(If any information on this page is outdated or needs to be updated, or if there are theaters missing from this list, please contact Max Sparber at maxsparber@gmail.com.)
CALIFORNIA
West Coast Jewish Theater
Artistic director:
Howard Teichman
History and Mission: Founded in
1993 by Naomi Karz Jacobs
Recent Productions:
Romance.com by Hindi Brooks (2015)
Oh My God by Anat Gov (2015)
The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez (2015)
Contact:
West Coast Jewish Theatre
P.O. Box
7097
Beverly Hills,
CA 90212
Jewish Women’s Theater
Artistic Director:
Ronda Spinak
History and Mission: Founded in 2007 by Ronda Spinak, Ellen
Sandler and Deena Novak with the intention of developing stories written by
Jewish women about their lives in America today.
Recent Productions:
Plays are collaboratively created or collections of short
theatrical pieces by multiple authors.
Contact:
Submissions guidelines posted online at: http://jewishwomenstheater.org/ways-to-give/submit-material/
Theatre Chevruta
Artistic Director:
None listed
History and mission:
A reader’s theater (no staged productions) founded in 2013 at the Jewish
Community Center f Los Gatos,
CA.
Recent Productions:
Cantorial by Ira Levin (2016)
The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert
Hackett (2016)
Broken Glass by Arthur Miller (2015)
Contact:
4855 Oka Road
Los Gatos,
CA 95032
Theatre Dybbuk
Artistic Director:
Aaron Henne
History and Mission: Theatre Dybbuk
illuminates the universal human experience by creating provocative theatrical
presentations and innovative educational opportunities based on Jewish
folklore, rituals and history. Plays seem primarily collaboratively created or
conceived and directed by artistic director Aaron Henne.
Recent Productions:
Exagoge by Aaron Henne (2016)
Assemble, Conceived by the Center for Jewish Culture and
Leichtag Foundation, and created by theatre dybbuk.(2015)
Tefillah by Aaron Henne (2014)
Contact:
PO Box
292576
Los Angeles,
California 90029
COLORADO
Theatre Or
Artistic Director:
Diane Gilboa
History
and Mission: Founded in 2004, Theatre Or is dedicated to the production of innovative, provocative, and
entertaining professional theatre that explores topics which are relevant to
the Jewish community and also hold universal appeal.
Recent Productions:
My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding by David Hein and
and Irene Carl Sankoff (2015)
Kindertransport by Diane Samuels (2014)
Contact:
FLORIDA
National Jewish Theater Foundation
Founder and President:
Arnold
Mittelman
History and Mission: Since 2007,
the National Jewish Theater Foundation has presented theatrical works that
celebrate the richness of Jewish heritage and culture.
Recent Productions:
The Soap Myth by Jeff Cohen (2016)
Rothschild and Sons by Bock and Harnick (2015)
The Soul of Gershwin by Joseph Vass (2011)
Contact:
INDIANA
The Jewish Theatre of Bloomington
Producing Artistic
Director: Audrey Heller
History and Mission:
Founded in 2003, the Jewish Theatre of Bloomington
produces works that arise from or reflect the Jewish experience, but that also
focus universal issues of the human condition that are accessible to a diverse
audience.
Recent Productions:
Halpern and Johnson by Lionel Goldstein (2016)
Collected Stories by Donald Margulies (2015)
Handle With Care by Jason Odell Williams (2014)
Contact:
ILLINOIS
Continuum Theater
Executive Director:
Devorah Richards
History and Mission: Continuum Theater is an arts organization
dedicated to sharing a wide range of Jewish theatrical, musical, and dance
experiences with a diverse Chicago audience. Our mission is to serve
Jewish continuity by preserving our heritage, energizing our evolving culture
and building community around a love for Jewish performing arts and Jewish
learning.
Recent Productions:
Denial by Peter Sagal (2016)
Bad Jews by Joshua Harmon (2015)
Also responsible for Chicago Jewish Play Reading Festival.
