One Jewish Boy

Letter from Theater J's Artistic Director

Dear Friends of Theater J,

Thank you for being here today for One Jewish Boy. We appreciate that you’ve joined us on this journey.

When I first read the play, I was struck by how it illuminates the challenges of being in a relationship, even with someone you love. Each of us comes to a relationship in our distinct bodies with our unique histories, beliefs, joys, and traumas.

It’s disturbing that hate crimes have increased in this country at alarming rates. One of the characters in this play experiences a hate crime which becomes a part of his identity and reverberates in his relationship. Violent acts of antisemitism have been on the rise, a troubling fact that we must confront. According to ADL’s report, in the US, in 2022, there were 3,697 incidents of antisemitism that were reported. And this rise in antisemitism is not exclusive to the United States; in England, where the play takes place, antisemitism has risen dramatically.

But this play isn’t about hate; rather it is about how hate affects love. Though the circumstances are specific to the two characters portrayed, the story parallels other experiences. How do we live with the trauma we hold, and how does that affect our loved ones, who may also be holding their own trauma?

I want to thank Stephen Laughton for sharing this story with us, for allowing Theater J to premiere the play in the United States, and for Johanna Gruenhut and the cast for bringing these characters and this story to life with nuance and complexity.

Again, thank you for being here for our season's final show. We are excited to welcome you back to the theater for our 2023-24 season in the fall.

Wishing you a beautiful summer,

Hayley Finn Artistic Director

ONE JEWISH BOY

By Stephen Laughton

June 7 – July 2, 2023

Director.............................................................Johanna Gruenhut

Set Design........................................................Debra Kim Sivigny+

Costume Design.............................................Danielle Preston+

Lighting Design...............................................Jesse W. Belsky+

Sound Design and Composer.....................Matthew M. Nielson+

Projection Designer.......................................Danny Debner

Props Design....................................................Pamela Weiner

NYC Casting Director....................................Elizabeth Hay

Violence and Intimacy Coordinator.........Cliff Williams III

Dialect Coach.................................................Tonya Beckman

Production Stage Manager........................Anthony O. Bullock*

Assistant Stage Manager............................Abby Fry

Assistant Stage Manager............................Fior Tat

Cast

Jesse..................................................................Danny Gavigan*

Alex....................................................................Alanna Saunders*

One Jewish Boy runs approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes with no intermission.

The video or audio recording of this performance by any means is strictly prohibited.

One Jewish Boy opened at the Red Lion Theatre in London on the 11th December 2018. It was subsequently transferred to the Trafalgar Studios in London's West End on March 10, 2020.

*Appearing through an Agreement between this theater, Theater J, and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

+Member of United Scenic Artists Local 829

Danny Gavigan* (Jesse) Theater J: The Admission. DC: Describe the Night, Detroit (Woolly Mammoth); Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Helen Hayes Award), Death of a Salesman (Ford's Theatre); NSFW, How to Write a New Book for the Bible, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (Round House); Really Really (World Premiere) (Signature Theatre). Off-Broadway: The Lucky Star (59E59). Regional: A Streetcar Named Desire (Palm Beach Dramaworks); Peer Gynt (La Jolla Playhouse, Kansas City Rep); The Rivals, Snow Falling on Cedars (Baltimore Center Stage); Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, Murder on the Orient Express, The Importance of Being Earnest, Noises Off, Deathtrap (Everyman Theatre, Company Member). Film: Unarmed Man (TiVA DC Peer Gold Award), Rumination (Independent Shorts Award), Last Night (RIFE Award). TV: “FBI” (w/ Jeremy Sisto).

Alanna Saunders* (Alex) is honored to be making both her debut at Theater J and in the DC area with the US premier of this piece. Some credits: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Broadway); Scotland, PA (Roundabout); Into the Woods (Natl. tour); Clue (Paper Mill Playhouse); world premiere of Joy (George St. Playhouse); Hair (Weston Playhouse); The Marvelous Wonderettes (Alabama Shakespeare Festival); White Christmas (Berkshire Theatre Group); Once on This Island (Pioneer Theatre); TV/film: Bull (CBS), 18 1/2 (Bugeater Films), Peter Pan Live! (Tiger Lily, NBC); Beau (Asst. Choreo) Thanks to Johanna and Stephen for trusting her with Alex. Love to her tribe and family in NYC, and to her fiancé Samuel. More on Alanna’s shenanigans: @alannasaun or thesaunderscollective.com/alannasaunders. Enjoy the show!

