How To Be a Korean Woman

HOW TO B E A KOREA N WO M A N PERFORMED AND WRITTEN BY SUN MEE CHOMET DIREC TION AND DR AMATURGY BY ZAR A AWAR MISTRY SEPTEMBER 12–22, 2024

FRO M T H E A RT I ST I C A ND M ANAG ING DIREC TORS Dear Friends of Theater J, Welcome back to the theater! I hope you all had a wonderful summer and are ready for an exciting theater season. We’re starting this season by welcoming back an extraordinary artist, Sun Mee Chomet.

After the sold-out run of How To Be a Korean Woman in January, we knew we had to bring Sun Mee back so more people could experience her powerful story and tour de force performance. (And those who wanted to return could bring a friend!)

Last year, we partnered with some incredible local organizations, such as KAMA DC and the LUNAR Collective. We are grateful to continue these partnerships while also widening our reach to partner with more communities of adoptees and their families. Stories of adoption from a transnational adoptee perspective are rarely told on stages, and we are particularly thankful to Sun Mee for sharing this deeply personal narrative.

As we all know, theater also allows us to experience stories that are not our own and open our hearts and understanding in deep and meaningful ways by experiencing another person’s journey. That is why I love the play. It has given me a different understanding of experience that I did not have. And at the same time, there are aspects of the story that resonate as familiar. It is ultimately a piece about longing, what family means, and the transformative experiences that require us to reshape who we are in relationship to ourselves and our loved ones.

After last year’s run, we learned how important it was to hold space for conversation after the play. We have collaborated with Sun Mee and are offering post-show discussions after most of the performances. If you are here at a time when there isn’t a conversation, you are welcome to come back after any show to join a discussion.

This show's run falls during the Korean holiday of Chuseok. For those who are celebrating, I wish you a beautiful holiday. And for those preparing for Rosh Hashanah, I wish you a sweet New Year. Thank you for being here today, and I hope you enjoy the season ahead!

Sincerely,

Hayley Finn, Artistic Director 2

B"H

Dear Friends of Theater J, Welcome to Theater J's 2024-2025 season! Hayley has programmed an extraordinary line-up of plays that delve into the complexities of the human spirit and highlight the diversity, resilience, and joy of the Jewish experience, and we hope to see you back again and again over the next ten months to experience each of the productions.

Thank you to the many subscribers who have purchased their packages this season. Your support for our work is instrumental in ensuring that we can continue to bring artists and productions of the highest-quality to Theater J. We hope you will enjoy all the benefits of being a subscriber today and all season long like discounts on concessions and merchandise, fee-free exchanges if your plans change and you need to come to a different performance, and the free guest ticket, which I hope you will use to introduce a friend or neighbor to Theater J. If you have not yet purchased a subscription to our 2024-2025 season, it is not too late. Pick up a form on your way out of the theater, visit TheaterJ.org, or call the ticket office at 202-777-3210, Monday-Friday 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM. Through the generous support of the Robert M. Fisher Memorial Foundation Theatre For Youth Fund, the Shapiro Family Foundation, and the Share Fund, Theater J will be offering hundreds of subsidized tickets to schools in DC, Maryland, and Virginia through our 2024-2025 student matinees. If you know an educator who would like to bring a classroom to Theater J, please have them email Hester@TheaterJ.org so that we can make arrangements. Thank you for helping us enhance educational opportunities for the youth in our region and for inspiring the next generation of theater-goers.

Wishing you a sweet and healthy new year full of theater!

Yours, David

David Lloyd Olson, Managing Director

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T H ANK YO U TO OU R 2024 /202 5 SEASON SPONSORS LEADING PRODUCER Covenant Foundation DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Robert M. Fisher Memorial Foundation Theater for Youth Fund Arlene and Robert Kogod, The Robert and Arlene Kogod Family Foundation National Endowment for the Arts SPONSORING PRODUCER Cathy Bernard Norbert Hornstein and Amy Weinberg Sari R. Hornstein The Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation Nussdorf Family Foundation Patricia Payne Revada Foundation of the Logan Family Kay Richman and Daniel Kaplan Hank Schlosberg* Share Fund The Shubert Foundation SUPPORTING PRODUCER Bruce Cohen Fund Patti and Mitchell Herman Dianne and Herb Lerner Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind Helene and Robert Schlossberg Barney Shapiro and Susan Walker PRODUC TION ANGEL Bunny Dwin This production is supported in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Theater J gratefully ackowledges these donors who have supported Theater J since July 2023 through July 2024.

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*of blessed memory

E DL AV ITC H D C JCC

A ARON & CECILE GOLDMAN THEATER • TRISH VR ADENBURG STAGE

Hayley Finn, Artistic Director David Lloyd Olson, Managing Director

H OW TO BE A KO R E AN WO M A N Performed and Written by Sun Mee Chomet* Direction and Dramaturgy by Zaraawar Mistry September 12 – 22, 2024 Director

Zaraawar Mistry

Scenic Designer Nephelie Andonyadis+

Production Stage Manager Anthony O. Bullock*

Assistant Stage Manager Shee Shee Jin

Lighting Designer Jesse Belsky+

CAST (in alphabetical order) Sun Mee Chomet as herself.

