Answering the Age Old… (from an actual facebook back-and-forth)

Q: What makes you decide what plays to bring?

A: who knows? it’s an interesting combination, but it must start with a personal passion

a connection that makes it feel vital

you start by loving something

and wanting to share it with others

and build a season around that

and linking that love to other things…

Thoughts from our audiences….

Becky here…We’ve asked our audiences for feedback on their expereinces seeing Lost in Yonkers and there’s a few excerpts below. We’d love to hear from you too! Post a comment to the blog and share your own thoughts.

“It was a wonderful night at the theater for my wife, our 15-year-old son, and for me. It’s hard to believe that such a quality performance can be had at such a reasonable price. The intimacy of the theater is one strong point that will keep up coming back. I have missed some productions in past years but hope to attend more regularly from this point on. Being able to get the tickets at the preview price was an added bonus, although the quality of the production would have made it a steal at even the full price.

Thanks for putting on a show such as this. It was amusing to learn that Brighton Beach closed last week on Broadway after a seven-day run. Things might have been different if the J-team had been involved!”
- Theater J patron, C Sachs

______________________

“We loved Lost in Yonkers. I took my teen daughter, I want to introduce her to theater. We saw Zero Hour the month before. She has really enjoyed the shows and I am grateful there are entertaining, high quality shows that I can take her to.

(Re: Lost inYonkers) we talked about how the playwright builds suspense, how the grandsons, son and daughter talk about the grandmother before we actually see her. Ho this develops her as a character. These techniques are not usually exercised in pop culture (TV) and bc my teen is totally wired to instant messaging, web surfing and immediate gratification, she is seeing an art form she doesn’t get much exposure to. (This concerns me about her generation!).

She studied the McCarthy era and immigration in school, so the Zero Hour really was relevant to what she learned. I remember Zero Mostel from my childhood (A Funny thing happened on the way to the Forum), but was not aware of the his political activities or appearances before the committee for unamerican activities. It was a learning experience for me as well.

We enjoyed both plays immensely. I saw other parents there with their teens. It really is a wonderful family experience and Theater J features shows that raise issues that we as a society should talk about. And then there are the shows that are just good entertainment.

Thank you again, we look forward to attending more shows.”
- Theater J patron

____________

” Four of us came to see Lost in Yonkers together. We thought the play was tremendous and we always enjoy coming to see the plays at the DCJCC “
- Patron

First Day Highlights from the Next Conference (or who needs J Street?)

GOP WHIP ERIC CANTOR, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR MICHAEL OREN AND OTHER DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS OPEN 2009 GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Nov. 8, 2009

More than 3,000 participants attended the opening of the 2009 UJC General Assembly in Washington, D.C. today, which began with a plenary featuring Republican Whip Eric Cantor, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren and a host of other distinguished speakers.

“Now more than ever, your leadership enriches our country’s moral fabric by adding the deep-rooted Jewish traditions of community, tzedakah, tikkun olam and helping those who are in need,” Rep. Cantor said.

He urged delegates to take a stand against growing anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism in the world. “Federation has always been in the forefront of our struggle – and you must continue the fight. I and millions like us – of many faiths, cultures, and political persuasions – await your leadership before it is too late.”

Ambassador Oren also called upon participants to join together in the struggle against those who seek to destroy Israel. “Israel depends on the strength and support of the Jewish people,” he said. “Our ability to withstand the weapon of delegitimazation depends on our being united. Whenever Jews remained united, we overcame unspeakable challenges and flourished.”

The opening plenary focused on the theme, “Remember when you thought anything was possible? It still is.”

* * *

Alas, for all our involvement in Monday night’s program, The GA fails to list the Washington DCJCC or Theater J as a destination or attraction or as a highlighted place to visit on the special page of recommended sites from 2009 GA Co-Chair and Jewish Federation of Greater Washington officer, Dede Feinberg called “Dede’s D.C. Page.” She does list The National Zoological Park, the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington and Sixth and I Historic Synagogue. But no Washington DCJCC, nor Theater J’s Lost in Yonkers. Call me slighted, but I think we gotta get Dede to the theater, don’t you?