Stephen Laughton (Playwright) is an award-winning, critically acclaimed Jewish playwright and screenwriter from the UK, with a rising international profile. He has work in various stages of development across TV, film and theatre in NYC, DC, LA, London, Paris, Cape Town, and Sydney. He has worked with major theaters and broadcasters including the Royal Court, Headlong, BBC, and Film4. His film work has premiered at prestige festivals including Sundance, and has received Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Hugo nods. He is currently the writer-in-residence within the Astrophysics Department of the American Museum for Natural History in New York. The residency works alongside NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. Prior to its US debut, One Jewish Boy opened on the West End in London to widespread critical acclaim, award wins and sold-out shows. His immersive theater-art piece The Life of a Neuron transferred to New York after a sell-out run in Washington, DC in 2022. His latest play, Giants, explores the love triangle that unfolded on the set of the movie Giant between James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson. The play is an international co-production between theaters in the UK and Australia. For screen, his sci-fi short Hiraeth won 9 of the 20 awards it was nominated for on the international festival circuit. (Including Best Screenplay). The feature film is currently under option. His first US TV project, Rearview Mirror, is currently in postproduction. He has further film commissions in the UK, USA and South Africa.

Johanna Gruenhut (Director) is the Associate Artistic Director of Theater J in Washington, DC. Her work has been seen at Theater J, Mosaic Theater Company, The Public, The Kennedy Center, Studio Theatre, Everyman Theatre, Weston Theater Company (formerly Weston Playhouse), Long Wharf Theatre, Portland Center Stage, and Baltimore Center Stage. She has taught at Georgetown University, University of Maryland, College Park, The Johns Hopkins University, and University of California, San Diego. Originally from New York, she currently lives in Baltimore, MD with her husband and their three kids.

Debra Kim Sivigny+ (Scenic Designer) is a multi-disciplinary artist and designer based in Washington, DC. Theater J: Tuesdays with Morrie (scenic design), Another Way Home, G-d's Honest Truth, Yellowface, Our Suburb, The Hampton Years, Mikveh, The History of Invulnerability (costume design), and many others. DC: The Nightsong of Orpheus (INSeries), The New Kid (Imagination Stage at Planet Word). Regional: Angels In America: Millennium Approaches (Central Square Theatre, Boston), Huckleberry Finn’s Big River, Head Over Heels (Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma). She is the winner of the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Scenic Design and a five-time nominee. She is an Assistant Professor of Scenic and Costume Design at George Mason University. BA Middlebury College, MFA University of Maryland College Park. Website: debsivigny.com

Danielle Preston+ (Costume Designer) Theater J Credits: The Christians, Roz & Ray, The How & The Why. DC Credits: Passing Strange (Signature Theatre), Clyde’s (Studio Theatre), A Nice Indian Boy & The Joy That Carries You (Olney Theatre), The Bluest Eye (Theater Alliance), The Till Trilogy (Mosaic Theater), NYC Credits: Where Words Once Were (Lincoln Center) Regional Credits: Locomotion (Children’s Theater Company), Schoolgirls; Or The African Mean Girls Play (Hangar Theatre), B.R.O.K.E.N. Code B.I.R.D. Switching (Berkshire Theatre Group), Quamino’s Map (Chicago Opera Theatre). Preston holds an MFA in Costume Design from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She is a proud member of United Scenic Artists Local 829. daniellepreston.com and @danielleprestondesign

Jesse W. Belsky+ (Lighting Designer) is delighted to be back at Theater J after designing Compulsion, Edward Albee's Occupant, Actually, Talley’s Folley and Everything Is Illuminated. Other recent DC designs include Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf at Ford’s Theater, The Year of Magical Thinking and JQA at Arena Stage, Sweeney Todd & The Mystery of Love & Sex at Signature, Henry 4 P1 and The Winter’s Tale at Folger, The Music Man at Olney Theatre Center, John Proctor Is The Villian at Studio Theatre and Oslo at Round House. Regional credits include work at Actor’s Theater Louisville, Portland Center Stage, Syracuse Stage, Yale Repertory Theater, Triad Stage and Playmakers Repertory Theater. Mr. Belsky holds a BA from Duke University and an MFA from the Yale School of Drama and has taught lighting design at Connecticut College and UNC Greensboro. Member, USA 829 www.jessebelsky.com

Matthew M. Nielson+ (Sound Design and Composer) has previously worked at Theater J on The Wanderers, The Whipping Man, The History of Invulnerability, and New Jerusalem. DC area: Arena Stage, Ford’s Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Signature Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Studio Theatre, Theatre Alliance, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, and The Smithsonian. Off-Broadway: The Public Theatre, Lincoln Center Theater, and 59e59. Regional: Denver Performing Arts Center, Cincinnati Playhouse, Milwaukee Rep, Portland Center Stage, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Philadelphia Theatre Company. Film/TV: The Hero Effect, From Hell to Here, Epix Drive-In, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Delivery.com, Netflix. Matthew has won several Helen Hayes and regional theatre and film festival awards. Samples online at curiousmusic.com.