How to Be a Korean Woman runs approximately 85 minutes with no intermission.

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

*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

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.

AUDIENCE RESOURCE GUIDE:

Take a fun, informative deep dive into How To Be a Korean Woman with interviews, recipes, and other resources. To view, scan the QR code with your mobile device.

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FRO M T H E P L AY WRI G H T This was not an easy piece to write. Before I wrote How To Be a Korean Woman twelve years ago, I was at a standstill. I had to stop acting in other plays because I no longer knew who I was inside. As an actor, I find it is essential to know yourself deeply in order to serve other characters. After I searched for my birth family, my world turned upside down.

I recently heard an interview with a Holocaust survivor who said, “When we were forced out and came to the United States, we held tightly to our identity because it was all we had left.” This resonated deeply with me as an adoptee.

Understanding oneself and knowing where one’s people have come from shape one’s core and ground one’s soul. I am grateful to have been adopted by a Jewish family where it was understood what it meant to be discriminated against and to persevere. When my own identity was shaken after my search for my birth family, I existed in a family that held compassion and care for my own unique life journey.

Performing How To Be a Korean Woman has been a healing experience. Not only because it has helped integrate my identity into wholeness again, but because it has been instrumental in the life journeys of many other adoptees. For example, I’ve met next generation Chinese adoptees who have written their own one-person plays, I’ve been interviewed by PhD candidates writing dissertations about transracial adoptee performances, and I’ve created community with adoptees far and wide who wrestle with the same questions. The load is lighter when carried together.

I am grateful to Hayley and David for inviting me back to Theater J for this encore performance. I have often felt like an outsider regarding my Jewish identity. People question whether I belong, regardless of my own internal compass. Thank you for embracing this story and expanding the world’s understanding of the complexity of the Jewish diaspora.

Special thanks to Tricia Anderson, Chana Bilek, Melissa Corkum, Kim Gube, A.D. Herzel, and Alice Stephens.

— Sun Mee Chomet

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P HOTOS : • Page 2: Hayley Finn. Photo by Josh Olson • Page 3: David Lloyd Olson. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography • Page 4: (Top to Bottom) Grant Harrison in Moses by Michele Lowe. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography.

Maboud Ebrahimzadeh and Tyler Herman in The Hatmaker's Wife by Lauren Yee. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography. Sara Kapner, Jake Horowitz, and Michael Perrie Jr. in Hester Street A play by Sharyn Rothstein, with original music and songs by Joel Waggoner, based on the film by Joan Micklin Silver. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography. (Left to Right) Firdous Bamji, Ethan J. Miller, and Dani Stoller in This Much I Know by Jonathan Spector. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography.

• Page 10: (Clockwise from Left) Jason Cohen, Morgan Morse, and Lauren Jeanne Thomas in Hester Street. A play by Sharyn Rothstein, with original music and songs by Joel Waggoner, based on the film by Joan Micklin Silver. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography. Iris Bahr in See You Tomorrow. Photo by Jacob Ettkin. Sun Mee Chomet in How To Be a Korean Woman. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography. (Left to Right) Arielle Moore, Dina Thomas, Eric Hissom, Emma Wallach, Sarah Corey, and Nancy Robinette in The Chameleon by Jenny Rachel Weiner. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography.

A B OU T T H E A RT I ST S Sun Mee Chomet* In the US, Sun Mee has worked with The Public Theater, Lincoln Center Theater’s LCT3, Alliance Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Hartford Stage, Cincinnati Repertory Theatre, Repertory Theater of St. Louis, Kansas City Repertory, Guthrie Theater, Penumbra Theatre, Ten Thousand Things Theater, Mixed Blood Theatre, Pillsbury House Theatre, Jungle Theater, Theater Mu, Park Square Theatre, and many more. Internationally, Sun Mee performed her awardwinning one-woman show, How to Be a Korean Woman at Post Theater in Seoul, S. Korea. Sun Mee’s recognition includes a 2022 Suzi Bass Award for Bina’s Six Apples, 2019 and 2013 Playwrights’ Center McKnight Theater Artist Fellowships, 2019 Decades Acting Awards (Minneapolis Star Tribune & City Pages for Vietgone and Two Mile Hollow), 2015 Lucille Lortel nomination (brownsville song), 2013 TCG Fox Fellowship, Star Tribune’s ‘Best of’ lists for The Origin(s) Project (2012) and Asiamnesia (2007); “2012 Best Solo Performance” honors for her play, How to Be a Korean Woman (Lavender Magazine). She would like to thank Hayley Finn and the entire staff of Theater J for the invitation, thus expanding the reach of the Jewish diaspora. She would also like to thank the incredible KAD, adoptee, and BIPOC communities in D.C. for helping to spread the word.

