JTP had a great year, with two successful productions playing to sold-out audiences each night...
Fall 2003: "The Last Seder"
Directed by Ben Mulhern
Produced by Rachel Seltzer
Spring 2004: "On Deaf Ears"
Directed by Jon Barnett and Betsy Laikin
Produced by Danielle Sobol
**Jewish Theater Project will function within the JCC (Jewish Cultural Collective next year. One of the best things you can do as an advisor to the group is to help them think strategically through the casting, rehearsal, and production processes.
directors extraordinaire!
"TABLE SETTINGS" NOVEMBER 2002
Jewish Theater Project: JTP produced two full-length plays this year: “Table Settings” in the fall, and “Kindertransport” in the spring. Both productions enjoyed a great deal of attention and success both from the Hillel and greater UW community. The work of supervising the group was divided between myself and Matt (Program Associate). The division of labor and time really shifted and depended on the students we were working with. However, for the most part, I worked with the student director to develop a rehearsal plan, schedule- and to talk about the inclusion of the “Jewish piece” into their work. For instance, when working with an unexperienced director, I played a bigger role in developing a rehearsal plan that would get them through an entire rehearsal process in time for the play. This included discussing different directing techniques, and working together to create a working schedule. However, in the Spring, I took a more hands off approach with our director who was very experienced. In that production, I worked harder to create a tie between the cast and Hillel. In the end, I think that JTP has established a really nice and young cadre of students who will be involved in the years to come.
Contact Info/Partner Groups Contact Info
Fred Fisher: Technical Director @ the Play Circle—262-1949
Comments & Suggestions
Blair Chavis (director of “Kindertransport”) has expressed interest in starting a theater troupe as a supplementary program to JTP. This program would be a risk, in that it would certainly compete for the time commitments of students interested in JTP. However, were this group to really take off, we would be able to establish a more dedicated and committed group of students that could serve as a pool of potential participants in full-length productions. As the advisor, my goal is to assist JTP in becoming a self-sufficient group in the way that Hillel Theater Group at Brandeis operated. I think that with less maneuvering on the part of the staff, and more initiative on the part of the students, we might have an easier time creating the “full picture” (cast, crew, production staff).