Joshua Harmon's BAD JEWS to Return to Los Angeles Area at Whitefire Theatre

The critically acclaimed Joshua Harmon play Bad Jews will be making a brief return to the Los Angeles area June 19th-25th at the Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks.

The production, starring Jeanette Deutsch, Ryan Phillips, Andrew Fromer and Bailey Humiston, is directed by Anna Steers and is the debut production of the newly formed AFDF Productions.

Bad Jews portrays one night in the life of the Feygenbaum/Haber family after the funeral of their beloved grandfather, a holocaust survivor affectionately known as Poppy. Liam arrives home with his non-Jewish girlfriend Melody from an Aspen ski trip having missed the proceedings. His brother Jonah and cousin Daphna await, and Daphna has only one thing on her mind: laying claim to Poppy's treasured chai necklace. Liam begs to differ...What ensues is a Biblically comical battle of right vs. wrong, too Jewish vs. not Jewish enough.

Producer Andrew Fromer says "Growing up in the Jewish community of Los Angeles, this play has such eerie representations of real life. Everyone knows a Daphna, a Liam, and I can guarantee that the questions raised by the play have also been raised in religious school classrooms. And I can't wait to hear which answers resonate with the audience. In a world that is accelerating into modernity, how do we maintain our religious beliefs that are steeped in ancient traditions?"

"Bad Jews is an intelligently crafted, provocative story using the vehicles of comedy and familial dynamics to explore religion, identity, privilege and acceptance," says director Anna Steers. How we individually connect with these themes reveals the most personal layer of one's identity. Challenging these themes could potentially evoke a defensive rebuttal. This is precisely why Bad Jews could not be more timely."

Performances are: June 19th (8pm - preview); June 20th (8pm - preview); June 22nd (8pm); June 23rd (8pm); June 24th (3pm and 8pm); and June 25th (3pm and 7:30pm). For tickets, head to bit.ly/sobadjews.