The Jerusalem Post Digs Into Yonkers (and why we produced it)

Lost, and found, in Yonkers

By HILARY LEILA KRIEGER, JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT
Nov 8, 2009 5:00

WASHINGTON – Following the controversy last year over a staged reading of the play Seven Jewish Children‚ Theater J artistic director Ari Roth thought the community needed a play that would allow for some healing.

To that end, he broke with the Theater J tradition of performing “a good depressing autumnal play,” and chose to put on Neil Simon’s prize-winning Lost in Yonkers for an extended run.

Not that the production is pure comedy , in fact, many of the laughs it provides are intensified by serving to break up moments of deep tension , but it does represent a lighter inflection of the crushing family drama genre. And perhaps most importantly, it offers a plotline that’s ultimately redemptive.

“I felt this was what we needed as a community, as Jews… with us always at each other’s throats,” explained Roth, whose Theater J is located in the Jewish Community Center in downtown Washington.

He added that the greater societal context was also significant in his choice, with the current economic crisis and what he called a “rift” in the Jewish community following the elections of US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu positioning his theater “on the seam” of those various forces.

It was our job in this slot to bring us together,” he said. “We needed a family play with hardened characters, hardened hearts, [from which] we needed to create some reconciliation.”

to continue reading, click here

(and it’s not a bad piece, and I’m more or less quoted accurately; it’s just a bit bald… but that’s okay. I’m glad this piece was written.)

Post-Brighton Beach/Post-J Street, Yonkers Rolls On as TJ Gets Set for the G.A

So it’s been a blur of business as the blog-o-sphere puts the BROADWAY (mori)BOUND/BRIGHTON BEACH production to bed while we hunker down in DC to the Next Big Thing(s), keeping up with the rock’em sock’em box office that is LOST IN YONKERS. I check out our ticket sales on line about six times a day. That borders on obsessive, I think (but is better than six times an hour, which is how often I’m inclined to). But it’s been good news every click, and how often can you say that about an internet update? Yes, it’s a great gift to get a hit in this business and YONKERS is our biggest ever. So hallalujah and let the Hosannas cascade from our website — we’ve had TONS of compliments about this show, but haven’t really kept up with posting ‘em. We will. It’s so important to take in the good will and moving reactions that have come from audiences young and old on this show.

Putting the Simon Fortunes of NYC and DC in context, I refer us to my Facebook wall, where the comments tumbled forth thusly:

Status Update:  “Ari Roth is pleased, grateful and feeling fortunate that LOST IN YONKERS shattered all previous post-Post review opening weekend box office records, while during the same weekend The Simon Plays abruptly, prematurely closed on Broadway.”

And then, in response to my posting: Neil Simon’s ‘Brighton Beach Memoirs’ Closes in a Week — “What Went Wrong?” – by Patrick Healy – NYTimes, I ask:

The lessons to be gleaned from this fiasco are…?

1) Broadway isn’t regional theater…

2) The play WAS and still is ubiquitous (so is Shakespeare, but then…)

3) A great and legendary producer did not price this play right; did not build the audience right; did not display the right patience right…

Arthur Hessel says…
4) Glitzy budgets (and big theaters) are for glitzy plays – Neil Simon in 2009 needs a more affordable and cozier venue. (If he succeeds, with reviews and audiences, in that type of venue, step up might be possible.

Laurence Maslon says…
5) But let’s be clear here: it ain’t AWAKE AND SING! (let alone LONG DAY’S JOURNEY); it was a (bad) feature film; and it simply may not speak to today’s audience. Why is everyone so shocked? He hasn’t really written a new play that’s connected with an audience for DECADES. Why is Neil Simon entitled to be a success?

Mark Gmazel says…
6) plus, you need a young Matthew Broderick…they don’t came along every day…

Richard Stein says…
7) There have always been hits & flops on Broadway–even from legendary talents. And no amount of Monday-morning quarterbacking can ever reveal the strange alchemy of the Great White Way.

