at odds with the Rabbini-
cal establishment, who opposed a sect that seemed to represent a departure from reason and
scholarship. Upon ben Eliezer’s death, his circle of followers split Eastern Europe, each moving
to a different area. Over the next century, Hasidic dynastic courts spread across Europe, each
one named after the shtetl of its origin. Leadership of each court was passed down the family
line. The majority of Hasidic Jews in America arrived shortly after World War II. Most of the ap-
proximately 165,000 Hasidim in the New York City area live in three neighborhoods in Brook-
lyn: there are approximately 45,000 Satmar Hasidim in Williamsburg, over 50,000 Bobover
Hasidim in Boro Park, and at least 15,000 Lubavitch in Crown Heights.
Irgun: A Zionist rebel group that operated between 1931 and 1948, considered by some to be
a terrorist organization; others regarded them as freedom fighters.
Kosher or Kasher: Literally: fit, proper. Ceremonially clean according to Jewish law. Often refers
to food, but can also be used to designate the ritual fitness of any object.
Macher: [Yiddish] An important person; a big shot.
Meshugunah: [Yiddish] Crazy.
Mishnah: The documented version of Jewish oral law. Religious Jews believe the Jewish people
received the written Torah and the Oral Torah at Mount Sinai. The oral Torah was the explana-
tion of how the written laws should be followed, and was passed from one generation to the
next but never written down. But during the second century, oppression by Rome—reflected in
the destruction of the Temple and the defeat of the Bar Kokhba rebellion—was causing the oral
Torah to be lost. As a consequence, Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi collected and edited these halak-
hot (Jewish laws) so that they would continue to be passed on. The end result was a definitive,
yet cryptic (a teacher was still required to explain the material) version of the entire Oral Law
called the Mishnah. (Literally: repetition, because it was studied by repeating). The Mishnah
is divided into six basic segments and further subdivided into 63 tractates with a total of 525
chapters.

6
Glossary of Terms
Modern Orthodox: A philosophy that attempts to adapt Or-
thodox Judaism and interaction with the surrounding modern
world. The Modern Orthodox movement developed in the mid-
18th Century as a middle ground between the Ultra-Orthodox
movement and the liberal Reform movement, and was led by
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch. He took a literalist approach to
the biblical narrative and divine revelation, insisting that the
written and oral law are authoritative for all Jews. However he
differed from traditionalist Orthodox leaders in his readiness
to harmonize traditional Judaism with modern life in dress,
speech and forms of worship.
“Observer of the Commandments”: Refers to the 613 mitzvot
(commandments) to which Jews are expected to adhere. Ac-
cording to traditional Judaism, God gave Noah and his family
seven commandments to observe when he saved them from
the flood. These commandments are: 1) to establish courts of
justice; 2) not to commit blasphemy; 3) not to commit idolatry;
4) not to commit incest and adultery; 5) not to commit blood-
shed; 6) not to commit robbery; and 7) not to eat flesh cut from
a living animal. Observant Jews believe these seven command- A Page of Talmud
ments are binding to all people—Jews and Non-Jews alike—because all people are descended
from Noah. The 613 mitzvot, on the other hand, are only binding to the descendants of those
who accepted the commandments at Sinai (those of Jewish descent) and to those who have
converted to Judaism.
Payos: Earlocks or sidecurls. Many strictly observant Jewish men wear their earlocks long in
accordance with a passage in the Torah.
Rabbi: Literally: teacher. A rabbi is a scholar and an expert in Jewish law. Rabbis serve as the
spiritual and religious leader of their congregation.

Satmar Hasidism: A Hasidic sect whose followers initially adhered to the late Grand Rebbe
Yoel Teitelbaum (1887–1979), Satmar Rebbe in the town of Szatmárnémeti (now Satu Mare,
Romania). While the sect of Hasidism to which Danny Saunders and his father adhere is not
named in THE CHOSEN, many of its characteristics seem to resemble the Satmar community.
Shabbat: The day of rest and contemplation; the holy day of the Jewish week, commemorating
God’s day of rest after creating the world in six days. Shabbat lasts from sundown on Friday
night until sundown on Saturday. Observant Jews believe that no work should be done on
Shabbat—including driving, preparing food, or lighting a fire or stove.
Shul: A common term for synagogue. Literally: school.
Synagogue: A Jewish house of worship.
Talmud: Literally: teaching. The book of Jewish law and commentaries on the Torah by learned
rabbis. The name applies to each of the two great compilations, the Talmud Yerushalmi (Jeru-
salem Talmud) and the Talmud Bavli (Babylonian Talmud). The Talmud includes the Mishnah
(The Laws) followed by the Gemara (The Commentaries). The Talmud also includes ethical
guidance, medical advice and historical information.
Torah: A term applied to both the entire corpus of sacred literature and to the first five books
of the Hebrew Bible (known to Christians as the Old Testament)
Tzaddik: A righteous man often considered to possess spiritual power. Not all tzaddiks are
rabbis, but the leading rabbi of some Hasidic communities is deemed a tzaddik. According to
Hasidism, the tzaddik is the intermediary between God and man, the “soul of the world.”
Tzitzit: The fringes of the tallit, a shawl that Orthodox and Hasidic men and boys wear beneath
their clothes. The fringes remind the wearer of the commandments.
Yeshiva: A school where students study sacred texts, particularly the Talmud.
Yeshiva Bocher: [Yiddish] A student at a Talmudic academy. Literally: young man.
The Zohar: A mystical commentary on the Torah.
7
Williamsburg, Brooklyn and the Jewish Community
Adapted from the Brooklyn Public Library and Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s Study Guide
In 1792 real estate speculator Richard M. Woodhull pur-
chased land surrounding North 2nd Street, Brooklyn; had it
surveyed, and divided it into city lots. His aim was to attract
urban New Yorkers to what was then “the suburbs.” He
established a horse ferry, opened a tavern, and named the
area Williamsburgh. But by 1811 Woodhull had suffered
financial failure. Subsequent ventures also failed, until roads
were built in the early 1800s that connected the coast to
the interior. By 1827, Williamsburgh was incorporated as a
village. In 1852 Williamsburgh received a city charter, but
three years later it was consolidated into the City of Brooklyn.
At the time of consolidation the “h” was dropped from the
neighborhood’s name.