Zaraawar Mistry (Director and Dramaturg) Born in India, Zaraawar Mistry is an actor, writer, director, teacher and producer in the Twin Cities. He was a co-founder of the Center for Independent Artists and an Associate Artistic Director at Theater Mu. As an actor he has performed at the Guthrie, the Children’s Theater Company and Mixed Blood Theater. He has collaborated as an actor, writer and director with Ragamala Dance. Zaraawar has written and performed in several one man plays, and mentored over a dozen actors, musicians and puppeteers in developing and producing their solo works. Zaraawar has an M.F.A. in Theatre from UC, San Diego and a B.A. from Bennington College in Vermont. He has received numerous grants in support of his work, from the Jerome Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Playwright’s Center among others. He has taught theater classes in the Twin Cities, and has been the Interim Program Director for the City Arts program at H.E.C.U.A. He was also an Adjunct Professor at Hamline University in 2007, and was a Mentoring Artist for the COMPAS ArtsWork program from 2010-2014. Zaraawar is a theater consultant and works as the Program Specialist for Springboard for the Arts.

Nephelie Andonyadis+ (Scenic Designer) is a scenic and costume designer based, mostly, in Washington DC. Designs at Theater J include Moses, Compulsion or The House Behind, Occupant and Fires in the Mirror. Designs locally include Topdog/Underdog (WSC Avant Bard, Helen Hayes Award), The Children (Studio Theatre), Pilgrims Musa and Sheri… (Mosaic Theater) and The Juliet Letters (UrbanArias). Regional projects include The Most Beautiful Home…Maybe (Mixed

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A B OU T T H E A RT I ST S Blood Theatre, Minneapolis), The Rivers Don’t Know (City Theatre, Pittsburgh), Seize the King (Alliance Theatre), As You Like It & The Odyssey (Public Works/ Seattle Rep), The Tempest (Pittsburgh Public Theater). With Cornerstone Theater Company, where she is an ensemble member, designs include scenery, props, costumes and/or puppets for community based productions Wicoun (touring native communities in South Dakota), A Jordan Downs Illumination, Magic Fruit, Jason in Eureka, Los Illegals, Café Vida and more. Her designs have been seen at South Coast Repertory, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, PlayMakers Repertory Company, Center Theater Group, among others. Professor at the University of Michigan, and the University of Redlands, BS, Cornell University School of Architecture, MFA, Yale School of Drama, NEA/TCG Design Fellowship, MS in Aging and Health, Georgetown University; Nephelie works at the intersection of community, arts and policy to help change the culture of care for all older adults.

Jesse Belsky+ (Lighting Designer) is delighted to be back at Theater J after designing See You Tomorrow, Moses, One Jewish Boy, Compulsion, Edward Albee's OCCUPANT, Actually, Talley’s Folley and Everything Is Illuminated. Other recent D.C. 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 A Winter’s Tale at Folger, The Music Man at OTC, John Proctor Is The Villain 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. jessebelsky.com.

Anthony O. Bullock* (Production Stage Manager) Theater J: The Hatmaker’s Wife, Hester Street, This Much I Know, Moses, The Chameleon, One Jewish Boy, Gloria: A Life, Two Jews Walk into a War…, 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. DC: Red Velvet, Our Town (Shakespeare Theatre Company); The Pajama Game (Arena Stage); SOUL: The Stax Musical, Twisted Melodies (Baltimore Center Stage); Billy Elliot (Signature Theatre); The Children, The Hard Problem, Cloud 9, Hedda Gabler, Moment, Between Riverside and Crazy, Chimerica, Jumpers for Goalposts, Laugh (Studio Theatre). NYC: The School for Lies (Classic Stage Company) and workshops with Project Springboard: Developing Dance Musicals. Other regional credits include Barrington Stage Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, McCarter Theatre, TheatreSquared, among others. BFA from Oklahoma City University. Proud member of AEA.

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THE AT ER J L E ADE RSH I P Hayley Finn (Theater J Artistic Director) is an accomplished director and producer with over twenty-five years of experience in professional theater across all aspects of the profession, including producing, directing, casting, education, fundraising, and has been instrumental in creating national partnerships for theaters across the country. Prior to joining Theater J, she was the Associate Artistic Director at the Playwrights’ Center, where she 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 Points 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, a 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 Fellowship program grants. He proudly serves on the board of the Alliance for Jewish Theatre (alljewishtheatre.org) and the board of Adas Israel Congregation.

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THE MOST INFLUENTIAL JEWISH THEATER COMPANY IN THE NATION. – THE WASHINGTON P OST

Theater J is a nationally-renowned, professional theater that celebrates, explores, and struggles with the complexities and nuances of both the Jewish experience and the universal human condition. Our work illuminates and examines ethical questions of our time, intercultural experiences that parallel our own, and the changing landscape of Jewish identities.

As the nation’s largest and most prominent Jewish theater, we aim to preserve and expand a rich Jewish theatrical tradition and to create community and commonality through theater-going experiences.

The Edlavitch DCJCC embraces inclusion in all its programs and activities. We welcome and encourage the participation of all people, regardless of their background, sexual orientation, abilities, or religion, including interfaith couples and families.

All of the programs at the Edlavitch DCJCC are supported in part by a generous gift from the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.

