On The Bimah: Spotlighting Jewish Theatre Artists

"Six Months In: Lynde Rosario on Leading AJT Programming" (Season 5, Episode 3) welcomes back Lynde Rosario, Executive Director for Programming at AJT and dramaturg based in New York City, for a check-in on her first six months at the helm. Lynde reflects on what's surprised her most about the role. From the Guthrie Theater to the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, she...

"A Recurring Lens: Ali Viterbi Returns" (Season 5, Episode 2) welcomes back playwright, dramaturg, and AJT board member Ali Viterbi. Ali first appeared on the podcast in Season 2, Episode 3, and returns to discuss the groundbreaking AJT Resource Guide she spearheaded - a comprehensive tool for theaters producing Jewish work with authenticity and care. In this conversation, Ali shares the...

"None of This Is an Individual Process" (Season 5, Episode 1) welcomes Andy Horwitz, a writer and cultural producer whose work bridges experimental theater and Jewish communal practice in unexpected ways. From his tenure at the Foundation for Jewish Culture during the era of contemporary Jewish cultural renaissance to his current explorations of theatrical form and Jewish thought, Horwit...

We're back! "Judaism Offers You Steps to Mind Your Own Business" (Season 4, Episode 8) welcomes Alex Edelman, the Tony and Emmy Award-winning comedian and writer whose solo show "Just for Us" captivated Broadway audiences and sparked conversations about Jewish identity across the globe. Known for his sharp wit and profound insights, Edelman has become one of the most distin...

"Between Two Worlds" (Season 4, Episode 7) welcomes Nancy Gaddy, a performer whose career spans from national theater tours to klezmer music stages. Known for her character "Mrs. Schmaltz" and her latest production "Beyond the Borscht Belt," Gaddy celebrates the evolution of Jewish performance traditions in America. In this conversation, Gaddy shares insights from her...

"Reshaping Clay" (Season 4, Episode 6) brings to the Bimah Aviva Pearl Creation and Jael Scott, the creative forces behind "Clay Mommy," a new play that reimagines the golem myth through a trans lens. Based in NYC, this writer-director duo discusses their production, where traditional Jewish storytelling meets contemporary trans narratives. In this deep-diving conversation, Pea...

"We Have To Find Laughter Right Now: Andrew Davies" (Season 4, Episode 5), the newest episode of our season, dropped Wednesday, November 28. We called to the Bimah Andrew Davies, co-founder of The Bible Players, who is based in Philadelphia. Andrew shared his approach to Jewish education through comedy, introducing listeners to "Mitzprov" - a blend of improvisation and Jewish values that transform...

"An Inner Knowing: Tova Hopemark" (Season 4, Episode 4), the newest episode of our season, dropped Monday, August 14. We called to the Bimah actor, playwright, and filmmaker Dr. Tova Hopemark, who is based in the NYC metro area. Dr. Hopemark shared insights into her film "Alright, Robot", where she plays a Jewish millennial struggling with isolation and mental health who forms...

"What Has Always Been / Radicle, not Radical" (Season 4, Episode 3), the newest episode of our season, dropped Monday, May 20. We called to the Bimah composer, playwright and teacher Bronwen Mullin (she/her) and rabbi, writer, teacher, and theater artist Nicole Fix (she/her). Based in West Philly, Bronwen and Nicole are the co-founders of the Rabbinic Arts Company, a unique initiative th...

"Theory from Theater" (Season 4, Episode 2), the new episode of our season, dropped Monday, May 6. We called to the Bimah director, playwright, and performance artist Jesse Freedman (he/him). Based in New York City, Jesse is the Artistic Director of Meta-Phys Ed., a multidisciplinary performance group that grapples with philosophical and political ideas through a Jewish lens. His genre-d...

"A World of Difference" (Season 4, Episode 1), the new episode of our season, dropped Wednesday, April 3. We called to the Bimah casting director Daryl Eisenberg (she/her), founder of Eisenberg Casting. Based in New York City, Daryl has cast an impressive range of projects across theater, film, television and new media. Her office is committed to prioritizing diversity, authentic represe...

"All of It and None of It" (Season 3, Episode 8), the final episode of our season, dropped Wednesday, November 29. We called to the Bimah the comedian and theater artist Antonia Lassar (she/they). Based in Los Angeles, Antonia has earned viral fame on TikTok for her sketches about Jewish cultural quirks. They have toured the country with their productions "Post Traumatic Super Delig...

For "Pride is the Opposite of Shame" (Season 3, Episode 7), which dropped Thursday, September 7, we called to the Bimah Founding Artistic Director of National Queer Theater Adam Odsess-Rubin. Based in New York City, Adam founded NQT in 2018 to provide a creative home for LGBTQ+ artists and showcase unheard voices within the community. We had an enlightening discussion about how the Jewis...