So there you have it. The last of our post-mortems on the Broadway fiasco. And yet it also raised an interesting OPPORTUNITY for us in the future: What if we, Theater J, did what Broadway didn’t? That is, what if we did the diptych? Or better, the Brighton Beach Trilogy? Shirley maintains “that’s like having 4 scoops of ice cream!” I tell her, “No, it’s like have 3 scoops of ice cream!” (Trilogies generally coming in threes…) Well, we’re mulling and contemplating. For a theater regime that had never done a Neil Simon before, to contemplate turning over the rest of our repertoire to the man’s body of work, well, let’s just say I’ve had a profound transformation (only sorta joking here, folks).

And speaking of total transformations and shifting the ground and the terms of the debate in our community, here’s a follow up from our good friends at J Street, thanking us for our participation in the conference.

Dear Ari,

On behalf of myself and the entire J Street family, I want to express my appreciation for your multi-faceted involvement in the culture track of the J Street Conference last week.

The session on Selections from Theater J’s Voices from a Changing Middle East Festival added richness and depth to the conversations about Israel and the Middle East. I could tell that participants were moved and challenged by the excerpts, and it was a service to the community to bring these voices and resources forward. Please pass along our thanks to David Brian Jackson, Michael Tolaydo, Eliza Bell, and Delia Taylor for coming to perform on such short notice. And thank you for also putting together this session so quickly and responsively.

Thanks also for introducing Noa Baum’s storytelling session, and for being a steadfast partner through thick and thin.

We were overwhelmed by the positive response to the conference, so thank you for your part in making this a watershed moment for the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement. It will take all of us to continue this momentum and bring about change!

(Take a look at conference videos as we continue to post more footage, and feel free to share this link with others)

Looking forward to being in touch.

All the best,
Sarah Beller
Director of Programming and Education
J Street Education Fund

* * *

to which we respond…

Dear Sarah and Rachel,

Thank you for this warm note. We’re very proud of our involvement in the recent J Street Conference and look forward to continued partnership on cultural matters with your organization in the future. We’re thankful as well to the Theater J artists who participated in our presentation and we’ll be looking to make similar presentations at other important conferences to be held in our city where there’s an interest in Jewish culture and the ways in which a theater like ours reflects on the on-going dramas inside and around Israel.

The J Street conference marks something of a turning point for the American Jewish community in its dialogue about Israel, and it’s very much in keeping with the robust, candid, mature, and supportive dialogue that Theater J and so many of the other public affairs and arts programs at the Washington DCJCC have been having on the subject. That the candor of the arts is now finding its way into public discussions within our community–and as our community speaks to our political leaders–is a very important step and underscores the role of culture in reflecting and enriching public discourse.

We’ll be at the November 9th United Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly next, working with DC actors like Laura Giannarelli, David Harscheid, Norman Aronovic, Kate Wolf, and Rosemary Knower as we bring figures from modern Israeli history to life during their opening night reception.

Thanks again.

And so you can see, we’re moving on to our November 9th gig. I spent a good part of the last week and a half working on monologues for good actors that probably won’t get fully heard over the din of 3,000 reception goers at the Omni-Shoreham. These are decidedly pitched to the center, so to speak. Wanna read one, as a kind of sample? Here goes.

Shocking (Theater) News out of New York (updated!) while YONKERS Breaks Box Office Records in DC, with a New Rave in the Washington Times

Another terrific review came out yesterday that we missed–it was Jayne Blanchard’s review in The Washington Times–and it helped Theater J achieve its best day (and night) of box office ever. Though there are still Halloween night tickets left on sale for tonight, the rest of the weekend’s supply got gobbled up in a hurry and it’s fun to know we have extra performances of this wonderful show throughout November.

But my God, consider the whiplash for the cast and producers of The Simon Plays on Broadway, where a closing notice was just posted with a final performance of BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS this Sunday. Poor Noah Robbins (our DC/GDS high school alum) who took off first year (or just semester?) of college expecting a decent run on Broadway. And all those other stellar actors (Laurie Metcalf, Dennis Boutsikaris, Jessica Hecht… all my faves)…

Breaking News Update: The “closing notice” is “only provisional” — courtesy of playbill.com

* * *

And a day later, this nail in the coffin meditation on the failure of The Simon Plays to find an audience; from Howard Kissel in The New York Daily News. It concludes:

“I’m afraid these plays could now only have been mounted in repertory in a not-for-profit theater, which is where you can still find remnants — somewhat aged — of The Broadway Audience. There may come a time when Neil Simon experiences a major revival. I hope I’m around, and I hope the revivals meet the level Cromer did with this one.”