The first synagogues in Williamsburg were built in the 19th

Williamsburg Bridge, 1937
Century, but the Jewish population did not flourish until 1903,
when the Williamsburg Bridge linked the neighborhood to Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The
influx was so notable that the bridge was often called “The Jews’ Highway.” After World War II,
the Hasidic population of Williamsburg grew as survivors of the Holocaust came to the US.

You can see many signs of the Hasidic commu-

nity when you walk through Williamsburg today:
men in black hats speaking Yiddish; dishes on
shop countertops to allow for the exchange of
money without touching hands (the only person
of the opposite sex adult Hasidic Jews touch are
their own spouses); and many adaptations to
accommodate the restrictions of Shabbat. The
Torah forbids carrying objects outside the home
on the Sabbath, so many buildings in the area
have combination locks which allow residents
to come and go without keys. Some buildings
have “Shabbes elevators” which stop automati-
cally at all floors on Saturday, since the pushing Williamsburg Brooklyn in the 1940s
of an elevator button closes a circuit, which also constitutes a violation of the Sabbath.

Williamsburg is historically an ethnically mixed area, and the different groups living there have
sometimes clashed. Until recently, the major tension has been between Hasidic Jews and Latin
American immigrants. In recent years, however, many artists and “hipsters” have moved to
Williamsburg, attracted by relatively low rents and its proximity to Manhattan. This has caused
rents to climb—an issue of special concern to the Hasidim, whose closed communities tend to
keep them earning little money with which to support their large families. In 2004, a rally was
held in Williamsburg to protest the change and organizers distributed a printed prayer entitled
“For the Protection of Our City…From the Plague of the Artists.” More recently, in 2009, there
was a conflict surrounding bike lanes that were painted through the center of the neighbor-
hood. Religious residents were troubled that women wearing shorts and sleeveless tops were
now biking through the area, both of which violate the strict dress code of Orthodox Jews.

8
The Foundations of Zionism
Adapted from Zionism by Prof. Binyamin Neuberger; and Ultra-Orthodox & Anti-Zionist
by Dr. Aviezer Ravitzky
The idea of Zionism is based on the connection between the
Jewish people and its land, a link which began almost 4,000
years ago when Abraham settled in Canaan, later known as
the Land of Israel. Central to Zionist thought is the concept
of the Land of Israel as the historical birthplace of the Jew-
ish people and the belief that Jewish life elsewhere is a life
of exile. Over centuries in the Diaspora (scattered communi-
ties of Jews outside of Israel) Jews maintained a relationship
with their historical homeland, manifesting this connection
through rituals and literature. Flag of Israel

Modern Zionism in part owes its success as an active national movement to anti-Semitism and
persecution. Over the centuries, Jews were expelled from almost every European country--a cu-
mulative experience that had a profound impact, birthing influential Jewish leaders who turned
to Zionism as a result of the anti-Semitism in their respective societies. Thus Moses Hess, shak-
en by the blood libel of Damascus (1844), founded Zionist socialism; Leon Pinsker, shocked by
the pogroms (1881–1882) which followed the assassination of Czar Alexander II, lead the Hib-
bat Zion movement; and Theodor Herzl, who experienced the venomous anti-Semitic campaign
of the Dreyfus case in Paris (1896), organized Zionism into a political movement.
Rise of Political Zionism
Political Zionism emerged in the 19th Century within the context of the liberal nationalism then
sweeping through Europe. Although Zionism was basically a political movement aspiring to a
return to the Jewish homeland, it also promoted a reassertion of Jewish culture. An important
element in this reawakening was the revival of Hebrew, long restricted to liturgy and literature,
as a living national language.

Most of the founders of Zionism knew that Palestine had an Arab population (though some
spoke naively of “a land without a people for a people without a land”). Still, only a few regarded
the Arab presence as a real obstacle to the fulfillment of Zionism. Many Zionist leaders believed
that since the local community was relatively small, friction between it and the returning Jews
could be avoided. However, these hopes were not fulfilled.
During the years 1936–1947, the struggle over the Land of Israel grew intense. Arab opposition
became more extreme with the increased growth of the Jewish community. At the same time,
the Zionist movement felt it necessary to increase immigration and develop the country’s eco-
nomic infrastructure in efforts to save as many Jews as possible from Nazi-dominated Europe.
The clash between the Jews and the Arabs brought the UN to recommend, on November 29,
1947, the establishment of two states in the area west of the Jordan River—one Jewish and one
Arab. The Jews accepted the resolution; Arabs rejected it. On May 14, 1948, in accordance with
the UN resolution of November 1947, the State of Israel was established.
Orthodox Opposition to the State of Israel
Many Ultra-Orthodox Jews are anti-Zionist because they believe that the redemption of the Jews
must come through the agency of the Messiah rather than through any actions of the Jews,
and more so, that it cannot come about as a result of
a secular (non-religious) political organization such as
Zionism. Therefore, these groups perceive the estab­
lishment of the State of Israel as an anti-messianic act.
In the words of the Midrash, the Jewish people were ad-
jured not to return collectively to the Land of Israel by
the exertion of physical force, nor to “rebel against the
nations of the world,” nor to “hasten the End;” rather
they were required to wait for the heavenly, complete,
and miraculous redemption that is distinct from the
realm of human endeavor. According to this logic, any
Jewish state prior to the messianic age undermines
Anti-Zionist, Ultra Orthodox Jews march and denies the Torah and takes a stand against hal-
in Jerusalem akhah (Jewish law).
9
About the Artists
Rick Foucheux (Reb Saunders) returns to Theater J with much excite-
ment as an Associate Artist-in-Residence. He began Theater J’s season
as Eugene Biddle in Something You Did and then appeared as Oscar
Madison in The Odd Couple. Rick has been performing in Washing-
ton’s vibrant theatre scene for 27 years. His previous appearances
with Theater J include Ari Roth’s Born Guilty and Peter and the Wolf as
well as Talley’s Folly, for which he received a Helen Hayes Award nomi-
nation. He also performed in Theater J’s co-production of Homebody/
Kabul with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, where he is a company
member. In 2008, Rick appeared as Willy Loman in Arena Stage’s
revival of Death of A Salesman and was featured here last season in R. Buckminster Fuller:
The History (And Mystery) of the Universe. Previously, he appeared here in Shakespeare in
Hollywood, Born Yesterday and The Goat or Who Is Sylvia? Other credits include the Shake-
speare Theatre’s Twelfth Night, Folger Theatre’s I Henry IV, and last season’s The Rivalry at
Ford’s Theatre. He also appeared at New York’s Irish Repertory Theatre in their hit revival of
The Emperor Jones. Rick received the Helen Hayes Outstanding Lead Actor Award in 2000 for
Edmond at Source Theatre and in 2006 for Take Me Out at The Studio Theatre. He is a 2011
Lunt-Fontanne Fellow, a national program of the Ten Chimney’s Foundation supporting the
continuing development of actors in the theater.

