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JCHS Perfo rming Arts Theater Jewish Co mmunity High Scho o l Of The Bay San Francisco , CA

Jewish Community High School Of The Bay J CHS Pe rf o rm ing Art s T he at e r

NU WURKS III The Art of Trainwrecking Written By Talia Yo ung ('13) Directed by Emma Simo no ff with Katharine Bravmann Avram Ro senzweig Eli Mo ldavsky

Ben Ro bino w Sam Arneso n

Talia Kishinevsky Eliana Aiken Martin Co hen

Saf e Written By So phie Edelhart ('15) Directed by So phia Salesky with Danielle Elbaz Shir David

Yo nim Schweig

Zev Ro ss Misha Lubich

The Big Ass Russian Novel Written by Jake Ro senberg ('14) Directed by Becky Grintsaig with Ben Ro bino w

Evelyn Inker Eli Mo ldavsky

Maya Menachem

Be All My Sins Remember'd Martin Co hen

Written by Nathaniel Orio n Kreeger ('16 ) Directed by Tessa Zitter with Hannah Hellerstein

Jeremy Mackles

Special Reading: Wednesday February 15th Only:

The Banana Cop Beater: The Story of One Man Fighting the System with Fruit Written by Jaco b Derin ('18 )

CAST T he Art o f Trainwre cking Jo nah

Ben Ro bino w ('19 )

Cecelia

Katharine Bravmann ('20 )

James Hudso n

Martin Co hen ('19 )

Matthew

Avram Ro senzweig ('19 )

Co rvin

Eli Mo ldavsky ('19 )

Jo hnny

Sam Arneso n ('19 )

Mario n

Eliana Aiken ('17)

Mrs. Verniew

Talia Kishinevsky ('20 ) Saf e

Tho mas Levithan

Yo nim Schweig ('17)

Olivia (Olive) Levithan

Danielle Elbaz ('17)

Mark Levithan

Zev Ro ss ('19 )

Ella (Parker) Levithan

Shir David ('20 )

Leo nard Levithan

Misha Lubich ('19 ) T he Big Ass Russian No ve l

Andrei

Eli Mo ldavsky ('19 )

So nja

Evelyn Inker ('18 )

Nico las

Ben Ro bino w ('19 )

Masha

Maya Menachem ('17) Be All My Sins Re m e m be r'd

Mercutio

Jeremy Mackles ('18 )

Banquo

Martin Co hen ('19 )

Ho ratio

Hannah Hellerstein ('17)

Faculty Joe McDonald, Amy Prosser*, Dylan Russell *denotes guest artist

CREATIVE TEAM . Guest Faculty Member

Amy Pro sser

Directo r - "The Art o f Trainwrecking"

Emma Simo no ff ('17)

Directo r - "Safe"

So phia Salesky ('18 )

Directo r - "The Big Ass Russian No vel"

Becky Grintsaig ('17)

Directo r - "Be All My Sins Remember'd"

Tessa Zitter ('17)

Lighting Design

Nathan Magid ('19 )

So und Design

Avima Aniela Zuliani ('19 )

Pro jectio n Design

Olive Fo x ('19 )

Stage Manager

Ellie Grintsaig ('19 )

Light Bo ard Operato r

Mayer Go ldberg ('19 )

Stage Hand

Daisy Shuper ('20 )

Stage Hand

Aaro n Gilbert ('20 )

Crew

Aviv Campbell ('19 )

Program Note Nu Wurks III will be perf ormed wit hout an int ermission

WHO'S WHO Yonim Schweig ('17)

Thomas Levithan

This is Yo nim's fo urth and final play at JCHS. He wo uld like to extend his appreciatio n to Ms. Russell, Mr. McDo nald, and all the hardwo rking and passio nate individuals who have made his theatre experience so meaningful, and who wo rk tirelessly to make JCHS Drama as high-level and engaging as it is.

Danielle Elbaz ('17)

Olivia (Olive) Levithan

Danielle is thrilled to have participated in "Safe" as Olive. This is Danielle's third and final sho w at JCHS. She wants to thank So phia Salesky fo r guiding her thro ugho ut the sho w and being an amazing directo r!

Zev Ross ('19)

Mark Levithan

Zev is very excited to be acting in Nu Wurks III, which is his first acting experience. Zev is a so pho mo re at JCHS and his ho bbies include sleeping, pro crastinating, and making punpo stero usly bad puns. He ho pes yo u enjo y the sho w as much as he has enjo yed being a part o f the cast (which is a lo t).

Shir David ('20)

Ella (Parker) Levithan

Shir is very passio nate abo ut acting and dancing. She takes A.C.T classes, perfo rmed in JCHS "Cinderella," has been dancing fo r thirteen years, acted in middle scho o l plays, and acted in two seaso ns o f an Israeli prime time TV sho w called "Savri Maranan." Shir is very excited to perfo rm in the play "Safe." She wo uld like to thank So phia Salesky fo r being such a great directo r. Enjo y!

Misha Lubich ('19)

Leonard Levithan

Misha is excited to perfo rm in his first pro ductio n. He will be playing a strict, sixty-year-o ld father, Leo nard. He ho pes yo u enjo y Nu Wurks III.

WHO'S WHO Ben Robinow ('19)

as Jonah

Ben is thrilled to be a part o f his third pro ductio n at JCHS, and is so excited abo ut this unique o ppo rtunity. He wo uld like to thank Ms. Russell, Mr. McDo nald, Ms. Pro sser, and his directo rs: Emma and Becky. They have each pro ven to be an amazing so urce o f suppo rt in this pro cess, and have made it infinitely mo re enjo yable and rewarding. He ho pes yo u enjo y the sho w!

Katharine Bravmann ('20)

as Cecelia

This is Katie's seco nd play at JCHS. She has had experience in acting befo re JCHS but is very impressed in the pro fessio nalism o f JCHS's theater pro gram. Ever since elementary scho o l, she has lo ved acting and musical theater. She is lo o king fo rward to being in many mo re JCHS's plays and is co nsidering wo rking with tech!

Martin Cohen ('19)

as James Hudson

This is Marty’s third and fo urth sho ws at JCHS and he co uldn’t be mo re psyched to be invo lved with the theater department o nce again. Marty feels like he’s gro wn a lo t as an acto r in the last co uple mo nths and has learned so much fro m his directo rs (Tessa and Emma). He’s so thankful to them fo r all they do . He wo uld also like to thank all his fello w castmates as well.

Avram Rosenzweig ('19)

as Matthew

Avram is a so pho mo re who enjo ys playing Ultimate Frisbee, video games, and baking. This is his first time acting, ho wever he has been o n tech fo r the past three sho ws. He also happens to be rather tired and so he is no t putting very much effo rt into this. He apo lo gizes if yo u were expecting mo re fro m him, but suggests yo u do the po lite thing and mo ve o n to the next bio , o r so me o ther activity.

Eli Moldavsky ('19)

as Corvin

This is Eli’s first sho w at JCHS, ho pefully with many mo re to fo llo w. Eli is so thankful to the theater department fo r allo wing him to pursue his passio n o f acting. He wo uld like to thank his castmates and his directo r fo r making this pro ductio n such an unfo rgettable experience. Eli is also very excited to be part o f the spring sho w, which will be go ing to Sco tland this August!

WHO'S WHO Sam Arneson ('19)

as Johnny

Sam has been acting even befo re he came o ut o f the wo mb, and this is o nly his seco nd sho w at JCHS! He enjo ys being in "The Art o f Trainwrecking" immensely and wo uld like to thank Emma fo r giving him the o ppo rtunity to be a part o f such an amazing sho w. He wo uld also like to thank his mo ther fo r always being there fo r him when he needed her - even reading him lines while he's brushing his teeth!

Eliana Aiken ('17)

as Marion

Eliana is so excited to act as Mario n and “girl” in "The Art o f Train Wrecking"! She has perfo rmed in "Urineto wn" and has been co stume designer fo r Belfast Kind. Eliana wants to thank Emma fo r being the co o lest directo r ever and fo r her infinite patience dealing with anno ying freshmen.

Talia Kishinevsky ('20)

as Mrs. Verniew

Talia lives in San Francisco . She has participated in several plays in lo wer scho o l, and created a vo cal ensemble with her friends in middle scho o l, Brandeis. Her passio n is all fo rms o f writing, especially po etry. She spends her days crafting perso nalized earrings, drinking tea, and jo tting do wn ideas o n her ankle during class. Talia is currently wo rking o n getting published in po etry magazines.

