Photo Flash: Long Wharf Theatre presents THE CHOSEN, Running Through 12/17

Long Wharf Theatre presents The Chosen, adapted by Aaron Posner and Chaim Potok from the novel by Potok, directed by Artistic Director Gordon Edelstein, from November 22 through December 17. The production takes place on the Claire Tow Stage in the C. Newton Schenck Mainstage, 222 Sargent Drive, New Haven. Tickets start at $29.

The cast includes Ben Edelman (Danny Saunders), George Guidall (Reb Saunders), Steven Skybell (David Malter), and Max Wolkowitz (Reuven Malter). The creative team includes Eugene Lee (set design), Paloma Young (costume design), Mark Barton (lighting design), John Gromada (sound design), Cole Bonenberger (stage manager), and Calleri Casting (casting).

Brilliant young men from rival yeshivas, Reuven and Danny first meet on a baseball diamond. When Danny fells Reuven with a line drive in the heat of competition, the two boys start a tentative and unique friendship. Growing up in The Shadows of imposing and impressive fathers, the young men question their places in the world. Set against the backdrop of 1940s Brooklyn and the specter of war, Posner's adaptation of Chaim Potok's award- winning 1967 novel is a story of fathers and sons, tradition, modernity, and the difficult choices one must to make to achieve understanding.'

"This is a beautiful story about the complicated relationship between parents and their children and how a friendship grows," Edelstein said. "In many way, this play talks about finding your family. Sometimes we seek our fathers in places other than our own homes."

Posner had been seeking Jewish works to adapt because it was a subject he was interested in exploring for himself. He had gotten to know Chaim Potok through his attendance at Philadelphia's Arden Theatre, where Posner was a resident director and co-founder. "I decided to call him up and ask for advice on what Jewish works he thought might make good adaptations. I thought I should reread some of Potok's books before I talked to him, and I started with The Chosen. I read it and thought, oh my God, I don't need to look any further, this is amazing," Posner said in an interview with Steppenwolf Theatre.

Posner, who has also adapted Potok's My Name is Asher Lev for the stage, is drawn to the core conflicts present in his novels: the tension between people and forces like family, religion, and society. "His stories are filled with people doing their best to live their lives in keeping with their own deeply held beliefs and convictions. But sometimes, when those beliefs and convictions are in conflict within a community or family, or even within one's self, it can be very tricky. That is where Chaim located most of his work. He explored big, hard questions in honest, intelligent, and insightful ways," Posner said.

Ben Edelman is making his Long Wharf Theatre debut. He has appeared on Broadway in Significant Other. His television appearances include "Instinct," "Braindead," and "The Good Wife." He has appeared on stage in Angels in America, Three Sisters, Trojan Women: A Love Story, No Exit, and As You Like It, among others.

George Guidall is making his fifth appearance at Long Wharf, previously appearing in Dalliance, A Flea in Her Ear, The Crucible, and A Daring Bride. Widely recognized as the world's most acclaimed and most prolific narrator of audiobooks, Guidall has also career in the theatre, including starring roles on Broadway, an Obie award for best
performance Off-Broadway, and has shared the stage at the New York Shakespeare Festival with Kevin Kline, Morgan Freeman, and Meryl Streep.

Steven Skybell is making his Long Wharf Theatre debut. His Broadway appearances include Fiddler on the Roof, Pal

Joey, Wicked, The Full Monty, Love, Valour, Compassion, and Ah, Wilderness. He has appeared extensively Off-
Broadway, and at regional theatres like Westport Country Playhouse, Yale Rep, Two Rivers Theatre,

Shakespeare's Globe, Arena Stage, La Jolla Playhouse, McCarter Theatre, and California Shakespeare, among others. His many films and television appearances include "The Cradle Will Rock," "Blue Bloods," "Chicago PD," "Elementary," "Law & Order," and "Sex and the City."

Max Wolkowitz is making his Long Wharf Theatre debut. He is actor, animator, musician and director and has recently appeared in Love, Sex, and Death in the Amazon, The Velveteen Rabbit, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling
Bee, My Name is Asher Lev, Ivanov, and Indian Summer, among others.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit longwharf.org 203-787-4282.

All photos are by T. Charles Erickson.

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