Edward Gero (David Malter) played Pablo Christiani in The Disputation

and Lyman Felt in Ride Down Mt. Morgan at Theater J; Sweeney Todd
in Sweeney Todd at Signature Theatre; Donny in American Buffalo,
Andre Prozorov in Afterplay, Tom Sargeant in Skylight (Helen Hayes
Award), Vershinin in Uncle Vanya, Charlie in Conversations with My Fa-
ther, man in bash at The Studio Theatre; Scrooge in A Christmas Carol
at Ford’s Theatre; Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet at Folger Theatre;
Richard Nixon in Nixon’s Nixon at Roundhouse Theatre; Philip Gelberg
in Broken Glass at Olney Theatre Center and Sargent in What the Butler
Saw at Arena Stage. In his 28 seasons with the Shakespeare Theatre
Company, he has played Hotspur in Henry IV (Helen Hayes Award), Bolingbroke in Richard II
(Helen Hayes Award) and Macduff in Macbeth (Helen Hayes Award). Regional credits include
Gloucester in King Lear at The Goodman Theatre in Chicago and Horace Vandergelder in The
Matchmaker at Center Stage in Baltimore, where he is an Artistic Associate. In New York, he
has performed at South Street Theatre and Classic Stage Company. His film and television
credits include Die Hard II, Striking Distance, and voice work for The Discovery Channel and
PBS. He is an Associate Professor of Theater at George Mason University. He also teaches for
the Academy for Classical Acting, GWU and Shakespeare for the Opera, Maryland Opera Stu-
dio, University of Maryland. He is a thirteen-time Helen Hayes nominee and four-time recipient.
Upcoming productions include Amadeus at Round House Theatre, where he will play Salieri.

Aaron Davidman (Older Reuven) is an actor, playwright and director.

He has been a company member of The Jewish Theatre San Francisco
(formerly Traveling Jewish Theatre) since 2000 and served as its artis-
tic director for the past 9 years. Among many works at TJT he co-wrote
and directed the international collaboration Blood Relative about the
Israeli-Palestinian story and directed TJT’s critically acclaimed produc-
tion of Death of a Salesman. He directed Golda’s Balcony and The
Chosen at Theatreworks and the world premiere of This World In a
Woman’s Hands by Marcus Gardley at Shotgun Players. He also di-
rected the world premiere of Gardley’s Love is a Dream House In Lorin
at Shotgun for which he was named Best Director of 2007 by the East Bay Express. Among
many roles at TJT Aaron originated the role of Momik Neuman in Corey Fischer’s Kennedy Cen-
ter Award-winning play See Under: Love, based on the David Grossman novel. He is a graduate
of the University of Michigan and received his formal theatrical training at Carnegie Mellon
University. He is a recipient of the New Generations Fellowship from Theatre Communications
Group and is currently an MFA candidate in playwriting at San Francisco State University. Learn
more about his work at aarondavidman.com.

10
About the Artists cont.
Joshua Morgan (Danny) Joshua graduated from the University of North
Carolina School of the Arts and studied at the American Academy of
Dramatic Arts and Judith Blazer’s 2005/2007 company of the Artist’s
Crossing. Performance credits include roles in The Trojan Women,
Godspell, Burn This, Comedy of Errors, Children of Eden, Othello, Show
Boat, Sunday in the Park with George, The Good Doctor, Sweeney
Todd, The Laramie Project, and Les Miserables to name a few. Joshua
has worked as a Musical Director/Rehearsal Pianist for many shows
within the NY/NJ/DC area and coaches a handful of select students.
The musical play, Definition of a Housewife, conceived and written
by himself and Jeffery Self had a workshop production in the summer of 2006 at Columbia
University. Joshua is the Co-Artistic Director of No Rules Theatre Company based out of Wash-
ington, DC and Winston-Salem, NC (NoRulesTheatre.org) and sits on the boards of the Actors
Center in Washington, DC and the Artists Crossing in NY. You can find out more information
about Joshua at JoshuaMorgan.net.

Derek Kahn Thompson (Young Reuven) last appeared in Sabrina

Fair at Ford’s Theater. His Washington, D.C., credits include King John
at the Shakespeare Theater Company and The Pirates of Penzance,
Great Expectations, and A Child’s Christmas in Wales at Folger The-
atre. Mr. Kahn Thompson holds a BS in Journalism from Northwestern
University.

Aaron Posner (Director, Adapter) is a nationally recognized award-

winning director, playwright and teacher. He has been the Artistic
Director of two LORT theatres and directed at major regional theatres
across the country including The Arden, The Alliance, Portland Center
Stage, Seattle Rep, Milwaukee Rep, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville,
The Folger Shakespeare Theatre, California Shakespeare Theatre,
Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Arizona Theatre Company, Delaware Theatre
Company, Roundhouse Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
and many others. His adaptations of literature—which include Chaim
Potok’s novels The Chosen and My Name Is Asher Lev, Ken Kesey’s
Sometimes A Great Notion, and a musical of A Murder, A Mystery & A Marriage by Mark Twain
(with music by James Sugg)—have been produced by more than 40 professional theaters from
coast to coast (including many of those listed above as well as Steppenwolf Theatre, Writers
Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, Florida Stage and many others) as well as major professional
theaters in Canada, Israel, and South Africa. Three are published by Dramatists Play Service.
Aaron is the founder and former Artistic Director of the Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia.
He won two Barrymore Awards for playwrighting and two Helen Hayes Awards for directing, is
an Eisenhower Fellow, and is originally from Eugene, Oregon.