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PRO DU C T ION , E DC JCC , & T H E AT E R J STAFF EDLAVITCH DCJCC LEADERSHIP

Edlavitch DCJCC Chief Executive Officer: Jennifer Zwilling Chief Finance and Administrative Officer: Charlie Winters Chief Experience Officer: Jesse Bordwin Senior Director of Institutional Advancement: Emily Jillson THEATER J STAFF

Artistic Director: Hayley Finn Managing Director: David Lloyd Olson Production Production Manager: Mark T. Berry Technical Director: Tom Howley Associate Producer: Charlotte La Nasa Technical Coordinator: Willow McFatter Company Management Associate: Grace Carter Head Electrician: Garth Dolan Resident Properties Artisan: Pamela Weiner External Affairs Arts Marketing Manager: Jill Gershenson Director of Patron Experience: Jasmine Jones Development Executive Assistant Ryan Muha Ticket Office and Front of House Manager: Nino Porter Assistant Ticket Office Manager: Lauren McNeal Marketing Consultants: Rachel Hewitt, Adriana Cisneros Emerson, and Jasmine Jones, Rachel Media Publicist: Kendra Rubinfeld and Travis Hare, Kendra Rubinfeld PR Graphic Design: Molly Winston House Managers and Ticket Office Associates: Sophia Bonde, Steve Chazanow, Emily Eason, Lily Goldberg, Sarah Moosadzeh, Robert Reeg, Hadiya Rice, Kaneeka Rice, Sam Rollin, and MaryMargaret Walsh Education & New Play Development Education Programs Manager: Hester Kamin Expanding the Canon Rosh Beit: Sabrina Sojourner Expanding the Canon Commissioned Writers: Harley Elias, Zachariah Ezer, Carolivia Herron, Jesse Jae Hoon, MJ Kang, and Kendell Pinkney Teaching Artists: Jen Jacobs, James Carlos Lacey, Tori Niemiec, Aaron Posner, Lynette Talya Rathnam, Sharyn Rothstein, Howard Shalwitz, Holly Twyford, and Erin Weaver Founding Artistic Director: Martin Blank

H OW TO BE A KOREAN WOM A N STA F F Electricians: Garth Dolan, Rex Hsu, Michael House, David Ramsey Load-in Crew: Matty Griffiths, David Higgins, Tad Howley, Willow McFatter, Taylor Stewart, Von Riley Sound and Projections Operator: Quincy Fuller Follow Spot Operator: Megan Amos Light Programmer: Ben Harvey Audio/Video Engineer: Kaitlyn Sapp Set pieces painted by: Kao Lee Thao Additional sound designer/engineering: Peter Morrow Dialect coach: Bomi Yoon Promo video: Bo Hakala Video editing: Jason Ho Additional video editing: Jason Hoffmann Company Management Associate: Grace Carter Special thanks: Sonya Weisburd, Jacob Ettkin

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2024–202 5 T H EAT E R J CO UN C I L Mara Bralove, Chair Mindy Gasthalter Ann Gilbert Cheryl Gorelick Rae Grad Patti Herman Aimee Imundo Daniel Kaplan Arlene Klepper Liz Kleinrock

Kenneth Krupsky Stephen Lachter Karen Lehmann-Eisner Ellen Malasky Meredith Margolis Howard Menaker Alfred Munzer Sherry Nevins Patricia Payne

T HEATE R J H ONOR A RY CO U N C I L Patty Abramson* Marion Ein Lewin Paul J. Mason Michele G. Berman Bunny Dwin Evelyn Sandground Hank Schlosberg* Lois Fingerhut

Saul Pilchen Bella Rosenberg Mita M. Schaffer Robert Schlossberg Terry Singer Stuart Sotsky Manny Strauss Bob Tracy Kathryn Veal Trish Vradenburg* Patti Sowalsky Joan S. Wessel Irene Wurtzel

EDLAVI TC H D C JCC 2024 – 202 5 B OA R D O F D I R EC TORS Johanna Chanin, President Eva Davis, Vice President Meredith Margolis, Vice President Janis Schiff, Vice President Janet B. Abrams Olufunmike Adeyemi Andrew Altman Joan Berman Michele G. Berman Jordan Lloyd Bookey Jennifer Bradley Jaclyn Lerner Cohen Sara Cohen Eva Davis Jonathan Edelman Myrna Fawcett Meg Flax Brian Gelfand

Jonathan Grossman, Treasurer Amie Perl, Assistant Treasurer Benjamin Loewy, Secretary

Daniel Glickman Dina Gold Debra Goldberg David Goldblatt Rena Gordon Brad Lackey Joshua Maxey Alyssa Moskovitz Sid Moskowitz Alfred Munzer Alyson Myers Melanie Franco Nussdorf Amie Perl Arnold Polinger

Shannon Powers Norm Rich Ilene Rosenthal Michael Salzberg Max Sandler Rhea Schwartz Michael Singer Tina Small Mimi Tygier Diane Abelman Wattenberg Jessika Wellisch Eric Zelenko Jennifer Zwilling, Chief Executive Officer, Ex Officio

Stephen Kelin William Kreisberg Saul Pilchen John R. Risher Jr.* Lynn Skolnick Sachs

Deborah Ratner Salzberg Mindy Strelitz Francine Zorn Trachtenberg Robert Tracy Ellen G. Witman

FO UN DI NG DI R E C TO R Ginny Edlavitch DIREC TOR S E M E R I T I Stephen Altman Rose H. Cohen Jill Granader Martha Winter Gross Daniel O. Hirsch

VICE PRE SI DE NT E M E RI T U S Lee G. Rubenstein HON OR ARY DI R E C TO R Barbara Abramowitz

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List as of July 2024

*of blessed memory

Theater J, as part of the Edlavitch DCJCC, embraces inclusion in all of its programs and activities. Theater J strives to make our productions accessible to all by providing the following to meet the needs of our patrons, and to enhance their experience at the theater.