Time may be a coming…

Washington Post Rave! Metro Weekly 5 Stars! (Trey, not so much…)

A round up of wonderful words on LOST IN YONKERS.

Peter Marks’ review finally runs on the front page of today’s–Friday’s–Post. It’s terrific.  And there’s more riches from Tom Avila in Metro Weekly. (How nice for Neil Simon to be able to read “Masterpiece” as the headline in our city’s proud gay weekly.)  And DC Theatre Scene comes through with a wonderfully cheeky piece.

And then there are more so-so ruminations in The Washington City Paper and Washington Jewish Week.  To which we say… very little.

“It’s powerful to realize that you are not alone”

Shirley here, with some reflections on the past week.

As you’ve been reading in Ari’s entries—we spent Monday and Tuesday of this week downtown at the Grand Hyatt, attending the first J Street Conference. And by “we” I mean—Ari, me, several of our Theater J Council members, handfuls of other Theater J friends and subscribers, and about 1,450 other folks who fit somewhere along the “Pro-Peace, Pro-Israel” spectrum. How was it? Exciting. Enlightening. Exhausting.

There was a shortage of chairs. They expected 1,000 people to attend, but something along the lines of 1,500 showed up. So no matter where you went, or what session you were attending, there were usually too few chairs. So people hunkered down on knees, sat cross-legged in corners, and leaned against walls. The most important thing, it seemed, was to BE THERE, to LISTEN.

When you work at a theater and something like this comes up, a conference or an event out of town, something that takes you away from your DESK, from your WORK, there is always a voice in the back of your mind wondering “Should I be here? Am I falling behind in all of the IMPORTANT STUFF I have to do at my desk? Was this WORTH IT?” my feeling after two days at the conference and now one day back at the office is that, it would have been negligent NOT to have been there. With the amount of programming we do around Israel and the middle east it seems absolutely necessary that we check in and put our collective Theater J finger on the pulse of that world. What are people thinking about? What are they advocating for? What bothers them? What excites them?

Recommending The Forward and Tablet

It’s become much easier to recommend articles via Facebook than this blog where we’ve generally been Theater J/self-referential when citing articles. But The Forward and the relatively still brand new Tablet have been all over so many issues that dovetail so neatly with our concerns and mission that I really do need to be making a habit of reading and reciting from them more regularly (or religiously — or both). Given the confluence of Israel angst, J Street, Neil Simon and Uncle Philip Roth, there’s no end to the vibrant dialogue, good reporting, and important opinions coming out of these two publications. So let me quickly point to the chain of articles that have come out via The Forward and its Polymath Opinion columnist Jay Michaelson who originally wrote “How I’m Losing My Love For Israel” which prompted a firestorm and a flood at the same time and then this week’s follow up of many new articles in The Forward, leading with this round-up:

In the September 25 issue of the Forward, we published an essay from columnist Jay Michaelson titled, “How I’m Losing My Love for Israel.” In it, he wrote that defending Israel’s actions in his liberal social circles had grown “exhausting.” Michaelson explained that he has begun to “second-guess” his love for Israel, a love that has made him feel “implicated” in Israel’s actions. All the while, he lamented, the liberal Israel he loves “is increasingly disappearing.”

“I still support the State of Israel, its right to exist and the rest. Most important, it is still, in part, my home,” he wrote. But, he added, “while my love endures, my unease grows, and with it, the gnawing sense that this relationship is in trouble.”

Michaelson’s article sparked a firestorm of debate and discussion, online and elsewhere. In addition to an outpouring of letters and comments — some angry, others appreciative — there were in-depth responses from some prominent thinkers.