Chaim Potok (Novelist) is one of the most prolific and honored Jewish American authors. He
was born and raised in New York City. He studied English Literature and earned a Doctorate in
Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania. An ordained rabbi, he served as an army chap-
lain in Korea for sixteen months. The Chosen, Potok’s first novel, was first published in 1967,
and was on The New York Times Bestseller List for ten months. Other works by Potok include
The Promise, In The Beginning, The Book of Lights, Davita’s Harp, I Am The Clay, Old Men at
Midnight, The Gates of November, Wanderings, The Book of Lights, My Name is Asher Lev
and The Gift of Asher Lev. He has received The National Jewish Book Award for Fiction, The
National Foundation for Jewish Culture’s 1997 Jewish Cultural Achievement Award, the O’Henry
Award and many others.

11
 About the Artists cont.
James Kronzer (Scenic Designer) Most recently designed Honey Brown Eyes for Theater J. He
has also designed shows for Washington Ballet, The Shakespeare Theatre, The Kennedy Cen-
ter, Signature Theater, Woolly Mammoth and Studio Theatre among others. His work has been
seen on Broadway, Off-Broadway and regionally in Philadelphia, San Diego, Atlanta, Denver,
Florida, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Boston, Vermont and Knoxville. His numerous national
tours include The Wizard of Oz, Thomas Live!, Backyardigans and Barbie Live! as well as a new
musical for Disney called Twice Charmed. He has also designed numerous shows for Nor-
wegian Cruise Lines and has done several specials for Comedy Central. He began his career
as a Design Assistant for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theater in
London. He has received eight Helen Hayes Awards (DC) and two Barrymores (Philadelphia).
He is a member of United Scenic Artists. More of his work can be seen at jameskronzer.com.

Nancy Schertler (Lighting Designer) has designed the Broadway productions of Bill Irwin’s
Fool Moon and Largely New York (Tony nom.) and off-Broadway productions of Hilda, Texts for
Nothing, A Flea in Her Ear, The Regard Evening and Falsettoland. Regional theater designs
include over 60 productions for Arena Stage; Scapin, directed and staring Bill Irwin, Boleros for
the Disenchanted, and After the War among others for the American Conservatory Theatre in
San Francisco; Suessical for The Children’s Theatre Company.; A Christmas Story for Portland
Center Stage; A Christmas Carol, at Milwaukee Repertory Theater; The Three Musketeers and
The Sisters Matsumoto at Seattle Repertory Theatre. Opera credits include the world premieres
of The Difficulty of Crossing a Field, Shadowboxer, and Later the Same Evening, an opera
inspired by the work of Edward Hopper, commissioned by the University of Maryland and the
National Gallery of Art.

Kate Turner-Walker (Costume Designer) is delighted to join Theater J in this exciting collabo-
ration with Arena Stage. Recent work includes The Comedy of Errors at Folger Theatre; Snow
White, Rose Red and Fred and Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical at Kennedy Center Theatre
for Young Audiences; Superior Donuts at The Studio Theatre and The Talented Mr. Ripley at
Round House Theatre. For the second season of TLC’s “DC Cupcakes” (airing this spring), she
acted as a creative consultant for projects combining cupcakes and fashion. Kate has received
two Helen Hayes Award nominations. She is an adjunct professor of Costume Design at George
Washington University.

James Sugg (Sound Designer) James Sugg is a member of Pig Iron Theatre Company with
whom he has created 10 original pieces. He has also worked with the Wilma, The Arden The-
ater, Seattle Rep, Actors Theater of Louisville, Folger Theater, Headlong Dance Theater, Rain-
pan 43 and Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental. He is the composer of the musicals A Murder,
A Mystery And A Marriage, James Joyce is Dead and So Is Paris (Pig Iron), The Sea (a one man
electric chamber opera) and Cherry Bomb (1812 Productions). His work has been recognized
with two Obies, four Barrymores for Outstanding Sound Design, the F. Otto Haas Award for
Emerging Theater Artist and a Pew Fellowship.