Contact:
Continuum Theater
P.O. Box
1617
Deerfield,
IL 60015
KANSAS
White Theatre
Director of Arts + CultureKansas City Jewish Film Festival: Tabitha
Schmidt
History and Mission: Arts +
Culture at The J features exquisitely-produced in-house productions. Plus,
there are visiting artists, music + dance, inventive visual arts + literature
presentations, and our new Artist-in-Residence Kinnor Philharmonic. There’s
always an exciting choice for you, and your family, to experience and enjoy.
Whether you’re Jewish or not, a J Member or not, there are exciting choices for
you and your family to experience and enjoy.
Recent Productions:
Becoming Dr. Ruth by Mark St. Germain (2016)
Lost in Yonkers
by Neil Simon (2016)
Jana Robbins: I’m Still Here by Jana Robbins (2016)
Note: Mix of Jewish and non-Jewish theater content
Contact:
5801 W 115 Street
Overland Park,
KS 66211
MICHIGAN
The Jewish Theater of Grand Rapids
Managing Director:
Len Robinson
History and Mission: Founded in
1992, Jewish Theatre Grand Rapids is dedicated to presenting quality theatrical
productions with Jewish themes that are universal in appeal.
Recent Productions:
Brill by David Wells (2016)
Irena’s Vow by Dan Gordon (2016)
Seniors of the Sahara by
Barbara Pease Weber (2016)
Contact:
2727 Michigan NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506
Grand Rapids, MI 49506
Jewish Ensemble Theatre
Executive Director:
Christopher Bremer
History and Mission: JET is a professional Equity theatre based in
West Bloomfield, Michigan. Founded in 1989 by Evelyn Orbach
with a group of prestigious theatre and community leaders, JET was established
with the mission “to produce theatre of the highest professional standards and
to provide a stage for the exploration of ideas that confront issues of
humanity and community from a Jewish perspective. Jewish Ensemble Theatre
serves as a force for Jewish continuity, a platform for new voices, and a
bridge of understanding to the general community."
Recent Productions:
Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar (2017)
Rites of Passage by Kitty Dubin (2016)
Handle with Care by Jason Odell Williams (2016)
Contact:
6600 West Maple
Rd
West Bloomfield,
MI 48322
MINNESOTA
Minnesota Jewish Theater Company
Producing Artistic
Director: Barbara Brooks
History and Mission: Minnesota
Jewish Theatre Company (MJTC) was born in July 1994, shortly after Founder and
Producing Artistic Director Barbara Brooks gave birth to her son. Through his
infancy, she thought about her identity and how she could continue her Jewish
heritage into the next generation. Beyond that, she wondered how her son and
his future friends — Jew and non-Jew alike —
would learn to share and find richness in each other’s diversity.
Recent Productions:
DAI (Enough) by Iris Bahr (2016)
Aunt Raini by Tom Smith (2016)
The Magic Dreidels by Jenna Zark (2016)
Contact:
PO Box
16155
St. Paul,
MN 55116
MISSOURI
The New Jewish Theatre
Artistic Director:
Kathleen Sitzer
History and Mission: The New
Jewish Theatre is dedicated to the exploration of universal themes and issues
and the examination of the full range of the human experience filtered through
the lens of the Jewish experience. Through the medium of theatre, we build
bridges of multi-cultural understanding, tolerance, communication and
education.
Recent Productions:
Golda’s Balcony by William Gibson (2016)
Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhry (2016)
Intimate Appareled by Lynn Nottage (2016)
Contact:
2 Millstone
Campus Drive
Creve Coeur, MO 63146
Creve Coeur, MO 63146
NEW YORK
Jewish Theater of New York
Artistic Director: Tuvia Tenenbom
History and Mission: The artists
of The Jewish Theater of New York, one of the most open-minded Jewish cultural
institutions of our time, define Judaism as a philosophy that cherishes the
question and despises the answer. It's their understanding that what makes
Judaism survive the test of time is the fact that after thousands of
"debating years" Jews have not yet figured out the answers to any of
their questions. This never-satisfied thirst for perpetual questioning also
drives the 'engine' of their theater. Knowing that (to paraphrase the Bible)
"On the day you see me you shall die," they are here to produce
theatrical works that defy easy answers. They do their utmost, in every
production they mount, to promote equal sympathy for opposing characters, and
to present all sides of the issue equally. Routinely they leave it for their
audiences to decide who's in the right and who's in the wrong; who's saint and
who's villain; and, many a time, who anyone really is... The JTNY provides
opportunities for artists of every ethnicity, background and belief to work
together and be one very proud family.