Jeremy Mackles ('18)

Mercutio

Jeremy is a transfer student who has previo usly studied acting and perfo rmed in plays. He is very grateful to be in a pro ductio n so so o n after transferring to JCHS.

Hannah Hellerstein ('17)

Horatio

Hannah is thankful to everyo ne who suppo rted her, and ho pes yo u all enjo y the sho w! Fro m her perspective, it was wo rth every minute o f practice.

WHO'S WHO Evelyn Inker ('18)

as Sonja

Evelyn is so excited to be part o f her third sho w at JCHS since transferring here last year. She is extremely grateful to the JCHS Theater department, her directo r Becky Grintsaig, and the ho rro rs o f 18 th century Russia fo r giving her the o ppo rtunity to perfo rm in the Nu Wo rks pro ductio n this year. She ho pes yo u enjo y the sho w but remain uninfluenced by it.

Maya Menachem ('17)

as Masha

Maya is very excited to be part o f her fifth pro ductio n at JCHS. She wo uld like to thank everyo ne who made this pro ductio n po ssible. She wo uld like to give a special thanks to her directo r, Becky Grintsaig; the sho wâ€™s writer, Jake Ro senberg; and Ms. Russell and Mr. McDo nald, fo r their guidance and hard wo rk to help make this sho w great by pro viding a warm and friendly theater enviro nment.

Acknowledgments We would like t o t hank t he f ollowing people and organizat ions who have assist ed us in our product ion of "Nu Wurks III." Mary Ellen Hunt for always having to drop everything and help with photos, graphics and promotions; Jeremy Cole for his watchful eye; Brenda Woolley for dramataurgical advice; Michael Shapero and the JCHS kitchen professionals for snacks and dinners to keep us energized; Officers Rudy Dumandan, Nate Green and Mitch Schlachterman for helping us on late nights; Flying Moose Video for all they do; Edi Manus for managing our wonderful parent organization, and the entire JCHS community for their support and consideration of our production of "Nu Wurks III."

CREATIVE TEAM WHO'S WHO Sophia Salesky ('18)

Director - "Safe"

So phia is so excited to present "Safe." This was her first time directing but she has been in numero us JCHS pro ductio ns like "Urineto wn", "Cinderella", "The Dro wsey Chapero n", and "A Seco nd Skin." She has also cho reo graphed many numbers in JCHS pro ductio ns and is thrilled to have had the o ppo rtunity to try so mething o ut o f her co mfo rt zo ne. She ho pes yo u all enjo y the sho w!

Emma Simonof f ('17) Director - "The Art of Trainwrecking" This is Emmaâ€™s final sho w at JCHS. She wo uld like to thank her family fo r being the best and JCHS Theater fo r being a warm and stimulating place these past years.

Becky Grintsaig ('17) Director - "The Big Ass Russian Novel" Becky is extremely thrilled to be participating in her tenth sho w at JCHS. She was particularly excited abo ut this sho w because o f the unique o ppo rtunity that it pro vided: a chance to direct instead o f act. She wo uld like to thank Amy Pro sser, Ms. Russell, and Mr. McDo nald fo r the help and guidance they all pro vided thro ugho ut the entire pro ductio n pro cess.

Tessa Zitter ('17) Director - "Be All My Sins Remember'd" Tessa is o verjo yed to be participating in her 11th sho w at JCHS! This is her first time directing o n her o wn, but she has assistant directed in the past. She wo uld like to thank Ms. Russell, Mr. McDo nald, and Amy Pro sser fo r guiding her thro ugh the directing pro cess. She wo uld also like to thank Barbara Go rdo n fo r her suppo rt. She ho pes yo u enjo y the sho w.

Nathan Magid ('19)

Lighting Design

Nathan is o verwhelmingly excited to be the Lighting Designer fo r his fo urth pro ductio n at JCHS. This ro le is a who le new challenge fo r him seeing as ho w he was o nly running the lights and was o nce a bo o kcase.

CREATIVE TEAM WHO'S WHO Avima Aniela Zuliani ('19)

Sound Design

Avima and her pet skull Yo rick are o verjo yed to be a part o f NuWo rks III fo r their fo urth pro ductio n, this time as the so und go d. After many late nights, Avima has swo rn to never do this again, while clearing space in her calendar fo r the next sho w. She wo uld like to thank “her mo ther, her do g, and clo wns.” Enjo y the sho w!