Susan R. White (Stage Manager) is thrilled to be a part of Theater J’s production of Aaron
Posner’s The Chosen and to be working, once again, with Artistic Director Ari Roth. Susan is a
proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Michelle Elwyn (Properties Designer) has most recently collaborated on properties with The
Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv for Return to Haifa. For Theater J, she has designed properties for
The Odd Couple, Lost in Yonkers, Something You Did, Mikveh, Pangs of the Messiah, Accident,
Seagull on 16th Street, Honey Brown Eyes, David, Speed the Plow, Either Or, Sleeping Arrange-
ments, Picasso’s Closet and The Disputation. Other props design projects include: A Prayer
for Owen Meany at Round House Theatre; Hamlet, Arcadia, A Winter’s Tale, Henry IV Part I,
Midsummer Night’s Dream and Measure for Measure at Folger Theatre; Two-Bit Taj Mahal at
Theater of the First Amendment; Meet John Doe and Jitney at Ford’s Theatre; Assassins at
Signature Theatre; The Shape of Things, Privates on Parade and Hambone at Studio Theatre.
Her work includes costume crafts at Washington National Opera and Asolo Theatre in Sara-
sota, FL, as well as scenic painting and sculpture at Shakespeare Theatre Company, Theater of
the First Amendment, Folger Theatre Group, Arena Stage, Asolo Theatre, Playwrights’ Horizons,
NYC, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, Long Wharf Theatre, New Haven, CT And Opera Theatre
of Rochester. She has also co-designed stage sets for Marsha Norman’s Getting Out at Florida
Studio Theatre and the Ringling Museum of Art’s Medieval Fair.
12
 About the Artists cont.
Stephen Spotswood (Production Dramaturg) is a playwright, journalist and, thanks to Theater
J, occasional dramaturg. Co-founder of Bright Alchemy Theatre, a company of artists devoted
to the creation of devised work, he is also a teaching artist at Imagination Stage, working with
middle and high school students on devised theatre and new play development. His newest
play, The Resurrectionist King, produced by Active Cultures Theatre, opens at Joe’s Movement
Emporium on March 30.
Shelley Herman Gillon (Dialect Coach) is a playwright who coaches actors in Irish, Puerto
Rican, German, Russian and Yiddish dialects and those from regions of the US and UK. Ms
Gillon works with non-native speakers on writing skills and accent reduction. Her Tennessee
Williams biographical musical, Tom to Tenn, co-written with Harriet McFaul Pilger and Paul
D. Leavitt, will be performed on March 25th as part of Georgetown’s Tenn Cent Fest. Recent
works include Bulletins from Fatland, Raised by the Radio and Crawling from the Ashes, an ad-
aptation of Julia Caswell Daitch’s 9/11 Memoir. Ms. Gillon is a graduate of Tulane University,
Loyola University School of Law and The Neighborhood Playhouse, where she studied with the
legendary Sandford Meisner.
Ari Roth (Artistic Director) is enjoying his 14th season as Artistic Director at Theater J where,
together with a dedicated staff, he has produced 96 full productions, including 33 English
language world premieres, and many more workshop presentations. Also a playwright, Mr.
Roth has seen his work produced across the country, as well as at Theater J, where produc-
tions include Goodnight Irene, Life In Refusal, Love & Yearning in the Not-for-Profits, Oh, The
Innocents, and a repertory production of Born Guilty, originally commissioned and produced by
Arena Stage, directed in this space by Zelda Fichandler, based on the book by Peter Sichrovsky,
together with its sequel, The Wolf in Peter (recently presented as The Born Guilty Cycle by the
Epic Theatre Ensemble). His plays have been nominated for five Helen Hayes Awards, includ-
ing Best Resident Production, and two Charles A. MacArthur Awards. He is a 1998 and 2003
recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts playwriting grant, three-time winner of the Helen
Eisner Award, two-time winner of the Avery Hopwood, four-time recipient of commissions from
the National Foundation for Jewish Culture and recipient of the Mertyl Wreath Award from
Hadassah. He was recently named one of The Forward 50, a recognition from The Forward
newspaper honoring fifty nationally prominent “men and women who are leading the American
Jewish community into the 21st century.” He has taught for the University of Michigan for 15
years, currently for their “Michigan in DC” program, as well as for Brandeis, NYU and Carnegie
Mellon Universities.
Sarah Rayer (Managing Director) is thrilled to be the newest member of the Theater J team.
She comes to Theater J with an MBA from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and a decade
of work in prominent New York Theaters including Playwrights Horizons and The Public Theater.
At the Public, she served as assistant to the Artistic Producer, Rosemarie Tichler and Admin-
istrative Director of The Shakespeare Lab. Prior to her work in producing, Sarah worked for
four years in casting on projects such as “Law & Order,” The Lion King, and many of the Public
Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park (Initiative and readings). She’s worked as an Associate
Producer for Eve Ensler’s V-Day (a social awareness and engagement initiative of The Vagina
Monologues) at Madison Square Garden; Sarah also Associate Produced for “A Net of Souls: A
Borrowed Light - Voices from Women in Prison.” In addition to her theater work, Ms. Rayer has a
consulting company S. Rayer Associates.

Theater J Staff
Artistic Director Ari Roth
Managing Director Sarah Rayer
Associate Producer Delia Taylor
Director of Marketing & Communications Grace Overbeke
Director of Community Outreach & New Media Becky Peters
Director of Literary & Public Programs Shirley Serotsky
Director of Patron Services Tara Brady
Development Associate Gavi Young
Casting Director Naomi Robin
Technical Director and Master Carpenter Tom Howley
MCCA Operations Director Daniel Risner
For a full list of Theater J staff bios, visit theaterj.org and click on “About Us”
13
 Photo of Geoff Packard by Scott Suchman.

Meet the
other
Founding
Father.

World Premiere Musical! March 23-May 21

music by Michael Weiner; lyrics by Adam Abraham; book by Marc Madnick,
Eric R. Cohen and Adam Abraham; based on an Original Story by Marc Madnick
and Eric R. Cohen; choreographed by Denis Jones; directed by Matt August

(202) 397-SEAT | www.fords.org

511 10th St. NW, Washington, DC 20004
Lead Sponsor: United Technologies; Sponsors: Raytheon Company; Altria Group;
Qualcomm Incorporated; Shell Oil Company
Ford’s Theatre stages Built by The Home Depot | Chevron, a 2010-2011 Season Sponsor

14
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Parking at the Washington DCJCC