For more information, please contact our Director of Patron Experience at 202.777.3268 or contact our ticket office at theaterj@theaterj.org.

ACCE SSI B LE S E AT I N G The Edlavitch DCJCC has ramp access from the Q Street entrance and all our restrooms are ADA accessible. In the Goldman Theater, removable seats provide patrons with the opportunity to be seated with their companions while sitting in their wheelchair.

ASSI ST I V E LI ST E N I N G Assistive listening devices are available at our Ticket Office. They are free-ofcharge and offered on a first-come, first-served basis at all performances.

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OPE N CAPT I O N I N G We are now partnering with Verbit AI to offer live captions at any performance.

You will be able to use the Verbit AI QR code or one of our tablets provided at the ticket office. Please call 48 hours in advance of your performance to confirm live caption accommodation. Captioning sponsored by Dianne and Herb Lerner L ARG E PR I NT P RO G R A M S Large print programs are available at our Ticket Office, located on the first floor.

Or read a low vision digital program on your mobile device by scanning the QR code outside the theater.

Theater J respects and welcomes gender diversity. Please use the restroom which makes you most comfortable or most closely fits your gender identity or expression. An all-gender restroom is located on the Lower Level.

AN TI-DI SCR I M I NAT I O N Theater J and the Edlavitch DCJCC commit to being an inclusive, safe, and welcoming space for all. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations from either patrons or staff. Please visit our website at theaterj.org to learn more about our policies and procedures LAND ACK NOW LE DG E M E N T Our building sits on the traditional homeland of the Nacotchtank (Anacostan), farmers and traders who lived along the banks of the Anacostia River. Beginning in 1608, European settlers decimated the Nacotchtank with disease, warfare, and forced removal. By the 1700s, the survivors fled to join other tribes to the north, south, and west, including the Piscataway Peoples, who continue to steward these lands from generation to generation.

We know this acknowledgement is only a small step towards justice, and we ask that all of us learn about the past and present and invest in the future of our country’s Indigenous communities wherever we are.

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J O IN US AS A SE ASO N S U BSCRIBER

PR AY ER FOR T H E FRE NCH R E P U B LIC

O U T OF C HAR AC TER

BY J OSHUA HARMO N DI REC TED BY HAYLE Y F INN

OC TOBER 30–NOVE MB ER 24, 2024

W R I T T E N A N D PE R FO R M E D

BY A R I ’ E L STACH E L DIREC TED BY TONY TACCONE

A BERKELEY REP PRODUC TION CO-PRESENTED BY THEATER J AND MOS AIC THEATER COMPANY

JA N UA RY 8 – 26 , 202 5

WRITTEN AN D D IR EC TED

BY JOSÉ R IV ER A

STA R R ING NAO M I JACO BSON AND S AR A KOVIAK

MARCH 12–3 0, 202 5

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T H E BERLI N DI A RI ES

BY AN D R E A STO LOW I T Z JU N E 4 – 2 2 , 202 5

V I SI T T H EAT ER J.O RG /SUBSCRI BE OR C ALL 202. 777. 321 0

D E E P E N YOU R I M PAC T

Theater J is dedicated to producing work that illuminates ethical questions of our time, examines the changing landscape of Jewish identities, and celebrates inter-cultural experiences. It is because of you, our community, our audience, our supporters, that Theater J has grown to be “the nation’s most prominent Jewish theater” (American Theatre Magazine). Less than half of Theater J’s budget comes from ticket revenue. We are reliant on generous gifts from audience members like you, who see the value of having a thriving Jewish cultural center in the heart of the city.

We invite you to join your friends and neighbors in supporting our work. With your gift, you’ll be recognizing the vital role Theater J plays in our community–a place where the stories of immigrants are proudly told, where we ask that theater engage both the head and the heart, and where we produce art that reminds you of who you are.

WAYS TO GIVE

Theater J accepts contributions by mail, phone, online, or through stock donation.

Checks can be made payable to Theater J and mailed to 1529 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036. For more information or to make a donation visit theaterj.org/donate or contact rmuha@theaterj.org and 202.777.3225

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FR I E N DS O F T H E AT E R J Theater J gratefully acknowledges the following donors who have supported Theater J since July 1, 2023 – June 1, 2024.