Olive Fox ('19)

Projection Design

Olive is excited to jo in the cast and crew o f "Nu Wurks" fo r her seco nd sho w. She wants to thank her cats, and her family fo r being suppo rtive during the stress o f tech week. She ho pes yo u enjo y the sho w.

Ellie Grintsaig ('19)

Stage Manager

Ellie, who is currently a so pho mo re, lo ves finding new ways to help with each pro ductio n at JCHS, this being her 4th. She's lo ved stage managing 2 o f the Nu Wo rks plays, and can't wait fo r yo u to enjo y them and give her flo wers.

Mayer Goldberg ('19)

Light Board Operator

Mayer Go ldberg is a so pho mo re here at JCHS. This is the seco nd play he has partaken in, and the first o ne o n Tech. Outside o f the theater, he can be fo und playing with his snakes, his do gs, o r participating in Bo y Sco ut activities. He wo uld like to thank yo u fo r co ming, and ho pes yo u enjo y the sho w!

Daisy Shuper ('20)

Stage Hand

This is Daisy's first sho w o n theater tech! She helped paint the backgro und, and will be do ing scene changes fo r each sho w. She wo uld like to thank her parents fo r driving acro ss to wn late at night to pick her up, and her fello w tech crew members fo r do ing their parts fo r the sho w, and having fun in the pro cess.

CREATIVE TEAM WHO'S WHO Aaron Gilbert ('20)

Stage Hand

Aaro n Gilbert is so meo ne who lo ves to wo rk setting up the set and really enjo ys what he do es. He is very exited to be able to wo rk with Mr. McDo nald in tech fo r the next fo ur years.I wo uld like to thank Nathan Magid fo r intro ducing and co nvincing me to jo in tech. He ho pes yo u all enjo y the sho w.

Amy Prosser

Guest Faculty Member

Amy Pro sser is an actress, playwright, and teaching artist. She has an MFA fro m the Natio nal Theatre Co nservato ry and is a pro ud member o f AEA and SAG-AFTRA. Amy has perfo rmed with the Denver Center, Geva, Hampto ns Shakespeare Festival, TheatreWo rks, Sacramento Theatre Co mpany, PCPA Theaterfest, Capital Stage, TheatreSquared, fo o lsFURY, RE:ACT, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, and Ashland New Plays Festival. She recently starred in the independent film, "Superpo werless." Her play, "Things Reveal Themselves Passing Away," had its wo rld premiere at Z Belo w in 20 16 . She has been a teaching artist fo r Bro o klyn Academy o f Music, Sympho ny Space, TheatreWo rks, and Hampto ns Shakespeare Festival.

The Playwrights Jacob Derin (JCHS class of 2018) Jaco b is a Junio r at JCHS and he wro te this play as part o f the Natio nal Theatre New Views Yo ung Playwrights pro ject in Ms. Rubin's class last year.

Sophie Edelhart (JCHS class of 0215) So phie Edelhart is a So pho mo re at Barnard Co llege and Media Intern fo r Jewish Vo ices fo r Peace.

Nat haniel Orion Kreeger (JCHS class of 2016) Orio n is a student at San Jo se State University. Orio n is an acto r, writer, artist and co mpo ser.

Jake Rosenberg (JCHS class of 2014 ) Jake Ro senberg is an internatio nally pro duced playwright, student o f the Tisch Scho o l o f the Arts at NYU, and wizard. Written plays include Bro thers (Manhattan Reperto ry Theater, 20 15), Muse o f Fire (Genesis Theatricals, Chicago , 20 15) and The Jews (fo rthco ming), alo ng many o thers. He is currently wo rking o n o ver 30 pro jects, which co ver everything fro m Cleo patra to the wo rks o f William Blake to the 9 /11 Repo rt.

Talia Young (JCHS class of 2103) Talia Yo ung is pursuing a degree in creative writing at Macalester Co llege. She has been writing, perfo rming and teaching slam po etry since 20 10 . This year, she represented Macalester Co llege at the Co llege Natio nal Po etry slam, placing 5th in the natio n.

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