The follow ups are here, with many links to others articles, including Michealson’s own important follow up, touching on a new “American Jewish McCarthyism” which we know of well. His essay begins…

Since the publication of “How I’m Losing My Love for Israel,” a personal essay describing my fatigue as a liberal Zionist, the most disturbing responses have not been the vitriolic e-mails or online comments, nor the thoughtful and well-reasoned replies from the likes of Daniel Gordis and Jonathan Sarna. Rather, I have been most troubled by the statements of many Jewish professionals — rabbis, federation leaders, nonprofit directors — who have told me, “Thank you for saying what I cannot.”

Why is it that they cannot say what I said? Because they fear for their jobs, or fear their organizations would be harmed if they expressed their opinion? And what opinion is that, which they and I share? Is it hatred of Israel? Support for the terrorists of Hamas? No. It is *ambivalence.

Remarkably, and disturbingly, this American Jewish McCarthyism has reached such a paranoid pitch that my colleagues in the Jewish world fear even to express ambivalence, uncertainty or reservation regarding the State of Israel. We fear that we might endanger relationships with members, donors, supporters and friends for expressing uncertainty. This is outrageous, and it has shocked me in the weeks since the column was published.

Read the rest here…

“Tablet” is also terrific on culture and Theater J’s good ole friend and past box office wizard Hadara Graubart is now a major editor there and writing constantly for them on their “scroll” or blog. Anyway, Jewish cultural press has gotten a whole lot more exciting and up to the minute since the advent of daily coverage–not just weekly–as a result of journalistic blogging on a daily, sometimes hourly basis. It’s exhausting to write at this clip and exhaustingly enriching to keep up with the reading as well. But it’s the new wave. It’s vital. It’s current.

And guess what else? It’s so frickin’ New York Centric when it comes to culture that it’s positively provincial! Note to Culture Editors: Get on the Boltbus a bit and see the Eastern Seaboard. There’s a ton of activity–much of it brand new and exciting–that you’re missing because you’re behind your computers, cranking out interesting copy. But guess what? Boltbus has wireless. You can travel to other cultural generators and still be cranking it out.

One Conference Down, More to Come and Go…

It is the morning after our participation in the J Street Conference (well, actually, it’s afternoon and the matinee performance of LOST IN YONKERS is soon to let out; or now actually it’s close to evening as the day gets away from the sometime blogger/AD). Our participation was important and responsible and good marketing and good programming interweaving the arts into the broader discussion of the Israel-US relationship. And yet it was also provocative because–who knew?–J Street was to be targeted as a “dangerous” and “destructive” organization “endangering Israel” by its very existence and the subject of a vigorous campaign to discredit it from a variety of avenues. The negativity emanating from our own community reflected something very threatened and defensive within ourselves and it’s been sad to keep abreast of the deluge of discreditation (to coin a term). Contrast that to the the J Street site, which is a must-view for seeing and feeling the energy of the event itself; for putting a face to the passionate attendees; it will give you a sense of the breadth of the programming–the schedule alone was inspiring for its range and diversity–and the inclusion of a culture track helped to humanize the discourse and make personal and palpable the impact of the issues under discussion.

This morning it became about moving onto to the next conference. The event planners for the upcoming General Assembly of the United Jewish Communities were in as we discussed my contributions to creating the spoken word biographies for the 6 historical figures who’ll be mingling with conference goers at the Monday Night Live reception, getting up on platforms, and intoning, interacting, pontificating, and generally holding court like the living wax museum figures they’re billed as. It’s a decidedly different kind of involvement we’ll be having at the G.A.–a gathering comprised of 3,000 representatives from Jewish Federations across North America. Will it be as inspiring a gathering as J Street? It’s outreach, baby. It’s a room full of Jews to play for and to make them aware that great theater’s happening but a few blocks down the road.

And we’ll be pitching our wares to other upcoming conferences. And gathering more potential audiences. Will controversy continue to follow? Will we be invited to create programming at AIPAC? (We’re hoping to). There are ever so many options. And we are put a small company. But oh so many seats to fill. So we will stay active in reaching out. And staying true to our vision.

Stay tuned.