[NEohioPAL]Dorothy Silver Playwriting Competition Reading-Saturday September 13th at 8:30

Thu Sep 11 05:54:07 PDT 2003

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Hello Everyone- Read this fabulous article about Lauri Donahue, the winning
playwright of the Dorothy Silver Playwriting Competition. The article was in
last week's Cleveland Jewish News.

Playwright's drama steeped in history 
Lauri Donahue brings ancient Judea to the Halle Theatre stage.

BY: MARGI HERWALD <mailto:mherwald at cjn.org> Staff Reporter 
There was a long wait to get in to see the film "Gladiator" when it opened
in May 2000, so Lauri Donahue brought a book to the theater.

It was Jewish Wars, a historical account by Flavius Josephus, an ancient
Judean who defected to Rome.

Before the movie began, Donahue found herself engrossed in Josephus'
description of an often-overlooked woman ruler in ancient Israel around 104
B.C.E. She was Queen Alexandra of Judea.

"It was so wonderfully extravagant in its detail and so action-packed,"
recalls Donahue, 41, speaking to the CJN from her home outside of Vancouver.
As she read about sons starving their mother, brothers killing each other,
and devastating wars, the story "struck me as very theatrical and very
Shakespearean," she says.

As soon as she got home from the movie, Donahue sat down and wrote a
monologue (in classical iambic pentameter) for one of the characters in
Josephus' work. Soon, this monologue would expand into an epic, historical
drama, "Alexandra of Judea." The play won this year's Dorothy Silver
Playwriting Competition at the JCC's Halle Theatre. It will be performed as
a staged reading on Saturday evening, Sept. 13.

While she had collaborated on musicals and written Purim spiels and
non-fiction articles, "Alexandra" is Donahue's first full-length play. She
researched the play's period by immersing herself in Talmud and archival
works. She found that Judea (ancient Israel) only had two queens in its
history. One was a disastrous ruler who slaughtered her whole family.
Alexandra's reign, however, "was known as a golden age, even by the
misogynists of the Talmud," Donahue relates. "It's interesting that I - and
nearly everyone else in the Jewish world - have never heard of Alexandra.
The only good queen Israel ever had, and she's the great mystery woman of
Jewish history."

"Alexandra of Judea" chronicles the Hasmoneans, descendants of the
Maccabbees, who ruled Judea in the absence of a king from David's line.
Alexandra begins the play as wife of Aristobulus, an arrogant and paranoid
usurper king. After his death, she marries his brother and successor, the
drunken and easily manipulated Alexander. For years, her war-mongering
husbands chip away at the stability of Judea, until finally Alexandra
ascends to the throne and restores peace.

"History adds a wonderful dimension to a story, a layer of richness from
that culture and society," Donahue says. Most of her characters actually
existed. "Instead of creating them out of thin air, I'm reincarnating old
bones."

The playwright hopes to "get people interested and excited about Alexandra.
She should be better known; she should be up there with Miriam and Deborah."
Donahue says her one consolation is that the street in Jerusalem named after
Alexandra is longer than the streets named after her two husbands.

The idea for the script struck Donahue just as she and husband, Rabbi Barry
Leff (who was still in rabbinical school at the time), were planning to move
to Israel for a year. Donahue, a lawyer, worked for a Jerusalem law firm
that got pelted by shrapnel from nearby bombs.

"Our timing was impeccable. We arrived (with two stepdaughters, two
daughters and another on the way) just in time for the intifada," Donahue
says. "It was a wonderful, but intense year. Israel is a wonderful place for
children; it's very safe, bombs and all."

On her lunch breaks, the pregnant Donahue worked on the script, including
writing a speech in which a character describes to Queen Alexandra
specifically what it feels like to go through pregnancy. The speech remains
one of her favorites, and always elicits an enthusiastic response from women
who say she captured it perfectly.

A day before her labor was induced, Donahue attended the first reading of
"Alexandra," performed by Israel's CenterStage Company. Later the play was
read at the Chutzpah Festival in Vancouver (where her husband has a pulpit),
and it is currently set to be published.

"I'm hoping local theater people in the Cleveland area will be attracted to
it and want to do its first full production with costumes, lights, etc.,"
says Donahue, who will attend the JCC reading here.

A California native, Donahue was not born Jewish. After marrying Leff, she
decided she wanted to convert while pregnant with her first child. Leff was
not observant at the time, but Donahue began inundating their household with
Yiddishkeit. Leff decided to join her in her studies, to "keep up."

"He reconnected and started taking Hebrew again for the first time since his
bar mitzvah," Donahue says. "It's my fault he became a rabbi!"

Donahue currently has three completed screenplays that are being considered
for filming, and she is working on a new play, "Pompeii." The story of a
Jerusalem family brought as slaves to ancient Pompeii, it touches on issues
like "life in the Diaspora, reinvention of Jewish life after the destruction
of the Temple, science versus faith, forbidden love," she explains. "And
also there's a volcano in it."

Donahue still practices law "a little," but is shifting full focus to her
scripts. "I just put my husband through four years of rabbinical school,"
she says. "Now he's going to put me through a few years of writing!"

"Alexandra of Judea" will be performed at the Halle Theatre at the Mayfield
JCC on Saturday, Sept. 13, at 8:30 p.m. Call 216-382-4000, ext. 274. 

PLAN TO ATTEND!

	Attend a Staged Reading of the Winner of the 
	2003 Dorothy Silver Playwriting Competition 
	Saturday, September 13,2003 * 8:30 PM 
	Eugene S.and Blanche R.Halle Theatre 

	Alexandra of Judea BY LAURI DONAHUE 
	Directed by Brian Zoldessy 
	The cast includes many well-known actors in the Cleveland area: 
	MARK CIPRA...............................JOHANAN/ELEAZAR 
	NOAH BUDIN..................................ARISTOBULUS/ANANIAS 
	HANS HOLZNAGEL...........................ANTIGONUS/2ND GENERAL 
	PAUL KAISER..............................ALEXANDER 
	JON STEIGER..............................MATTATHIAS 
	BRIAN INNENBERG..........................ABSOLOM/BOY 
	ALAN BRANSTEIN...........................LUTETIUS 
	EDDIE HAMMWAY............................SIMEON 
	MICHAEL REGNIER..........................JOSEPHUS 
	JOY BORLAND..............................SERAKH 
	MOLLY MCGINNIS...........................RACHEL 
	CAISE RODE...............................ALEXANDRA 
	CATHERINE ALBERS.........................MARIAMNE/CLEOPATRA 
	KELLIE MCIVOR............................LAVINIA 
	SUSANNA HOBRATH..........................STAGE DIRECTION 
	FUNDED BY MARILYN AND HARRY CAGIN 
	Civil war and foreign invasions. Courtesans, cannibalism, 
	and mass crucifixions. And an unfortunate incident with a 
	citrus fruit. 

	ALEXANDRA OF JUDEA is an epic true story of the 
	Hasmonean Dynasty - the house of Maccabee. A woman 
	of faith and courage, Alexandra survives political intrigues 
	and two murderous husbands to rule as the last queen of 
	the independent kingdom of Judea, with the help of her 
	ally - Cleopatra III of Egypt. The conflicts of their time echo 
	down to the present-day crisis in the Middle East 
	in this fast-moving, action-packed tale of an 
	important - and little known - period of history. 

	Make a reservation by calling the Event Ticket Office or by
responding to 
this email. 

Kris Barnes
Event Ticket Office Manager
The Jewish Community Center of Cleveland
kbarnes at clevejcc.org 
216-382-4000 ext. 274 

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<META NAME=3D"Generator" CONTENT=3D"MS Exchange Server version =
5.5.2653.12">
<TITLE>Dorothy Silver Playwriting Competition Reading-Saturday =
September 13th at 8:30</TITLE>
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<BODY>
<BR>

Hello Everyone- Read this fabulous =
article about Lauri Donahue, the winning playwright of the Dorothy =
Silver Playwriting Competition. The article was in last week's =
Cleveland Jewish News.