For "Our Complex Selves" (Season 3, Episode 6), which dropped today, Tuesday, July 11, we called to the Bimah the newest Artistic Director of Theater J, Hayley Finn, based in Washington DC. Hayley joined us to discuss her approach to her new role, influenced by her diverse professional theatre experiences including her time at the Playwrights' Center and on Broadway. Host Danielle Le...

Our podcast has a new name! The podcast formerly known as Theatre Schmooze is now called "On the Bimah: Spotlighting Jewish Theatre Artists". We're excited to have you here! For "A Thousand Faces" (Season 3, Episode 5), which dropped today, Wednesday, April 4, we called to the Bimah a very special guest: writer, cultural critic, arts advocate, administrator, and AJT Board m...

Our podcast has a new name! The podcast formerly known as Theatre Schmooze is now called "On the Bimah: Spotlighting Jewish Theatre Artists". We're excited to have you here! For "Connecting and Rebelling" (Season 3, Episode 4), which dropped today, Tuesday, March 14, we called to the Bimah two special guests: author, poet, Persian, Jewish mother, and empowered woman Dorit Nowparvar, and, speaker,...

Our podcast has a new name! The podcast formerly known as Theatre Schmooze is now called "On the Bimah: Spotlighting Jewish Theatre Artists". We're excited to have you here! And with our new name, we're launching our next podcast with not one, but two guests. For "The Role of the Bystander" (Season 3, Episode 3), which dropped on Tuesday, January 24, we called to the Bimah Emmy Award-winning nonfi...

"Storytelling in Community" (Season 3, Episode 2) dropped on Wednesday, November 16 with our seventeenth guest: Ronda Spinak, Founder and Artistic Director of The Braid, based in Los Angeles, California. Tune in as Ronda and Danielle discuss how The Braid's collaborations with institutions, like the Museum of Jewish Heritage and Monica Piper, in producing and developing new and emergent works; her...

"Finding a Fairytale" (Season 3, Episode 1) dropped on Monday, October 10 with our seventeenth guest: Lila Rose Kaplan, a playwright and writer based in Somerville, Massachusetts. Tune in as Lila Rose and Danielle discuss how Lila's plays have developed and changed with every performance, what creating work during the pandemic felt like, and her upcoming project: Leah & Her Dybbuk, part of The...

"Letting History Live" (Season 2, Episode 8) dropped on Monday, September 19 with our sixteenth guest: Alix Sobler, a writer, performer, and theater artist based in New York City. Tune in as Alix and Danielle discuss her psychological thriller podcast movie Ghostwriter, her plays Hindsight and LastNight in Inwood, and the journey her work has gone through, both in her life as a Jewish theatre arti...

"Where Music and Theater Meet" (Season 2, Episode 7) dropped on Wednesday, August 17 with our fifteenth guest: Ben Caplan, a writer and performer based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Tune in as Ben and Danielle discuss Ben's piece "Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story", his relationship to immigration and diaspora, and his work as a musician and theatre maker. Theatre Schmooze is an all-new, monthly...

"A Listening Tour" (Season 2, Episode 6) dropped on Wednesday, July 20 with our fourteenth guest: Willow Jade Norton, a theatre director, arts administrator, teacher, arts advocate, and, Alliance for Jewish Theatre’s new Executive Director, based in Oregon. Tune in as Willow and Danielle discuss Willow's dreams for AJT, how her previous leadership experiences will impact her new role, and how her...

"A Map On My Face" (Season 2, Episode 5) dropped on Friday, June 24 with our thirteenth guest: Yehuda Hyman (The Mad 7, Swan Lake Calhoun, Center of the Star), an actor, playwright, dancer, and choreographer based in Brooklyn, New York. Tune in as Yehuda and Danielle discuss Yehuda's solo show "The Dancing Room", his career shift from dancing to writing, the exploration of Yehuda's family's story...

"Space and Place" (Season 2, Episode 4) dropped on Friday, May 20 with our twelfth guest: Maya Arad-Yasur (Amsterdam, Suspended, God Waits at the Station), a playwright based in Tel Aviv, Israel. Tune in as Maya and Danielle discuss Jewishness and theatrical identity, the process for creating Maya's plays, and discoveries made by different companies that perform Maya's work worldwide. Theatre Schm...

Theatre Schmooze: A Recurring Lense - Season 2, Episode 3 with Ali Viterbi A Recurring Lense - Season 2, Episode 3 dropped on Wednesday, April 13 with our eleventh guest: Ali Viterbi, playwright and television writer, based in Providence, Rhode Island. Tune in as Ali and Danielle discuss her multiple world premieres of In Every Generation, educational and mentorship experiences, the impact of Jewi...