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17th Street

16th Street

15th Street

14th Street

Q Street
WASHINGTON DCJCC PARKING LOT
WASHINGTON
Limited parking available.
DCJCC P
COLONIAL PARKING 1616 P Street between THEATER J
16th & 17th Streets, just 2 blocks away! P Street
P
Parking-1616 P St. (Colonial Garage)
15
 Friends Of Theater J
Theater J is, at its core, a playwrights’ theater and as such, we have named our giving levels in honor of Jewish
playwrights and two of their director/producers. We gratefully acknowledge our current donors who have support-
ed us for the 2010–2011 season to date. We ask our many long-time supporters and new friends of the theater to
join them in underwriting this exciting season. (This list is current as of February 2, 2011.)
Executive Producing
Show Sponsor
($25,000 and above)
The Robert M. Fisher
Memorial Foundation
The Jewish Federation of
Greater Washington
National Endowment for the Arts
The Shubert Foundation
Wendy Wasserstein Grand Angel
($15,000 - $24,999)
Charlotte & Hank Schlosberg
Patti & Jerry Sowalsky
The George Wasserman
Family Foundation
Harold Clurman Champion Angel
($10,000 - $14,999)
Carolyn & Warren Kaplan
The Jacob & Charlotte
Lehrman Foundation
Trish & George Vradenburg
Irene & Alan Wurtzel
Ellen & Bernard Young
Tony Kushner Collaborating Angel
($7,500 - $9,999)
Esthy & James Adler
Deborah Carliner & Robert Remes
The Max & Victoria Dreyfus
Foundation
Marion & Larry Lewin
Evelyn Sandground & Bill Perkins
Joseph Papp Producing Angel
($5,000 - $7,499)
Patty Abramson & Les Silverman
Anne & Ronald Abramson
Joan& Peter Andrews
Michele & Allan Berman
Naomi & Nehemiah Cohen Foundation
Louie & Ralph Dweck
Lois & Richard England
Kovler Foundation-Judy & Peter Kovler
Zena & Paul Mason
Judith Morris & Marvin Weissberg
Faye & Jack Moskowitz
The Omega Foundation
Elaine Reuben
Margaret Hahn Stern & Stephen Stern
Natalie Wexler & James Feldman
Rosa D. Wiener
Judy & Leo Zickler
Lillian Hellman Supporting Angel
($3,000 - $4,999)
The Family of H. Max & Josephine F.
Ammerman & Andrew Ammerman
Natalie & Paul Abrams
The DC Commission on the Arts and
Humanities
Lois & Michael Fingerhut
Dr. Kenneth & Cheryl Gorelick Fund
Al Munzer & Joel Wind
Diane & Arnold Polinger
16
Loretta Rosenthal Paddy Chayefsky Champion
The Abe & Kathryn Selsky Foundation ($175 - $349)
Joan Wessel Anonymous (2)
Ronald Bleeker
Arthur Miller Mentor Goldie Blumenstyk
($1,500 - $2,999) Susan & Steven Bralove
Susan & Dixon Butler Mady Chalk
Ann & Frank Gilbert Rosalind & Donald Cohen
Mimi Conway & Dennis Houlihan Miriam J. Cutler & Paul Saldit
Lisa Fuentes & Thomas Cohen Peter & Shelly Dreifuss
Sandra & Arnold Leibowitz
Barbara & Samuel Dyer
Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Susan & Michael Friedman
Marjan & Andy Shallal
Paula Seigle Goldman
Margot & Paul Zimmerman
Jack Golodner
David Mamet Muse Edith & Arthur Hessel
($1,000 - $1,499) Faye & Aaron Hillman
Elizabeth Berry Joy Lerner & Stephen Kelin
Mara Bralove & Ari Fisher William Kreisberg
The Center for Cultural Judaism, Inc. Neal Krucoff
Myrna Fawcett Dianne & Herbert Lerner
Marjory Goldman Arthur Le Van
Laine & Norton Katz Tina Martin & Mita Schaffer
Victor Shargai Sue Morss
Betsy Karmin & Manny Strauss Vivian L. Pollock
Rona & Allan Mendelsohn Toby Port & Jeffrey Ahl
Janet Solinger Barbara Rappaport
Erica & Douglas Rosenthal
Neil Simon Stage Benefactor
Loretta Rosenthal
($500 - $999)
Leona & Jerrold Schecter
Babs & Rabbi A.N. Abramowitz
Lois & Basil Schiff
Carolyn Small Alper
Ms. Terry Schubach
Michele & Alan Berman
Sylvia Shenk & Yori Aharoni
Steven des Jardins
Beverly & Harlan Sherwat
Marlin & David Feldman
Lynnette Spira
Ina Ginsburg
Deborah Tannen & Michael
Gayle & David Greene Macovski
Ira Hillman & Jeremy Barber Susan Tannenbaum & David
Linda & Steven Hirsch Osterhout
Estelle & Dr. Irving Jacobs Marjorie & Allan Weingold
Rachel Jacobson & Eric Olsen T. Michael Wight
In Memory of MJ Bear Debbie & Steven Young
Elizabeth Karmin & Emanuel Strauss
Undine & Carl Nash Ben Hecht Booster
Trudy & Gary Peterson ($75 - $174)
Steven M. Rosenberg & Stewart C. Susan & Alan Apter
Low III Anonymous
Anne & Richard Solomon Deborah Berkowitz & Geoffrey
Barbara & Stanley Tempchin Garin
Annie & Sami Totah Sharon Bernier
Betty L. Ustun Edith Bralove
Beverly Walcoff Dr. Lloyd Brodsky
Julie & David Zalkind Karen & John Burgess
Susan & Marshall Bykofsky
Sholom Asch Admirer
Wallace Chandler
($350 - $499)
Esther Coopersmith
Shoshana & Peter Grove
Helen Darling & Brad Gray
Iris & Michael Lav
Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb &
Yoav Lurie
Ms. Minna Scherlinder Morse
Ellen & Gary Malasky
Leona & Donald Drazin
Linda Segal
Dr. & Mrs. Burton Epstein
Sandra & Dale Stein
Stuart Fischer
Anne & Al Fishman
Kit Gage & Steven Metalitz
 Friends Of Theater J cont.
Renee Gier Martin Krubit Caroline & Michael Mindel
Morton Goren Michael Lewis Mona & Leonard Mitnick
Jack Hahn Faiga G. Levine Tena Nauheim & David Harrison
Morton Halperin Mary & Edward Levy Joan & Ludwig Rudel
Carol & Robert Hausman Hannah & Tim Lipman Froma & Jerome Sandler
Peggy Heller Susan & Donald Lubick Anne & Barry Schenof
Rachel Jacobson & Eric Olsen Rosalie Lurie Margaret Sohn & Harvey Cohen
Betty-Chia Karro & Henry Gassner Madeline & Gerald Malovany Helen & Jonathan Sunshine
Helene & Allan Kahan Noreen Marcus & Jay Sushelsky Virginia & James Vitarello
Dana & Ray Koch Thomas Merrick Mindy & Sheldon Weisel
Adrienne Kohn & Garry Grossman Jolynne Miller Stephen Werner
Beth Kramer Nancy & Richard Millstein