Playwright's drama steeped in =
history=20
 Lauri Donahue brings ancient Judea =
to the Halle Theatre stage. 
 
BY: MARGI HERWALD <<A =
HREF=3D"mailto:mherwald at cjn.org">mailto:mherwald at cjn.org</A>><=
/U> Staff Reporter 
 There was a long wait to get in to =
see the film "Gladiator" when it opened in May 2000, so Lauri =
Donahue brought a book to the theater. 
 
It was Jewish Wars, a historical account by Flavius Josephus, an =
ancient Judean who defected to Rome. 
 
Before the movie began, Donahue found herself engrossed in Josephus' =
description of an often-overlooked woman ruler in ancient Israel around =
104 B.C.E. She was Queen Alexandra of Judea. 
 
"It was so wonderfully extravagant in its detail and so =
action-packed," recalls Donahue, 41, speaking to the CJN from her =
home outside of Vancouver. As she read about sons starving their =
mother, brothers killing each other, and devastating wars, the story =
"struck me as very theatrical and very Shakespearean," she =
says. 
 
As soon as she got home from the movie, Donahue sat down and wrote a =
monologue (in classical iambic pentameter) for one of the characters in =
Josephus' work. Soon, this monologue would expand into an epic, =
historical drama, "Alexandra of Judea." The play won this =
year's Dorothy Silver Playwriting Competition at the JCC's Halle =
Theatre. It will be performed as a staged reading on Saturday evening, =
Sept. 13. 
 
While she had collaborated on musicals and written Purim spiels and =
non-fiction articles, "Alexandra" is Donahue's first =
full-length play. She researched the play's period by immersing herself =
in Talmud and archival works. She found that Judea (ancient Israel) =
only had two queens in its history. One was a disastrous ruler who =
slaughtered her whole family. Alexandra's reign, however, "was =
known as a golden age, even by the misogynists of the Talmud," =
Donahue relates. "It's interesting that I - and nearly everyone =
else in the Jewish world - have never heard of Alexandra. The only good =
queen Israel ever had, and she's the great mystery woman of Jewish =
history." 
 
"Alexandra of Judea" chronicles the Hasmoneans, descendants =
of the Maccabbees, who ruled Judea in the absence of a king from =
David's line. Alexandra begins the play as wife of Aristobulus, an =
arrogant and paranoid usurper king. After his death, she marries his =
brother and successor, the drunken and easily manipulated Alexander. =
For years, her war-mongering husbands chip away at the stability of =
Judea, until finally Alexandra ascends to the throne and restores =
peace. 
 
"History adds a wonderful dimension to a story, a layer of =
richness from that culture and society," Donahue says. Most of her =
characters actually existed. "Instead of creating them out of thin =
air, I'm reincarnating old bones." 
 
The playwright hopes to "get people interested and excited about =
Alexandra. She should be better known; she should be up there with =
Miriam and Deborah." Donahue says her one consolation is that the =
street in Jerusalem named after Alexandra is longer than the streets =
named after her two husbands. 
 
The idea for the script struck Donahue just as she and husband, Rabbi =
Barry Leff (who was still in rabbinical school at the time), were =
planning to move to Israel for a year. Donahue, a lawyer, worked for a =
Jerusalem law firm that got pelted by shrapnel from nearby bombs. 
 
"Our timing was impeccable. We arrived (with two stepdaughters, =
two daughters and another on the way) just in time for the =
intifada," Donahue says. "It was a wonderful, but intense =
year. Israel is a wonderful place for children; it's very safe, bombs =
and all." 
 
On her lunch breaks, the pregnant Donahue worked on the script, =
including writing a speech in which a character describes to Queen =
Alexandra specifically what it feels like to go through pregnancy. The =
speech remains one of her favorites, and always elicits an enthusiastic =
response from women who say she captured it perfectly. 
 
A day before her labor was induced, Donahue attended the first reading =
of "Alexandra," performed by Israel's CenterStage Company. =
Later the play was read at the Chutzpah Festival in Vancouver (where =
her husband has a pulpit), and it is currently set to be published. 
 