Leading Producer ($100,000+)

Covenant Foundation+ DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Sponsoring Producer ($25,000–$99,999) Cathy S. Bernard Norbert Hornstein and Amy Weinberg Sari R. Hornstein Daniel Kaplan and Kay Richman+

Supporting Producer ($18,000–$24,999) The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Patti and Mitchell Herman+ Leading Angels ($10,000–$17,999)

James A. Feldman and Natalie Wexler Cheryl Gorelick + Marion Ein Lewin Katharina Otto-Bernstein Sponsoring Angels ($6,000–$9,999) Michele and Allan Berman Andrea Boyarsky-Maisel Susan and Dixon Butler Myrna Fawcett Rae Grad and Manuel Schiffres

Supporting Angels ($3,000–$5,999) AllShifts The Family of H. Max & Josephine F. Ammerman and Andrew R. Ammerman Mara Bralove and Ari Fisher Bonnie and Louis Cohen Bunny Dwin Lois and Michael Fingerhut Patricia and David Fisher Mindy Gasthalter ¶ Ann Gilbert ¶ Enthusiasts ($1,000–$2,999)

Lisa and Josh Bernstein Δ Joyce and Fred Bonnett Johanna Chanin and Randall Levitt Δ Debra Lerner Cohen and Edward Cohen Marcy and Neil Cohen, Ryna Cohen Δ Dave Connick Nancy and Marc Duber Δ Ginny and Irwin Edlavitch Δ Suzanne and Enrique Fefer

Robert M. Fisher Memorial Foundation Theater for Youth Fund Δ

Arlene and Robert Kogod, The Robert and Arlene Kogod Family Foundation

The Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation Dianne and Herb Lerner Revada Foundation of the Logan Family Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind Δ +

Patricia Payne Hank Schlosberg* Shapiro Family Foundation, Inc. Δ Share Fund Δ The Shubert Foundation

The Morgan Fund at the Seattle Foundation Nussdorf Family Foundation Δ

Helene and Robert Schlossberg

M. Craig Pascal Diane and Arnold Polinger Bella Rosenberg ¶ + Evelyn Sandground and Bill Perkins

The Leshowitz Family Foundation, Terry Singer + James Beller and Christopher Wolf

Meg and John Hauge Daniel Hirsch and Brenda Gruss Δ Karen E. Lehmann Sherry Nevins Nora Roberts Foundation

April Rubin and Bruce A. Ray Manny Strauss and Betsy Karmin + Dr. Kathryn Veal + Judy and Leo Zickler

Martha Winter Gross and Robert Tracy Arlene and Martin Klepper Kenneth and Amy Eisen Krupsky Sandra and Stephen Lachter Ellen and Gary Malasky Paul and Zena Mason Howard Menaker and Patrick Gossett¶ + Jeff Menick Undine and Carl Nash Saul and Nancy Pilchen Ilene and Steven Rosenthal

Trina and Lee G. Rubenstein Mita M. Schaffer and Tina M. Martin* Leslie Sewell and James Jaffe Les Silverman Richard Solloway Stuart Sotsky Patti and Jerry Sowalsky The George Wasserman Family Foundation Joan S. Wessel

Linda Goldsmith and Howard Berger Michael Gross Erez Harari Hillel Kaye Barry Kropf Alan McAdams and Ellen Dykes James & Theodore Pedas Foundation Michael Rabinowitz Joan and Barry Rosenthal Δ Ruth and Samuel Salzberg Family

Foundation Deborah and Michael Salzberg Δ Alfred Sanders Lewis Schrager and Frances Marshall Peggy and David Shiffrin Mindy Strelitz and Andrew Cornblatt Δ Philip Teitelbaum

¶ Denotes a member of the EDCJCC’s Community Pillars programming. These supporters have committed to leaving a legacy by including Theater J in their estate planning. + Denotes support of our New Play Development programming. Δ Denotes support of our Family and Education programming

*of blessed memory

Admirers ($500–$999)

Barry Friedman Gertrude & Lawrence Gichner Fund for the Performing Arts Michael Halpern and Glenda Turner Lucia and Frederic Hill Pamela Hunt The Frank and Marta Jager Foundation

Jean and Michael Kaliner Aviva Kempner Zev Lewis Nancy Limprecht and Rick Haines Meredith Margolis and Gary Goodweather Ilene Meiseles

Donald and Lynne Myers Vicki Robinson June and Marvin Rogul Janet and Robert Wittes

S AV E T H E DATE

Monday, December 18, 7:00 PM

HO N O R I N G PAU L M ASON T ICKETS O N S ALE N OW

E D C JCC .O RG /T H E AT E R JBENEFIT atFO the R Edlavitch Q U EST IODCJCC N S, CO NTAC T RMU HA@THEATERJ.ORG. 1529 Sixteenth Street, NW

17

EDLAV I TC H D C J CC DO N O RS

The Edlavitch DCJCC wishes to thank the following donors who enable us to serve the commnity. This list includes all fiscal year 2024 gifts to date (July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024) from donors who made commitments or donations of $1,000 or more. The Edlavitch DCJCC thanks all of our donors for the important impact they have on our work. $300,000+

Diane and Norman Bernstein Foundation

Jewish Federation of Greater Washington

Samuel G. Rose

Anonymous Bruce A. Cohen* The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation

DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Susie and Michael Gelman, The Morningstar Foundation

Daniel Hirsch and Brenda Gruss Arlene and Robert Kogod, The Robert and Arlene Kogod Family Foundation

Covenant Foundation Sari R. Hornstein Norbert Hornstein and Amy Weinberg Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF)

Nussdorf Family Foundation Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation

Revada Foundation of the Logan Family Share Fund The Shubert Foundation

The Aviv Foundation, Inc. Cathy S. Bernard Johanna Chanin and Randall Levitt Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation The Dweck Family Lois and Richard England Family Foundation Rena Gordon The Kay Family Foundation

The Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation Dianne and Herb Lerner Alfred Moses Sid and Linda Moskowitz Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind National Endowment for the Arts Patricia Payne Diane and Arnold Polinger

Kay Richman and Daniel Kaplan Ilene and Steven Rosenthal Martha and Philip Sagon Family Foundation Deborah and Michael Salzberg Hank Schlosberg* Rhea Schwartz and Paul Wolff Shapiro Family Foundation, Inc.

Ronald and Anne Abramson Suevia and Rudolph B. Behrend Fund Bender Foundation Michele and Allan Berman Lisa and Josh Bernstein Bookey Family Foundation Abby and Andrew Cherner CIBC Private Wealth Management Sara Cohen and Norm Rich, Cyna and Paul Cohen, and Family Myrna Fawcett Ann Gilbert Cheryl Gorelick Jill and Robert Granader Patti and Mitchell Herman JCC Association Elise and Marc Lefkowitz

Karen E. Lehmann Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman Foundation Thelma Z. Lenkin The Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation Marion Ein Lewin Dan Mendelson and Jennifer Loew Mendelson Amy and Alan Meltzer The Morgan Fund at the Seattle Foundation Katharina Otto-Bernstein M. Craig Pascal Evelyn Sandground and Bill Perkins Saul and Nancy Pilchen Norman Pozez and Melinda Bieber

Bella Rosenberg Trina and Lee G. Rubenstein The Abe & Kathryn Selsky Foundation Janis and Philip Schiff Lisa Silver and Barry Kopit and the Silver Family Foundation The Leshowitz Family Foundation, Terry Singer Rae Grad and Manuel Schiffres Helene and Robert Schlossberg Richard Solloway Manny Strauss and Betsy Karmin Martha Winter Gross and Robert Tracy James A. Feldman and Natalie Wexler James Beller and Christopher Wolf

Janet Beth Abrams Monica and Gavin Abrams AllShifts The Family of H. Max & Josephine F. Ammerman and Andrew R. Ammerman Anonymous Carol and Gary Berman Joan and Alan Berman Jordan Lloyd Bookey and Felix Lloyd Andrea Boyarsky-Maisel Susan and Dixon Butler Bonnie and Louis Cohen Cyna and Paul Cohen Rose and Robert Cohen Eva Davis and Justin Kramer Bunny Dwin Cindy Barad Elias David and Patricia Fisher Mara Bralove and Ari Fisher Robert M. Fisher Memorial Foundation Meg and Samuel Flax

Mindy Gasthalter Edith Gelfand, Brian and Jenny Gelfand GMP LLP Dina Gold Debra Goldberg and Seth Waxman Michelle and Jonathan Grossman Meg and John Hauge Embassy of Israel Arlene and Martin Klepper William Kreisberg Kenneth and Amy Eisen Krupsky Stuart S. Kurlander and David L. Martin Sandra and Stephen Lachter Gary Laden, Esq. Joy Lerner and Stephen Kelin Dale and William Lipnick Saskia and Benjamin D. Loewy Ellen and Gary Malasky Marshfield Associates Paul and Zena Mason Howard Menaker and Patrick Gossett

Jeff Menick Sherry Nevins Cozen O'Connor Nora Roberts Foundation April Rubin and Bruce A. Ray Joan and Barry Rosenthal Susan Sachs Goldman Ruth and Samuel Salzberg Family Foundation Lynn and John Sachs Deserie and Allen Saunders Mita M. Schaffer and Tina M. Martin The Schoenbaum Family Foundation, Inc. Les Silverman Michael Singer and James Smith Tina and Albert Small, Jr. Charles E. Smith Family Foundation The Sosland Foundation Dr. Stuart Sotsky Mindy Strelitz and Andrew Cornblatt Summit Print & Design, Inc.

$100,000 - $299,999

$50,000 - $99,999

$25,000 - $49,999

$10,000 - $24,999

$5,000 - $9,999

18

Francine Zorn Trachtenberg and Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Mimi Tygier and Robert Rubin Dr. Kathryn Veal

The George Wasserman Family Foundation Diane Abelman Wattenberg Jessika and David Wellisch

Eric Zelenko Judy and Leo Zickler Eric and Kathryn Zimmerman

Babs and Rabbi A.N. Abramowitz, Wendi and Daniel Abramowitz Andrew Altman Stephen and Amy Altman Anonymous Jamie and Joseph A. Baldinger Joy and Leonard Baxt Devorah and Kevin Berman Lynn and Wolf Blitzer Deborah and Charles Both Debra Vodenos and Samuel Boxerman Fani and Dan Brandenburg Susie and Kenton Campbell Marcy and Neil Cohen, Ryna Cohen Susan Cohn Dave Connick Sara Cormeny and Peter Miller Cornerstone Research, Inc.

Scott Eric Dreyer and Ellen Clare Gillespie Dreyer Nancy and Marc Duber Jay Freedman Lois and Michael Fingerhut Rhoda and Daniel Glickman Paula Seigle Goldman Leslie and Samuel Kaplan Stacey Kluck Aviva Kempner Tamara Korolnek Brad and Ali Lackey The EJL98 Charitable Trust, on behalf of Edward Lenkin and Roselin Atzwanger Johanna Chanin and Randall Levitt Johannah and Jeremiah Lowin Meredith Margolis and Gary Goodweather

Carol Mates and Mark Kahan Alyson Myers Carl and Undine Nash Shannon and William Powers Suzanne Priebatsch Eric Salzberg Rubin Schron Leslie Sewell Peggy and David Shiffrin United Bank Heidi Wachs Wealthspire Advisors Susan Wedlan and Harold Rosen Joan S. Wessel Janice White Carolyn and William Wolfe Rebecca Wolozin and Louis Beckman

Adas Israel Congregation Eric Adler Bette Ann S. Albert Clement and Sandra Alpert Laurence and Agatha Aurbach Alison Baraf and Aryeh Portnoy Cheryl and Herbert Baraf Linda Goldsmith and Howard Berger Emily and Adam Berman State of Israel Bond (Bernstein Endowment) Elaine and Richard Binder Paul Blank Joyce and Fred Bonnett Susan and Steven Bralove Ito Briones and Warren Coates Marian and James Brodsky Anita Wolke and Ken Brooks Nancy Taylor Bubes and Alan Bubes Morris J. Chalick, MD Chevy Chase Trust Howard and Carol Cohen Jacqueline and Edward Cohen Debra Lerner Cohen and Edward Cohen Jeffrey Colman and Ellen Nissenbaum Peggy and Morris Dahan Toby Dershowitz Yvonne and Jeffrey Distenfeld Sonnie Dockser Jessica Dodson and Jeremy Levine Ilana Drimmer Tamara Dunietz and David Dunn Jonathan Edelman John Edelmann Anna Faure Suzanne and Enrique Fefer Rachel and Pete Federowicz Daniel Freeman and Rebecca Zylberman Laurie and Jerry Friedman Natalie Friedman and Daniel Winston Tova Geller Morgan and Josh Genderson Marsha Gentner

Ellen Gertsen Bernard Gewirz Catherine and Micah Gibson Cathy and Michael Gildenhorn Audrey Goldstein Richard and Sue Goldstein Lois and Hadar Granader Helen Greenfeld and Richard Mintz Michael Gross Erwin Gudelsky Erez Harari Margaret Hoeger Sandra Hoexter Mariana Levinas Huberman Maya Hyman Nancy and Steven Jacobson Rob Kallman Sandy and Eliot Kalter Sid Kaplan Jared Kassoff and Jaime Creighton Irene and Lou Katz Ellen Kay Hillel Kaye The Kresge Foundation Barry Kropf Janet Leno and Peter Harrold Kimberly and Bruce Levin Jesse and Alyssa Levine Kay Klass and Mark Levitt Margery and Sheldon London Melanie and Hal Marcus and Family Philip Margolius Ellen and Ken Marks Alan McAdams and Ellen Dykes Rona and Allan Mendelsohn Elaine and William Miller Gary Mintz Rachel Moskowitz and Ari Moskowitz Simor Moskowitz Joan Nathan Miriam Morsel Nathan and Harvey Nathan

Gayle and Steven Neufeld Victoria Odinotska Ellen and Scott Paseltiner James & Theodore Pedas Foundation Marsha and Jamey Pelton Amie Perl and Evan Goldman Linda and Bruce Pollekoff Joel and Nancy Poznansky Deborah and Juan Prawda Michael Rabinowitz Rabbi Fred N. Reiner and Susan Liss Renay and Bill Regardie Suzanne and Bruce Rosenblum Norman L. and Caryl G. Rosenthanl Linda Rosenzweig and Sandy Bieber Alfred Sanders Lewis Schrager and Frances Marshall Yechiel Schron Dolores Seigel David Selden and Julie Wallick Susan Brett and Rob Shesser Dale and Alan Sorcher Barbara Silverstein and Alan Kirschenbaum Mindy and Jeff Sosland Leslie and Howard Stein Susan Rubin Suleiman Lise Van Susteren and Jonathan Kempner Philip Teitelbaum Ziva and Aaron Tomares United Way of the National Capital Area Janet B. Weiner Helene Weisz and Richard Lieberman Janyse and Bernie Weisz Sharon Wilkes and Robert Kinberg Carol and Michael Winer Ellen Witman Janet and Robert Wittes Barbara Yellen and Phil West Lynda Zengerle Jennifer Zwilling Rosenwasser and Jon Rosenwasser

$2,500 - $4,999

$1,000 - $2,499

*of blessed memory

With the support from our community of donors, the Edlavitch DCJCC remains the premier address in our nation's capital for an expanding, diverse, and vibrant urban Jewish community. To make a tax-deductible contribution to the Edlavitch DCJCC today, 19 please visit edcjcc.org/donate or contact Emily Jillson at 202-777-3231 or ejillson@edcjcc.org.

COMING NEXT

2024–2025 SEASON

PR AY E R FOR T H E FR E NCH R E P UB L IC

By Joshua Harmon Directed by Hayley Finn

OCTOBER 30 – NOVEMBER 24, 2024

A new-play favorite on Broadway and 2024 Best Play Tony Award® Nominee, Joshua Harmon’s Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle award-winning epic family drama breaks open the global question “Where are we safe?”

TI C K ET S O N S A LE N OW the a t e r j .o r g | 202 .777. 32 10