Washington DCJCC Donors

The Washington DCJCC wishes to thank all those who made contributions to the 16th Street J to help
support our programs during the 2010 fiscal year (July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010). Your support has been
invaluable in allowing us to create and sustain programs of excellence throughout the year.
$100,000 + $10,000 - $14,999 Federal Emergency
Ann Loeb Bronfman Patty Abramson & Les Silverman Management Agency
The Robert M. Fisher Esthy & Jim Adler Marilyn & Michael Glosserman
Memorial Foundation Michele & Allan Berman Cheryl Gorelick
The Jewish Federation of Susie & Kenton Campbell Deborah Harmon & Robert Seder
Greater Washington Deborah Carliner & Robert Remes G. Scott Hong
Debra Lerner Cohen & Humanities Council of
$50,000 - $99,999 Edward Cohen Washington,DC
The Morris & Gwendolyn Lois & Richard England William Kreisberg
Cafritz Foundation Family Foundation Jacqueline & Marc Leland
DC Office on Aging Rena & Michael Gordon Joy Lerner & Stephen Kelin
Melanie Franco Nussdorf Susy & Thomas Kahn Elyse & Jeffrey Linowes
& Lawrence Nussdorf Judy & Peter Kovler Linda Lipsett & Jules Bernstein
Howard & Geraldine Polinger Thelma & Melvin Lenkin MAZON: A Jewish Response to
Family Foundation Marion & Larry Lewin Hunger
ServeDC - The Mayor’s Office on Faye & Jack Moskowitz Linda & Sid Moskowitz
Volunteerism Diane & Arnold Polinger Kathy & Thomas Raffa
David Bruce Smith Deborah & Michael Salzberg Renay & William Regardie
United Jewish Endowment Fund Rhea Schwartz & Paul Wolff Elaine Reuben
The Abe & Kathryn Rae Ringel & Amos Hochstein
$25,000 - $49,999
Selsky Foundation Beth Rubenstein & Evan Markiewicz
Jamie & Joseph A. Baldinger
Francine Zorn Trachtenberg & Lynn & John Sachs
Diane & Norman Bernstein
Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Evelyn Sandground & Bill Perkins
DC Commission on the
Trish & George Vradenburg Emily Schoenbaum
Arts & Humanities
Natalie Wexler & James Feldman Tina & Albert Small Jr.
Louie & Ralph Dweck
Carolyn & William Wolfe Barbara & Michael Smilow
Brenda Gruss & Daniel Hirsch
Irene & Alan Wurtzel Mindy Strelitz & Andrew Cornblatt
Tamara & Harry Handelsman
Judy & Leo Zickler Lori & Les Ulanow
Stuart Kurlander
National Endowment for the Arts Joan Wessel
$5,000 - $9,999 Rosa D. Wiener
The Shubert Foundation, Inc.
Academy of Motion Picture Ellen & Bernard Young
Robert H Smith* Family Foundation
Arts and Sciences Rory & Shelton Zuckerman
Patti & Jerry Sowalsky
American Jewish World Service
$15,000 - $24,999 The Family of H. Max & Josephine F. $2,500 - $4,999
Lisa & Josh Bernstein Ammerman & Andrew Ammerman Anonymous
Ryna, Melvin, Marcella & Neil Cohen Melinda Bieber & Norman Pozez Babs & Rabbi A.N. Abramowitz
Ginny & Irwin Edlavitch Max N. Berry Natalie & Paul Abrams
Susan & Michael Gelman Ann & Donald Brown Amy & Stephen Altman
Alexander Greenbaum Naomi & Nehemiah Larry Axelrod
Martha Winter Gross & Robert Tracy Cohen Foundation Joan & Alan Berman
Carolyn & Warren Kaplan Sara Cohen & Norman Rich Elizabeth Berry
Barbara & Jack Kay Rose & Robert Cohen Rita & David Brickman
Arlene & Robert Kogod CrossCurrents Foundation Nicholas Chocas
Jacob & Charlotte Lehrman Foundation The Max & Victoria Dreyfus Cyna & Paul Cohen
Charlotte & Hank Schlosberg Foundation, Inc. Margery Doppelt & Larry Rothman
Schoenbaum Family Foundation Embassy of Israel Exxon Mobil Corporation
George Wasserman Family Foundation, Inc. Lois & Richard England
17
Washington DCJCC Donors cont.
Myrna Fawcett
Lois & Michael Fingerhut
Joanne Fungaroli
Marsha Gentner & Joe Berman
Debra Goldberg & Seth Waxman
The Aaron & Cecile
Goldman Foundation
Roberta Hantgan
Horning Brothers Corporation
Betsy Karmin & Manny Strauss
Connie & Jay Krupin
Barbara Kurshan
Susan & Samuel Lehrman
Sandra & Arnold Leibowitz
Edward Lenkin
Geoffrey Mackler
Zena & Paul J. Mason
Alfred Munzer & Joel Wind
PNC Bank
Points of Light Institute
Posner-Wallace Foundation
Toni Ritzenberg
Loretta Rosenthal
Debra & Jonathan Rutenberg
Sandra & Ivan Sabel
Charles & Lynn Schusterman
Family Foundation
Sanford Schwartz
Sprint Foundation
Saul I. Stern*
Katherine & Thomas Sullivan
18
Rachel Jacobson & Eric Olsen
JCC Association
Sally Kaplan
Laine & Norton Katz
Aviva Kempner
Ceceile Klein
Linda Klein
Bette & William Kramer
Lisa Landmeier & Hugo Roell
Sandra & Stephen Lachter
Dianne & Herbert Lerner
The Samuel Levy Family
Foundation
Steven Lockshin
Steven Lustig
Ellen & Gary Malasky
Peter Mancoll
Cathryn & Scot McCulloch
Rona & Allan Mendelsohn
Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation
Lindsay & Aaron Miller
Patrice & Herbert Miller
Shirlee Ornstein
Glenna & David Osnos
Peggy Parsons
Ruth & Stephen Pollak
Toby Port
Ravsak: The Jewish Community
Day School
Hillary & Jonathan Reinis
Carol Risher
Paula & Bruce Robinson
Joan & Barry Rosenthal
Chaya & Walter Roth
Jane Nathan Rothschild
Sharon Russ & David Rubin
Victor Shargai
Michael Singer
Ann Sislen
Richard Solloway
Jane & Daniel Solomon
Margaret Hahn Stern & Stephen Stern
Marsha E. Swiss & Ronald M. Costell
Embassy of Switzerland
Tabard Corporation
Tikkun Olam Women’s Foundation of
Greater Washington
Rita & David Trachtenberg
United Way of the National Capital Area
Marion & Michael Usher
Lise Van Susteren & Jonathan Kempner
Cynthia Wolloch & Joseph Reid
Margot & Paul Zimmerman
Due to space limitations, only donors of $1,000 or more
are listed. The Washington DCJCC would like to thank all
of our many donors for the important impact they have
on our work.
* of blessed memory
“Spellbinding.”“Wholly faScinating.”
–New York Times
– Chicago Tribune

Photo of Amy Morton and Tracy Letts by Saverio Truglia.

