Road Theatre Company & New York's Jewish Plays Project Present WHO BY FIRE Workshop This Month

THE ROAD THEATRE COMPANY (Taylor Gilbert, Founder/Artistic Director together with Sam Anderson, Artistic Director) in partnership with the Jewish Plays Project (David Winitsky, Artistic Director), have announced a one-night only reading presentation of 2021 National Jewish Playwriting Contest Winner, WHO BY FIRE, written by Talisa Friedman and directed by legendary casting director John Levey. WHO BY FIRE will be read Monday, May 22 at 8 pm at the Road Theatre, located in The NoHo Senior Arts Colony, 10747 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood.

Len and Jules Feinstein are your standard progressive, not-particularly-religious DC-area Jews. So when their eldest child Eliza brings her black boyfriend Everett home for Yom Kippur break fast, there's no issue. Sure, the dog attacks him ("I've only seen him bark like that at the mailman") and the quantity of African artifacts around the house feel a little appropriative, but it's nothing too alarming. The biggest "problem" is that the family seems skeptical of the film that Eliza and Everett are collaborating on...but maybe they just don't get it.

Tensions ramp up over the next few family gatherings. Abby, the youngest child, still can't find a job; middle son Noah has an Asian-American girlfriend; Len's sister might be embarrassingly racist. Amidst the minefield of these minor family dramas, however, a real tragedy begins to unfold that turns the lives of the Feinstein's on their heads. In the subsequent months, each family member finds themselves navigating a newly-fraught existence-none more so than Eliza, who begins to question every construct in her life and cling to the religion she once had all but abandoned.

"WHO BY FIRE takes a genre that we see at the JPP - the family Seder play - and opens it up to embrace a broader and deeper idea of Jews in America. That's exciting to me, and feels extremely aligned with our goal of discovering 21st Century Jewish theater." - David Winitsky

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM

Talisa Friedman (Playwright) is an actress, writer, and singer based in Los Angeles. Her most recent work, Who By Fire, won the 2021 National Jewish Playwriting Competition. An English major who graduated cum laude from Harvard, she was awarded the Jonathan Levy Prize for Acting, the David McCord Prize for the Arts, and was a member of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals and the Signet Society of Arts & Letters. Talisa will next be seen in the upcoming Lifetime movie "A New Orleans Noel," opposite Keshia Knight Pulliam and Patti LaBelle. Her recent credits include a five-month run as Sally Bowles in Celebration Theatre's production of Cabaret and the feature film "One Night in San Diego," starring Alexandra Daddario and Jenna Ushkowitz. Other theater: Hamlet(Ophelia) and Alex Timbers' The Last Goodbye (Juliet) at The Old Globe, Donnie Darko (Cherita) at the American Repertory Theater, Ah! Wilderness (Mildred) at Arena Stage, and The Dodgers (Patti) and We Are The Tigers(Farrah) at LA's Hudson Theater. Film: "Bachelor Lions," "Bad Match," and "At Thirty We Throw Dinner Parties." TV: "Shameless" and "American Woman."

John Frank LEVEY (Director) is a four-time Emmy Award-winning casting director. He has cast such iconic television shows as "China Beach," "ER," "The West Wing" and "Shameless," as well as dozens of other television series, miniseries, TV movies, digital series, video games and feature films. Levey is also a five-time winner of the Casting Society of America's Artios Award and the recipient of its prestigious Hoyt Bowers Award, given for excellence in casting and outstanding contributions to the casting profession. Right for the Role is his first book. After decades at Warner Bros., Levey became Vice President of Casting for John Wells Productions before launching his own casting company. Throughout his career, he has been a proud collaborator with many great writers, actors, producers and directors-he is most gratified for the friendships he's forged and the talent he has helped foster. Personally, Levey is most proud of his children, Oliver Leo and Joanna Claire.

JOSHUA REUBEN SILVERSTEIN (Dramaturg) is an award-winning actor, comic, writer, beatboxer, and educator,named by the Jewish News Service as "one of the best beatboxers in the world." His various collaborations with artists such as Slash from Guns and Roses, poetic icon Ursula Rucker and Improv legend Wayne Brady have earned him the title of "the hardest-working performer in L.A." Joshua performs for "The Late Late Show with James Corden" on the segment Drop The Mic and the stand-alone, half-hour TNT/TBS series by the same name. His solo show, "The Joshua Silverstein Show," received rave reviews during its preview at the Greenway Court Theater. Joshua is the co-host and co-producer of Emmy award-winning "Downbeat 720," a high school open-mic staple. He is an original member of Norman Lear's DECLARE YOURSELF ROAD TRIP SHOW, a 3-year spoken-word/musical performance tour encouraging the American people to register to vote. The Cast of WHO BY FIRE will feature: Laura Gardner as "Jules Feinstein," Bruce Katzman as "Len Feinstein," Lilli Passero as "Eliza Feinstein," Christian Prentice as "Noah Feinstein," Christian Telesmar as "Everett Cole," among others.

ABOUT THE JEWISH PLAYWRITING CONTEST

The Jewish Playwriting Contest seeks to discover, highlight, and nurture contemporary Jewish drama by engaging with artistic and Jewish communities throughout the English-speaking world. The Contest has received and vetted over 1,850 plays by 1,200 writers in 32 states and 9 countries. The JPP has actively developed 55 of those plays, 35 of which have gone on to production in cities across the globe, including New York, Los Angeles, London, and Tel Aviv, playing for more than 100,000 audience members.

ABOUT THE JEWISH PLAYS PROJECT

The Jewish Plays Project, founded in 2011, identifies, develops, and presents new works of theater via one-of-a-kind explorations of contemporary Jewish identity between audiences, artists, and patrons. The JPP's innovative and competitive development process engages Jewish communities in the vetting, selecting, and championing of new voices and secures mainstream production opportunities for the best new plays. The JPP has featured some of the best artists working in New York, including writers David Hein and Irene Sankoff (Come from Away), Robert Askins (Hand to God), and Lauren Yee (Cambodian Rock Band); directors Marc Bruni (Beautiful), Daniella Topol (Artistic Director, Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre), and Tamilla Woodard (WP Theater, 3LD); and actors Andrew Polk (The Band's Visit), Ronald Guttman (Mad Men, Homeland), Kirrilee Berger (Amazon's Just Add Magic), and Obie and Drama Desk nominee Marcia Jean Kurtz.

SCHEDULE AND PRICING

WHO BY FIRE will perform on Monday, May 22 at 8 pm at the Road Theatre, located in The NoHo Senior Arts Colony, 10747 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood. All tickets are Pay-What-You-Will. To reserve a seat, please call 818-761-8838 or visit www.RoadTheatre.org.

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