Jewish Theatre Collaborative to Premiere THE MINISTRY OF SPECIAL CASES, 3/14-4/11

Dark humor carries you on an emotional roller coaster in this World Premiere The Ministry of Special Cases by Nathan Englander.

Ministry transports you to Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1976. In the heart of Argentina's Dirty War, Kaddish Poznan, who defaces graves for a living, and his insurance clerk wife, Lillian, strive against the forces of inflation and political insecurity to provide a normal life for their obstinate teenage son Pato. When the 'Dirty War' infiltrates their home, Kaddish and Lillian are forced into a search that will challenge their faith, their sanity and their very union.

Directed by Sacha Reich. Adapted from Nathan Englander's novel by Sacha Reich and Jamie M. Rea. This production will feature some of Portland's greatest talent: Bobby Bermea*, Jason Glick, Brian Demar Jones, Michael C Jordan, Mark Loring, Crystal Muñoz, Jamie M. Rea, Jim Vadala and Wendy Wilcox. Designers include painter Henk Pander, Elizabeth Huffman, Chris Beatty, Kate Mura, Carl Faber and electric cellist Gideon Freudmann.

Jewish Theatre Collaborative presents the show as part of its Page2Stage series. "The Ministry of Special Cases" runs March 14-April 11, Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2:00pm at the Milagro Theatre, 525 SE Stark. For tickets, call 1-800-838-3006 or go online www.jewishtheatrecollaborative.org. Price: $30 General Admission; $20 Students.

Following up with last year's Page2Stage success A Pigeon and A Boy, this exciting and unique program format begins with one book and an invitation for audiences to join JTC on a journey from book to stage. Original performances along the way deepen the audiences' understanding of the novel and personalize their connection to its subject and characters. This year's performances "Prologue" and the recent sold-out "Echoes" Cabaret explored themes and history central to The Ministry of Special Cases. The Page2Stage journey climaxes with a World-Premiere adaption of the novel this spring.

About the Author Nathan Englander is a bestselling author at the very forefront of contemporary American fiction. Englander's short fiction has appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, and numerous anthologies including The Best American Short Stories, The O. Henry Prize Stories, and The Pushcart Prize. His story collection For the Relief of Unbearable Urges earned him a PEN/Faulkner Malamud Award and the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Englander's most recent collection of short stories, What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, published in 2012, was the winner of the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. (Alfred A. Knopf)

Jewish Theatre Collaborative is in residence at Milagro Theatre in SE Portland. Program Support Page2Stage is produced with support from Ronni Lacroute and WillaKenzie Estates, James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, the Oregon Cultural Trust, and the Regional Arts & Culture Council. Since 2008 Jewish Theatre Collaborative has thoughtfully explored how dynamic theater performances created from great stories can serve as springboards for exciting community conversations.

*member Actor's Equity

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