[NEohioPAL] Mandel JCC Presents PANGS OF THE MESSIAH Readings June 7-8

[Anita Tucker]

NEWS

The Mandel Jewish Community Center of Cleveland 

26001 South Woodland Rd, Beachwood OH 44122

 


Contact: Anita Tucker

(216) 228-7285

 <mailto:Anita at Where4ARThou.com> Anita at Where4ARThou.com

 

Video and discussion events to accompany Mandel JCC Israeli Play Reading
PANGS OF THE MESSIAH June 7-8

Educational Surround Events include pre- and post-performance documentary &
discussions

 

In celebration of the 60th birthday of the State of Israel, The Mandel JCC
presents Pangs of the Messiah, the work of contemporary Israeli playwright
Motti Lerner, to be directed by Cleveland Play House Associate Artistic
Director Seth Gordon on June 7-8 at The Mandel JCC.

 

Pangs of the Messiah is a fiercely humane and moving depiction of eight West
Bank settlers who resist the dismantling of their settlement by the Israeli
Defense Forces. Set in the near future after the signing of a Peace Accord
between the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority, Pangs of the
Messiah reveals the widely divergent responses within an extended family as
Shmuel, the leader of the settlement movement, is forced to reckon with the
legacy of his teachings. 

 

Acclaimed Cleveland Play House Associate Artistic Director Seth Gordon will
guest direct a remarkable cast of local actors in the reading of this play
translated from Hebrew into English: George Roth* as Shmuel; Elizabeth Ann
Townsend* as Amalia; Joel Hammer* as Menachem; Andrew Narten as Avner;
Bernadette Clemens* as Tirtzah; Bob Russell as Nadav; Elizabeth Kahl as
Chava; and Adam Day Howard as Benny. (*Actors appear courtesy of Actors
Equity Association. All cast subject to change.)

 

On Sunday, June 8 at 1:00pm Alan Levenson, Professor of Jewish History,
Siegal College of Judaic Studies, will lead a pre-performance discussion of
the history of the settlement movement.  Immediately following the
discussion, at 1:30pm, a short documentary featuring playwright Motti Lerner
will be shown. Post-performance discussions will follow both Saturday and
Sunday readings.

 

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

Playwright and screenwriter Motti Lerner was born in Israel in 1949.  He
currently teaches "Political Playwriting" at Tel Aviv University and has
been active in the peace movement in Israel since 1973. 

He frequently lectures at European and American Universities on playwriting,
especially on the Israeli theater and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  His
productions include The Murder of Isaac, about the assassination of Prime
Minister Yitzhak Rabin; Exile in Jerusalem (Williamstown Festival, Jewish
Ensemble Theatre in Detroit, La MaMa Experimental Theatre in New York), Hard
Love, (Theatre Or in Durham, NC and Victory Gardens in Chicago), Passing The
Love of Women (Theater J, Washington DC) and Coming Home (Golden Thread
Productions in San Francisco).  His feature film Spring 1941 is currently in
production in Poland and will star Joseph Fiennes and Claire Higgins. He is
a recipient of the Meskin Award for the best play (1985) and the Israeli
Motion Picture Academy award for the best TV drama (1995 and 2004). In 1994
he won the Prime Minister of Israel's Award for his creative work.

 

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE

Readings are Saturday, June 7 at 8:30pm and Sunday, June 8 at 2:00pm.at The
Mandel JCC's Stonehill Auditorium, 26001 South Woodland Road in Beachwood.
Tickets are $12.  Discount tickets are available for JCC members ($9),
seniors ($10) and students ($8).  To purchase tickets, visit The Mandel JCC,
call the Arts & Culture ticket line at (216) 593-6258, or order on-line at
<http://www.clevejcc.org/> www.clevejcc.org.

 

SEASON SUPPORT

Generous support from Roe Green and The Green Arts Fund of the Jewish
Community Federation of Cleveland has helped make the 2007-08 Mandel JCC
Arts & Culture season possible.  Media support is provided by The Cleveland
Jewish News. Accommodations are provided by Marriott Cleveland East.

 

The Mandel Jewish Community Center of Cleveland builds and strengthens
Cleveland's entire Jewish Community by providing exceptional programs and
services that enhance Jewish continuity and Jewish identity in four key
program areas: Health, Wellness and Recreation; Early Childhood Education;
Camping; and Cultural Arts, which are central to the mission of JCC's
nationwide.  Membership to The Mandel JCC is open to all. The Mandel JCC is
a non-profit social service agency that receives funding from the Jewish
Community Federation and the United Way.

 

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