"I'm hoping local theater people in the Cleveland area will be =
attracted to it and want to do its first full production with costumes, =
lights, etc.," says Donahue, who will attend the JCC reading =
here. 
 
A California native, Donahue was not born Jewish. After marrying Leff, =
she decided she wanted to convert while pregnant with her first child. =
Leff was not observant at the time, but Donahue began inundating their =
household with Yiddishkeit. Leff decided to join her in her =
studies, to "keep up." 
 
"He reconnected and started taking Hebrew again for the first time =
since his bar mitzvah," Donahue says. "It's my fault he =
became a rabbi!" 
 
Donahue currently has three completed screenplays that are being =
considered for filming, and she is working on a new play, =
"Pompeii." The story of a Jerusalem family brought as slaves =
to ancient Pompeii, it touches on issues like "life in the =
Diaspora, reinvention of Jewish life after the destruction of the =
Temple, science versus faith, forbidden love," she explains. =
"And also there's a volcano in it." 
 
Donahue still practices law "a little," but is shifting full =
focus to her scripts. "I just put my husband through four years of =
rabbinical school," she says. "Now he's going to put me =
through a few years of writing!" 
 
"Alexandra of Judea" will be performed at the Halle =
Theatre at the Mayfield JCC on Saturday, Sept. 13, at 8:30 p.m. Call =
216-382-4000, ext. 274.

<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">PLAN TO ATTEND!</FONT>
</P>
<BR>
<UL>
<P><FONT FACE=3D"Arial">Attend a Staged Reading of the Winner of the =
</FONT>
<BR><FONT FACE=3D"Arial">2003 Dorothy Silver Playwriting Competition =
</FONT>
<BR><FONT FACE=3D"Arial">Saturday, September 13,2003 * 8:30 PM </FONT>
<BR><FONT FACE=3D"Arial">Eugene S.and Blanche R.Halle Theatre </FONT>
</P>

Alexandra of Judea BY LAURI DONAHUE 
 Directed by Brian Zoldessy 
 The cast includes many well-known actors in =
the Cleveland area: 
 MARK =
CIPRA...............................JOHANAN/ELEAZAR 
 NOAH =
BUDIN..................................ARISTOBULUS/ANANIAS 
 HANS =
HOLZNAGEL...........................ANTIGONUS/2ND GENERAL 
 PAUL =
KAISER..............................ALEXANDER 
 JON =
STEIGER..............................MATTATHIAS 
 BRIAN =
INNENBERG..........................ABSOLOM/BOY 
 ALAN =
BRANSTEIN...........................LUTETIUS 
 EDDIE =
HAMMWAY............................SIMEON 
 MICHAEL =
REGNIER..........................JOSEPHUS 
 JOY =
BORLAND..............................SERAKH 
 MOLLY =
MCGINNIS...........................RACHEL 
 CAISE =
RODE...............................ALEXANDRA 
 CATHERINE =
ALBERS.........................MARIAMNE/CLEOPATRA 
 KELLIE =
MCIVOR............................LAVINIA 
 SUSANNA HOBRATH..........................STAGE =
DIRECTION 
 FUNDED BY MARILYN AND HARRY CAGIN 
 Civil war and foreign invasions. Courtesans, =
cannibalism, 
 and mass crucifixions. And an unfortunate =
incident with a 
 citrus fruit.

ALEXANDRA OF JUDEA is an epic true story of the =

 Hasmonean Dynasty - the house of Maccabee. A =
woman 
 of faith and courage, Alexandra survives =
political intrigues 
 and two murderous husbands to rule as the last =
queen of 
 the independent kingdom of Judea, with the =
help of her 
 ally - Cleopatra III of Egypt. The conflicts =
of their time echo 
 down to the present-day crisis in the Middle =
East 
 in this fast-moving, action-packed tale of an =

 important - and little known - period of =
history.

Make a reservation by calling the Event Ticket =
Office or by responding to 
</UL>
this email.

Kris =
Barnes
 Event =
Ticket Office Manager
 The Jewish =
Community Center of Cleveland
 kbarnes at clevejcc.org=20
 216-382-4000 ext. 274=20

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