Unicorn Theater Presents TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR…
By: Gabrielle Sierra Feb. 15, 2011
Unicorn Theatre is "Kibitzing in Kabul" this March with their new comedy TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR... by Seth Rozin. Funny, poignant and first introduced to Kansas City in the Unicorn's In-Progress New Play Readings, Ishaq and Zeblyan are the last two surviving Jews in a dilapidated old synagogue in Kabul during the Taliban regime's final days.
The only thing that binds them together is that they hate each other's guts. Could the salvation of Afghanistan's Jewish community actually be left in the hands of these two meshuganas? TWO JEWS WALK IN TO A WAR... made its premiere at Florida Stage and then went on to play at Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey and New Jersey Repertory Company, all three National New Play Network (NNPN) theatres of which the Unicorn is a founding member. Playwright Rozin is the also the Artist Director of InterAct Theatre Company in Philadelphia, PA, another NNPN founding theatre. Unicorn Theatre's Producing Artistic Director Cynthia Levin directs Jim Korinke and Robert Elliott. Partial support for this production provided by the Herb and Bonnie Buchbinder Donor Advisory Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City.
TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR... will be performed on the Unicorn's Jerome Stage located at 3828 Main Street, Kansas City, MO 64111. Previews are March 2nd, 3rd and 4th. The play runs March 5-20, 2011. Performances Tuesday through Thursday are at 7:30 pm, Friday and Saturday at 8:00pm, and Sundays at 3:00 pm. Talk back performances, where patrons are encouraged to stay after the show and discuss the play with the actors and director, are scheduled for March 8th, 13th and 15th.Seth Rozin is the author of several plays, including Men of Stone (produced by Theater Catalyst in 2001, nominated for a Barrymore Award for Outstanding New Play, published by Playscripts, Inc.), Missing Link (produced by InterAct Theatre Company in 2002, nominated for a Barrymore Award for Outstanding New Play), Reinventing Eden (showcased by the National New Play Network in 2005, produced by InterAct in 2006), The Space Between Us (readings at Abingdon Theatre in New York and InterAct), Black Gold (showcased by the National New Play Network in 2006, NNPN rolling world premieres at InterAct, Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis, Prop Thtr in Chicago, Arts West in Seattle in 2008), and Two Jews Walk Into A War... (NNPN rolling world premieres at Florida Stage, New Jersey Repertory Theatre and Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, as well as Shadowland Theatre (Ellenville, NY), Unicorn Theatre (Kansas City), Merrimack Repertory Theatre (Lowell, MA) and InterAct in 2010-11. He has also written the book, lyrics and music for a new musical entitled A Passing Wind: The (Mostly) True Story of Joseph Pujol, about the rise and fall of the world's greatest "fartiste," which will
be premiered as part of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts' Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts in April, 2011. Seth is the recipient of two playwriting fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the
2007 Smith Prize, as well as a 2002 new play commission from the Foundation for Jewish Culture. He is the founder and Producing Artistic Director of InterAct Theatre Company in Philadelphia, where he has directed over 45 productions, including the world premieres of Thomas Gibbons' Permanent Collection, Bee-Luther-Hatchee, Black Russian, A House With No Walls and 6221. He served as President of the National New Play Network from 2002-2006, and currently Chairs the Philadelphia New Play Initiative.
The National New Play Network (NNPN) is the country's alliance of non-profit professional theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays. Since its founding in 1998, NNPN has commissioned over a dozen playwrights, provided thirteen MFA graduates with paid residencies, and supported over 80 productions nationwide through its innovative Continued Life of New Plays Fund, which creates "rolling world premieres" of new plays. Through its programs, NNPN has granted nearly a half million dollars to theaters and artists in the past ten years. Hundreds of artists have gained employment through these efforts in the 24 regions of the country where NNPN member theaters are located. NNPN receives substantial support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Boeing Company, the Shubert Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. More information on the NNPN at www.nnpn.org. Cast and Creative Team
Cynthia Levin has led the Unicorn as Producing Artistic Director for thirty one years where she has most recently directed the Unicorn's productions of Distracted, the world premiere of Green Whales, Miss Witherspoon and My First Time. In addition she has directed the reading of The Last Pair of Earlies for the Unicorn's In-Progress New Play Reading Series and The Kennedy Center MFA Playwrights Showcase. The cast includes Jim Korinke as Isaq (recently at the Unicorn: The Velvet Rut, Mauritius, Orson's Shadow and La Cage Aux Folles) and Robert Elliott (previously at the Unicorn: Farragut North and Veteran's Day).The creative team includes Evan Hill for Scenic Design (previously at the Unicorn: A Very Joan Crawford Christmas), Alex Perry for Lighting Design (Previously at the Unicorn: The Seafarer, And Her Hair Went With Her and My First Time), David Kiehl for Sound Design (recently at Unicorn: In The Next Room or the vibrator play, A Very Joan Crawford Christmas, Speech & Debate and 9 Parts of Desire), Jon Fulton Adams for Costume Design (recently at the Unicorn: A Very Joan Crawford Christmas, The Seafarer, [title of show], And Her Hair Went With Her and Grey Gardens), Gary Campbell for Properties Design (recently at the Unicorn: In The Next Room or the vibrator play, A Very Joan Crawford Christmas, [title of show], 9 Parts of Desire and rightnextto me), and Tanya Brown as Stage Manager (recently at the Unicorn: A Very Joan Crawford Christmas, Green Whales and Farragut North). *Talk back performances with the actors and director.More information online at www.UnicornTheatre.org
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