Recent Productions:
Because We Can by Tuvia Tenenbom (2016)
Alone Among the Jews by Tuvia Tenenbom (2014)
I Sleep in Hitler’s Room by by Tuvia Tenenbom (2013)
Note: This
theater seems to exist exclusively to produce the works of right wing gadfly
Tuvia Tenenbom.
National Yiddish Theater
Artistic Director:
Zalmen Mlotek
History and Mission: The
Award-winning National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene [NYTF] is the longest
continuously producing Yiddish theatre company in the world. The company presents
plays, musicals, concerts, lectures, interactive educational workshops and
community-building activities in English and Yiddish, with English and Russian
supertitles accompanying performances. NYTF serves a versatile audience of over
50,000 individuals annually, comprised of performing arts patrons, cultural
enthusiasts, Yiddish-language aficionados and the general public, while also
using the arts as a vehicle to educate youth and adults about Jewish heritage.
The NYTF outreach program takes events around the region, nation and world,
bringing programming annually to over 15,000 individuals.
National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene’s mission is to
celebrate the Yiddish experience through the performing arts by transmitting
the rich cultural legacy in exciting new ways that bridge social and cultural
divides.
Recent Productions:
The Golden Bride by Joseph Rumshinsky (2016)
Contact:
Edmond
J. Safra Plaza,
36 Battery
Place, NY, NY
10280
24/6 Jewish Theater Company
Artistic Director:
Yoni Oppenheim and Avi Soroka
History and Mission: 24/6: A Jewish Theater Company was founded
five years ago as a home for Sabbath-observant artists in New York. Since then, 24/6 has shown its
commitment to cultivating innovative theater grounded in a rigorous engagement
with Jewish tradition reinforcing our belief that the performing arts play a
critical role in the vitality of American Jewish life.
Recent Productions:
Hand to God by Robert Askins (2015)
A Dybbuk for Two People by Bruce Myers
(2014)
Contact:
JCC Center Stage
Artistic Director:
Ralph Meranto
History and Mission: CenterStage
began in 1977 as the volunteer theatre company at the Rochester Jewish
Community Center. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Ralph Meranto since
2005, CenterStage is now a professional theatre utilizing the finest local
actors, directors, and designers to present a 5-show subscription series of
plays and musicals.
Recent Productions:
Church and State by Jason Odell Williams (2016)
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (2016)
Calamari Sisters Kosher Clam Bake (2016)
Contact:
1200 Edgewood
Ave
Rochester,
NY
Jewish Repertory Theater
Artistic Director:
Dr. Saul Elkin
History and Mission: The Jewish
Repertory Theatre is a program of the Jewish Community Center of Greater
Buffalo. Founded in 2002, the JRT is a professional theatre whose mission is to
present high quality plays grounded in Jewish life, themes, and values. Through
our productions, audiences of diverse beliefs and backgrounds explore both the
uniqueness of Jewish heritage and cultural experiences, as well as those that
are shared with others. Drama illuminates the human condition, and the JRT
strives to bring this into focus through the lens of Jewish theatre. The Jewish
Repertory Theatre is theatre for everyone.
Recent Productions:
4000 Miles by Amy Herzog (2016)
The Great God Pan by Amy Herzog (2016)
After the Revolution by Amy Herzog (2017)
Contact:
2640 North
Forest Rd,
Getzville,
NY 14068
Jewish Plays Project
Founder: David
Winitsky
History and Mission: The Jewish
Plays Project puts bold, progressive Jewish conversations on world stages. The
JPP’s innovative and competitive development vehicle invests emerging artists
in their Jewish identity; engages Jewish communities in the vetting, selecting
and championing of new voices; and secures mainstream production opportunities
for the best new plays.
