ONE JEWISH BOY West Coast Premiere To Open Echo Theater Company's 2025 Season

Navigating any relationship is difficult enough. What happens when you factor in politics and rising prejudice? Echo Theater Company will present the West Coast premiere of One Jewish Boy by British playwright Stephen Laughton, a biting, bittersweet story of two young people in love confronted with the world's unpredictable cruelty.

Echo artistic director Chris Fields directs the six-week run at Atwater Village Theatre (replacing the previously announced production of Flight). Performances take place March 22 through April 28, with three Pay-What-You-Want previews are set for March 19, March 20 and March 21.

A love story set over a decade, One Jewish Boy stars Zeke Goodman, last seen at the Echo in Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies, as Jesse, a nice Jewish boy from North London. Jesse falls hopelessly for Alex, a young woman of mixed race played by Sharae Foxie, whose credits include the Sundance award-winning crime comedy I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore. The love between Jesse and Alex is real, pure and absolute — but Jesse has never been able to shake off the memory of a traumatic event that changed him forever. Can the fear of hatred be worse than the hate itself?

“These two people are crazy for each other, but their relationship is threatened by internalized hate,” says Fields. “How do you stay in love in a world that is thrusting its malevolence at us? The theme of this play is how to hold on to love.”

The creative team for One Jewish Boy includes scenic designer Justin Huen, lighting and sound designer Matthew Richter, and Costume Designer Dianne K Graebner. The assistant director is Natalya Nielsen and the production stage manager is Bianca Rickheim. Chris Fields, Kelly Beech, Marie Bland and Hilary Oglesby produce for the Echo Theater Company.

Founded in 1997, the Echo Theater Company has gained a reputation for producing and developing exhilarating new work. Under the artistic leadership of Chris Fields, the company has championed playwrights for more than a quarter century, producing and commissioning numerous world premieres and introducing Los Angeles to playwrights David Lindsay-Abaire, Adam Rapp and Sarah Ruhl among others. The Echo has won countless Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, Ovation, LA Weekly and Stage Raw awards, and is frequently cited on end-of-the-year “Best of Lists” including by the Los Angeles Times and NPR affiliate KCRW 89.9 FM. The company was anointed “Best Bet for Ballsy Original Plays” by the LA Weekly and was a recipient of a “Kilroy Cake Drop” to honor its efforts to produce women and trans writers.

KCRW declared that “Echo Theater Company is on a fierce journey,” and Los Angeles Times theater critic Charles McNulty wrote, “Artistic directors of theaters of all sizes would be wise to follow the [lead] of the Echo's Chris Fields, who [is] building audience communities eager for the challenge of path-breaking plays.” In 2023, the Echo was honored with the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle's prestigious Margaret Harford Award for Excellence in Theatre. Last season's productions of Dido of Idaho by Abby Rosebrock and Clarkston by Samuel D. Hunter each garnered numerous awards and were named to multiple end-of-year “Best of 2024” lists.

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