Steppenwolf theatre Company’s production of

edward albee’S
who’S afraid of Virginia woolf?
directed by Pam macKinnon
starring tony award winner tracy Letts and amy morton
with carrie coon and madison dirKs
february 25 – april 10
order today!
202-488-3300 | www.arenastage.org
Molly Smith Artistic Director edgar dobie Managing Director

19
 About Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater
Arena Stage at the Mead Center for

Photo by Suzanne Blue Star Boy

American Theater is a national center
for the production, presentation, devel-
opment and study of American theater.
Under the leadership of Artistic Direc-
tor Molly Smith and Managing Director
Edgar Dobie, Arena Stage is the largest
company in the country dedicated to
American plays and playwrights. Found-
ed in 1950 by Zelda Fichandler, Thomas
Fichandler and Edward Mangum, Arena
Stage is one of the nation’s original resident theaters and has a dis- Molly Smith
tinguished record of leadership and advancement in the field. Arena
Stage produces huge plays of all that is passionate, exuberant, pro-
found, deep and dangerous in the American spirit, and presents di-
verse and ground-breaking work from some of the best artists around

Photo by Scott Suchman

the country.

Arena Stage is committed to commissioning and developing new plays,

including the first, second and third productions of new works, in ad-
dition to the creation and testing of best practices for new play devel-
opment through the American Voices New Play Institute. Arena Stage
impacts the lives of more than 20,000 students annually through its
work in community engagement. Now in its sixth decade, Arena Stage
serves a diverse annual audience of more than 300,000. Edgar Dobie
arenastage.org.

BACKSTAGE at the LINCOLN PLAY READING SERIES

In association with Theater J

MONDAY, MARCH 21, 2011

Graphic by Mberry@berrybestsolutions.com

Doors Open 6:30 pm – Performance 7:45 pm

$25 General Admission / VIP Preferred Seating and Reception $35 (First 76 tickets)
**Seating Limited: This is an exclusive Lincoln Theatre Event**
The Historic Lincoln Theatre
1215 U Street, NW, Washington, DC
www.lovethelincoln.com
Program funded in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
20
“remarKaBle.” – Chicago Tribune

“eXPloSiVe.” – Chicago Sun-Times

Illustration by Rudy Gutierraz

RuinEDaPril 22 – June 5
by Lynn nottage | directed by charLes randoLph-Wright
winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama

ORDER TODAY!
202-488-3300 | www.arenastage.org
1101 Sixth St., SW, Washington, DC 20024

21
 THE
OF N MOS
May AN COW
By the Helen Hayes
11–J TUC S
Nominated Playwright of une KE
The Rise and Fall 12 T
of Annie Hall

By Sam Forman
Directed by Shirley Serotsky
Featuring James Flanagan, Heather Haney,
Bob Rogerson, Susan Rome and Amal Saade

(800) 494-TIXS • theaterj.org • 16th & Q Streets NW

(Dupont Circle Metro)
For the Moscow family, a summer weekend in Nantucket
brings brisket, booze and a blowout confrontation be-
tween competing brothers who have avoided each other
for years. A fast-paced new American comedy with its
heart in Chekhov country.
22
About Theater J
Hailed by The New York Times as “The Premier Theater for Premieres,” and
nominated for over forty Helen Hayes awards, Theater J has emerged as one
of the most distinctive, progressive and respected Jewish theaters on the
national and international scene. A program of the Washington DCJCC, the
theater works in collaboration with other components of the Morris Cafritz
Center for the Arts: the Washington Jewish Film Festival, the Ann Loeb Bron-
fman Gallery, and the Literary, Music and Dance Department.
Theater J produces thought-provoking, publicly engaged, personal, pas-
sionate and entertaining plays and musicals that celebrate the distinctive
urban voice and social vision that are part of the Jewish cultural legacy.
Acclaimed as one of the nation’s premiere playwrights’ theaters, Theater J
presents cutting edge contemporary work alongside spirited revivals and
is a nurturing home for the development and production of new work by
major writers and emerging artists exploring many of the pressing moral
and political issues of our time. Dedicated above all to a pursuit of artistic
excellence, Theater J takes its dialogues beyond the stage, offering an ar-
ray of innovative public discussion forums and outreach programs which
explore the theatrical, psychological and social elements of our art. We
frequently partner with those of other faiths and communities, stressing
the importance of interchange among a great variety of people wishing
to take part in frank, humane conversations about conflict and culture.
Performing in the 240-seat Aaron & Cecile Goldman Theater in the vibrant
Dupont Circle neighborhood, Theater J works with some of the world’s most
distinguished authors for the stage. It has produced world premieres by
Richard Greenberg, Thomas Keneally, Robert Brustein, Joyce Carol Oates
and Ariel Dorfman, with many debuts from emerging writers like Stefanie
Zadravec and Sam Forman. The late Wendy Wasserstein’s play Third, which
began at Theater J, received its New York premiere at Lincoln Center Theatre,
while Neena Beber received an OBIE for her New York production of Jump/
Cut. Theater J’s diverse body of work features thematically linked festivals
including its ongoing “Voices From a Changing Middle East” series. In 2009
Theater J received a special citation in The Washington Post recognizing
Theater J’s Israel-related programming. With hit productions ranging from
Talley’s Folly and The Disputation to Pangs of the Messiah, The Price, Honey
Brown Eyes (Winner of the 2009 Helen Hayes Charles MacArthur Award for
Outstanding New Play), Sholom Aleichem: Laughter Through Tears, The Rise
and Fall of Annie Hall, Zero Hour (for which Jim Brochu won the 2010 Helen
Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a non-resident production) In Dar-
fur, Mikveh and New Jerusalem, it’s no surprise that Washingtonian Maga-
zine notes, “Theater J productions keep going from strength to strength.”
Winner of the 2008 Mayor’s Arts Award for Excellence in an Artistic Disci-
pline, Theater J offers a number of additional programs including Artistic
Director’s Roundtables, Peace Cafés, Tea at 2 (a monthly reading series)
and the Passports Educational Program. Theater J has garnered sup-
port from the National Endowment for the Arts, Theatre Communica-
tions Group (TCG) and The Shubert Foundation. Theater J is a member
of the Cultural Alliance, the League of Washington Theatres, TCG and the
Association for Jewish Theatre.
Photos by Stan Barouh

Washington DCJCC Josh Lefkowitz and Maureen Rohn

in The Rise and Fall of Annie Hall
1529 Sixteenth Street NW
Washington, DC 20036 Robert Prosky in The Price
Info: (202) 777-3210 or Alexander Strain and Michael
theaterj@washingtondcjcc.org Tolaydo in New Jerusalem
theaterj.org Holly Twyford in Lost in Yonkers
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