A revolution is underway in Jewish culture. In music, in
books, in film, artists are creating amazing new pathways to Jewish identity.
We believe that it is time for theater to join the movement.
Recent Productions:
Coproduced the Festival of New Jewish Theater (2016)
Contact:
New Worlds Theater Project
Founder and Artistic
Director: Ellen Perecman
History and Mission:
Founded in 2005, New Worlds Theatre Project is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit theatre
company committed to giving voice to -- and celebrating -- the legacy of early
20th Century Yiddish culture by making Yiddish plays accessible and exciting to
diverse contemporary artists and audiences in English. Our mission is to identify neglected Yiddish
plays with literary and artistic merit, translate them into English, craft
adaptations that explore them through a contemporary lens and then mount
productions that meet the highest standards of artistic excellence. Our goals are to demonstrate to the theatre community
how well these plays have stood the test of time and see the plays performed in
local languages across the globe.
Recent Productions:
Professor Brenner by David Pinsky (2015)
On the Other Side of the River by Peretz Hirschbein (2014)
Carcass by Peretz Hirschbein (2013)
Contact:
670 W End Ave,
Ste 16A
New York,
NY
OHIO
Interplay Jewish Theatre
Artistic Director:
Faye Sholiton
History and Mission: INTERPLAY JEWISH THEATRE, founded in 2011 by Cleveland playwright Faye
Sholiton, produces free staged readings of outstanding plays that view the
contemporary world through a Jewish lens.
INTERPLAY is a community-generated effort to revive a
century-old tradition, but with a contemporary flavor. Our professional actors
and directors bring to life some of the most compelling drama – and raucous
comedy – written by today's most gifted writers.
INTERPLAY runs entirely on donations. Patrons are invited to
drop cash or checks in our fishbowl to “play it forward” and cover the cost of
the next reading.
Recent Productions:
U.S.
v Howard Mechanic by Faye Sholiton (2016)
Oh Godby Anat Gov (2016)
A Happy End by Iddo Netanyahu (2015)
Contact:
OREGON
Jewish Theatre Collaborative
Artistic Director:
Sacha Reich
History and Mission: Founded by
Sacha Reich in 2008, Jewish Theatre Collaborative's unique strengths as an arts
organization have been in creating adaptations, collaborating with community
partners, gathering community and catalyzing conversations. At the same time,
and as a result of all these strengths, JTC has created high-quality, memorable
theatre, produced with and performed by professional Portland theatre artists.
Recent Productions:
Davita’s Harp by Chaim Potok (2016)
The Ministry of Special Cases by Nathan Englander (2015)
A Pigeon & A Boy by Meir Shalev (2014)
Contact:
PENNSYLVANIA
Theatre Ariel
Artistic Director:
Deborah Baer Mozes
History and Mission: Theatre Ariel is Pennsylvania’s oldest professional theater
dedicated to illuminating the rich social, cultural, and spiritual heritage of
the Jewish people. Theatre Ariel produces and commissions work that serves as a
prism through which we can view the varied colors of the American Jewish
experience. Our writers create theater that draws its inspiration from ancient
stories, bringing contemporary insight to classic Jewish texts and Jewish literature:
reflecting on the past, examining the present and envisioning the future.
Theatre Ariel believes that Jewish theater strengthens Jewish identity while
also serving as a bridge between people of all cultures.
Recent Productions:
The Blessings of a Broken Heart by Sherri Mandell (2016)
Talley’s Folly by Lanford Wilson (2016)
Contact:
WASHINGTON DC
Theater J
Artistic Director:
Adam Immerwahr
History and Mission: Theater J
produces thought-provoking, publicly engaged, personal, passionate 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 premier playwrights’ theaters, Theater J presents daring
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.
Recent Productions:
The Last Schwartz by Deborah Zoe Laufer (2016)
The Christians by Lucas Hnath (2016)
Oy Vey in a Manger by The Kinsey Sicks (2016)
Contact:
Aaron & Cecile Goldman Theater
Washington
DC Community Center
1529 16th
Street NW
Washington
DC 20036