Anthony O. Bullock* (Production Stage Manager) is the Resident Production Stage Manager for the 22-23 season. Past Theater J projects include Intimate Apparel, Nathan the Wise, Compulsion or the House Behind, Tuesdays with Morrie, The Wanderers, Sheltered, Occupant, Love Sick, The Jewish Queen Lear, and Actually. NYC credits include The School for Lies with Classic Stage Company and workshops with Project Springboard: Developing Dance Musicals. DC credits include Shakespeare Theatre Company (Red Velvet, Our Town), Arena Stage (The Pajama Game), Baltimore Center Stage (SOUL: The Stax Musical, Twisted Melodies), Signature Theatre (Billy Elliot), and Studio Theatre (The Children, The Hard Problem, Cloud 9, Hedda Gabler, Moment, Between Riverside and Crazy, Chimerica, Jumpers for Goalposts, Laugh). Other regional credits include Barrington Stage Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, McCarter Theatre, TheatreSquared, among others. He received his BFA from Oklahoma City University. He is a proud member of AEA.

Hayley Finn (Theater J Artistic Director) is an accomplished director and producer with over twenty-five years of experience in professional theatre across all aspects of the profession, including producing, directing, casting, education, fundraising, and has been instrumental in creating national partnerships for theatres across the country. Prior to joining Theater J, she was the Associate Artistic Director at the Playwrights’ Center, where worked with some of the nation’s leading playwrights and in her tenure produced over 1,000 workshops. She also served as a Co-Artistic Director of Red Eye Theater from 2019-2023 where she co-produced and curated the New Works 4 Weeks Festival—an annual four-week festival that commissions 11 artists each year to make new performance works—and co-led the fundraising and development of a new 150-seat black box theater in Minneapolis. She has directed nationally and internationally, including at Cherry Lane Theatre (New York, NY), Curious Theatre Company (Denver, CO), the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Edinburgh, Scotland), Ellis Island (New York), Guthrie Theatre (Minneapolis, MN), HERE Arts Center (New York, NY), History Theatre (St. Paul, MN), Flea Theater (New York, NY), The Kitchen (New York, NY), LAByrinth Theater Company (New York, NY), Marin Theater Company (Mill Valley, CA), New Dramatists (New York, NY), O’Neill Theater Center (Waterford, CT), Pillsbury House (Minneapolis, MN), People’s Light (Malvern, PA), Public Theater (New York, NY), Playwrights’ Horizons (New York, NY), Red Eye Theater (Minneapolis, MN), Six Point Theater (St. Paul, MN), South Coast Repertory Theater (Costa Mesa, CA), and the Nine Gates Festival in Prague. Finn was Assistant Director on several Broadway productions, including the Tony Award-winning production of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge. Finn is an Alumna of the Drama League Director’s Program, recipient of the Ruth Easton Fellowship, TCG Future Leader Grant, National Endowment for the Arts support, and a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant. She received her BA and MA from Brown University.

David Lloyd Olson (Theater J Managing Director) made his stage debut at age five at the Marcus JCC of Atlanta preschool and is now proud to be one of the leaders of the nation’s largest professional Jewish theater. He most recently served as managing director of Quintessence Theatre Group in Philadelphia where he oversaw the organization’s largest ever fundraising campaign and the doubling of their annual foundation support. He was manager of the executive office and board engagement at the Shakespeare Theatre Company where he supported the transition of the theater’s artistic directorship from Michael Kahn to Simon Godwin. He has also held positions at Arena Stage, GALA Hispanic Theatre, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and Pointless Theatre. He was an Allen Lee Hughes management fellow at Arena Stage, a Fulbright English teaching assistant in Valmiera, Latvia, and the recipient of two DC Commission on Arts and Humanities Felllowship program grants. He proudly serves on the board of the Alliance for Jewish Theatre (alljewishtheatre.org) and the board of Adas Israel Congregation.

Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) was founded in 1913 as the first of the American actor unions. Equity’s mission is to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Today, Equity represents more than 40,000 actors, singers, dancers and stage managers working in hundreds of theatres across the United States. Equity members are dedicated to working in the theatre as a profession, upholding the highest artistic standards. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions and provides a wide range of benefits including health and pension plans for its members. Through its agreement with Equity, this theatre has committed to the fair treatment of the actors and stage managers employed in this production. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. For more information, visit www.actorsequity.org.

HOW DO WE MEASURE HATE?

'The Holocaust did not begin with killing; it began with words.' - US Holocaust Memorial Museum

Many historians of antisemitism and genocide believe that before acts of violence are perpetrated on a group, discriminatory stereotypes become widely held beliefs in society.

The annual report by the Community Security Trust (CST), which advises Britain’s estimated 280,000 Jews on security matters, found that there were 2,255 anti-Semitic incidents reported in 2021, a rise of 34% from the previous year.

10 INCIDENTS A DAY

Antisemitic incidents in the US reached an all-time high last year with a total of 3,697 incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism tracked by ADL’s Audit of Antisemitic Incidents. In 2022, the average number of Antisemitic incidents amounted to 10 incidents a day. This represents the largest number of incidents against Jews in the US, recorded by ADL since 1979.

A 2017 survey carried out by pollster ComRes for CNN interviewed more than 7,000 people across Europe, with more than 1,000 respondents each in Austria, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Poland and Sweden. Here are some findings:

Nearly one in four said Jews have too much influence in conflict and wars across the world.

One in five said they have too much influence in the media and the same number believe they have too much influence in politics.

TRADITION! LOOKING AT A PLAY THROUGH A JEWISH LENS

By Johanna Gruenhut, Associate Artistic Director

Stephen Laughton, the playwright of One Jewish Boy, describes himself as a ‘romantic Zionist.’ It’s a wonderful phrase, in my opinion, because of how the word ‘romantic’ can express love, or hopeful idealism, or cynicism flecked by hope, and it can even do and be all of those things all at once.

It captures with linguistic economy the paradoxes and complexities inherent to all of our important relationships, the inescapable ambivalence inherent to any commitment.

You will see in One Jewish Boy characters who can be described as ‘romantic spouses’, ‘romantic secularists’, and ‘romantic Jews.’

Hearing Stephen describe himself this way, I started to wonder, is there such a thing as an unromantic Jew, has there ever been? I think ambivalence is built into the identity, that a person’s relationship to Judaism is expected to be a relationship, truly, with all the complexity of romantic relationships, describable with one sense of the word on one day, and with a totally different sense of the word on another.

This complexity is right there at the birth of the people: the receiving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai as described in the book of Exodus and commemorated annually in the holiday of Shavuot, which fell this year on May 25th. Scholars have long described the events at Sinai as a marriage between each Jew and their maker, and many of the customs associated with a Jewish wedding source from the story in Exodus: the chuppah canopy an incarnation of the clouds over the mountain, the seven laps that a bride makes around the groom, a re-enactment of the seven weeks of waiting for Moses to return from the top of the mountain, the ketubah contract, a stand-in for the Torah itself, a statement of consent, commitment, and mutual understanding.

Sure, likening the bond between a person and a religious identity to the bond between married partners implies that the bond is one of love, and one born of hopeful idealism, worthy of the label ‘romantic.’ But it would be naïve not to acknowledge that no marriage is perfect, that some fall apart, that partners may change, grow apart, even betray. Being romantic is being aware and accepting that the word itself is synonymous with dreamy, quixotic, impractical, starry-eyed – which means, one must acknowledge the fact romantic can also mean cynical, disappointed, let down. But always hopeful. The message then: to be involved romantically, with anything and anyone, means to be working at it, for better or for worse.

IN MEMORIAM

Hubert "Hank" M. Schlosberg 1931–2023

Theater J dedicates this production to the memory of Honorary Council member Hank Schlosberg. A native Washingtonian, Hank graduated from Syracuse University in 1953, then earned a J.D. in 1956 from the Georgetown University Law Center. From 1956-58, he served as a JAG officer with the Strategic Air Command, Air Force, at Pease AF Base in Dover, N.H. He subsequently maintained a private law practice for 60 years, specializing as a trial lawyer in personal injury, defamation and other legal issues. Hank served on multiple boards in Washington, DC, including Arena Stage, the Edlavitch DCJCC's Theater J, and the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington.