Presents Bar Mitzvah Boy by Mark Leiren-Young directed by Howard Teichman Stage Manager Emily Hucal Set Designer Kurtis Bedford Lighting Designer Ellen Monocroussos Sound & Graphics Designer Bill Froggatt Costume Designer Sarah Rekow Hair/Wig/Make-up Designer Judi Lewin Publicity Phil Sokoloff Still Photographer Michael Lamont produced by Howard Teichman & Bill Froggatt 2 Characters (in order of appearance) Michael Levitz-Sharon …….….….….. Pamela Heffler Joey “Yosef” Brant .….......................... R. Emmett Lee Sheryl ................................................Christine Torreele The Time: This year. Our story begins in the summer. Ends in the fall. There will be no intermission. Bar Mitzvah Boy was first produced by Pacific Theatre in Vancouver, Canada, in March 2018. It was first produced in the United States by Chester Theatre Company, (Daniel Elihu Kramer, Producing Artistic Director), in Chester, MA, in June 2018. Bar Mitzvah Boy was the Winner of the 2017 Jewish Playwriting Contest and was developed by the Jewish Plays Project. Bar Mitzvah Boy is produced by arrangement with Kensington Literary Representation, 34 St. Andrew Street, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5T 1K6, [email protected] 3 Glossary for Bar Mitzvah Boy Alavha Shalom: “Peace be upon him.” Aliyah: Being called to the Torah OR when someone Jewish makes a pilgrimage to Israel and stays. Bar Mitzvah: Watch/read the play... Bimah: The altar. Hazan: A synagogue official - in this case, the synagogue official who taught Bar Mitzvah boys. Kipah: Head-covering (a sign of respect for G-d). Kosher: Food (or combinations of food) that are acceptable to eat according to Jewish law. Lubavitcher: An orthodox sect of Judaism. Minyan: The ten adults required to hold a prayer service. In orthodox services those adults (over 13) must be male. Ner Tamid: “The eternal light” - found in every synagogue. Shiva: Mourning services. Tefillin: Two boxes that contain portions of the Torah that are wrapped around the head and heart for certain prayer services. Tikkun Olum: Repair of the world. Think kosher karma. Traife: Not kosher (i.e. Hawaiian pizza). Yahrzeit: Mourning prayer. Yeshiva: Where Rabbis learn how to become Rabbis. Zayda: Grandfather. Zikhrono livrakha: “May his memory be a blessing.” 4 Director’s Notes As the Artistic Director for the West Coast Jewish Theatre, it is my job to find Jewish works that are meaningful to you, the theatergoer. I have had the pleasure to produce shows from such distinguished writers as: Neil Simon, Arthur Miller, David Ives and James Sherman. I also wrote a show “Fugu” that was produced January through March of 2017. The quest to find that new Jewish play has always been elusive. The theater receives numerous submissions from Jewish writers from all over the world. Sifting through them can be a daunting task. However, I have my eyes and ears open, searching the Internet for a play that falls within our mission statement. One that informs, educates and entertains all at the same time. For the past several years I have been following an organization in New York called “Jewish Plays Project”. This organization fosters a yearly competition that offers new Jewish writers opportunities to have their works staged as readings. Each year, there is a play that stands out and wins the competition. In 2017, Mark Leiren-Young’s “Bar Mitzvah Boy” won the competition and that is why we are presenting it to you today. - Howard Teichman The Jewish Plays Project is the nation’s leading development house for contemporary Jewish theater. Based in New York City and working in 12 cities, the JPP is dedicated to putting bold, progressive Jewish conversations on major stages. To date, the JPP has vetted 1,320 plays from 920 writers in 34 states and 9 countries, and has actively developed 49 of those plays, of which 27 have gone on to production in New York, Tel Aviv, London and around the U.S. for over 20,000 audience members. As importantly, the JPP has engaged more than 500 young theater makers and 1,000 dedicated Jewish arts patrons in a vibrant and positive exploration of the 21st Century Jewish story. Cast (in order of appearance) Pamela Heffler (Michael Levitz-Sharon) Ms. Heffler is originally from the Washington D. C. area. She has worked as an actress, dancer and singer in New York and in Los Angeles. While in N.Y.C., she premiered the lead role of Karla in Mary Gallagher's Love Minus, acted in several indie films and soap operas as well as danced with the New York Grand Opera. Here in Los Angeles, she is a former member of the Open Fist Theater Company where her favorite roles include Lady Percy in Henry IV, Sophie in Casanova, M in Crave, and Mrs. Peachum in The Three 5 Penny Opera. She also understudied (and performed) for Maggie Wheeler in the stage premiere of Forty and Other Problems. Notable television and film credits include NBC’s Heartbeat (opposite Dave Annable and Melissa George), NBC’s Love Bites, the Danny Glover feature film The Shift, the lead role in the VR horror film Eye for an Eye, and a supporting role in the short film Pushed (with James Shanklin). This past year, Pam co-produced and performed, at Highways Performance Space, her own work in an evening of storytelling through dance. Pam is thrilled to be playing the wonderful role of Michael in this West Coast Premiere of Bar Mitzvah Boy... a celebration of faith and hope! Enjoy! [email protected] www.imdb.com/name/nm0373589 R. Emmett Lee (Joey “Yosef” Brant) Mr. Lee is a native Mid-westerner and a stage veteran with nearly 100 productions to his credit. Mr. Lee’s theatrical range has been from the heaviest of dramas to the frothiest of comedies. He is particularly drawn to the works of Tennessee Williams and Neil Simon and has had the good fortune to have been cast in their plays numerous times. Having recently relocated to sunny California, he hopes to make it his permanent base of operations and bid farewell to his polar past. Christine Torreele (Sheryl) Christine Torreele is grateful for the opportunity to work with the West Coast Jewish Theatre. She has had a very successful voice-over career in film, television and theater. Currently Ms. Torreele is working in Chicago doing voice-over work for a children's hospital network. Production Staff Howard Teichman (Artistic Director / Producer / Director) As the Artistic Director for the West Coast Jewish Theatre, Howard has dedicated his life in the theatre to bringing Jewish thematic plays to the second largest Jewish community in the United States. During his tenure as the Artistic Director, Mr. Teichman has either produced or directed numerous memorable plays that have drawn both critical acclaim and audience pleasure. Howard has worked with some of the most talented actors, designers and directors Los Angeles has to offer. He is forever grateful to the Board of Directors of the West Coast Jewish Theatre for giving him the opportunity to achieve these artistic goals. 6 Mark Leiren-Young (Playwright) Mr. Leiren-Young, who has a background in pretty much everything - journalism, television, comedy, theatre and film - is, without a doubt, “one of the most talented, multi-disciplinary voices in Canada” - National Post. Mark’s plays have been produced throughout North America, Europe and Australia. A Czech translation of his play, Shylock (starring Milan Knazko), is in repertory in Prague through 2020. Mark hosts the popular environmental podcast Skaana. He directed and wrote The Hundred-Year-Old Whale, a documentary about the matriarch of the southern resident orcas that won the 2018 Writers Guild of Canada Award for Documentary and is currently in post-production on a documentary based on his most recent non-fiction book, The Killer Whale Who Changed the World. Mark is the author of two comic memoirs Free Magic Secrets Revealed (Harbour, 2013) and Never Shoot a Stampede Queen — A Rookie Reporter in the Cariboo (Heritage), which won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. www.leiren-young.com Bill Froggatt (Associate Producer / Sound Designer / Graphics Design) In the past decade, Bill has been involved with over seventy-five plays in theatres throughout the Southern California area. He’s learned a lot and is proud to have made contributions as producer, stage manager, sound designer and graphic designer. He finds one thrill of theatre is to work with like-minded creative people: producers, directors, actors, designers and others. Another exciting part of theatre is to see a production evolve from an idea to a script, to a complete show and also to witness an audience moved by the play’s drama or comedy. “I hope you enjoy the work of this talented and passionate band of storytellers.” Emily Hucal (Stage Manager) Ms. Hucal has been freelancing technical theatre in the greater Los Angeles area for over a year. She graduated with a BFA in Stage Management at Southern Oregon University in 2017 where her thesis show was Bertolt Brecht’s The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui at The Black Swan, a stage owned by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Right after graduating, she worked as a company manager for the Wyoming Theatre Festival. When she returned from the rolling hills of Wyoming, Emily stage-managed a holiday show Tiny Rhino: Home for the Holidays in the LA Arts District. She had the wonderful opportunity to stage manage for Unbound Productions’ Wicked Lit: Teig O’Kane and the Corpse directed by Paul Millet. Emily worked as a carpenter at the Geffen Playhouse for Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol before coming to WCJT. She is proud of all the hard work everyone has contributed to Bar Mitzvah Boy and hopes to work with everyone again in the future.