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October 8, 2004/Tishri 23 5765, Vol. 57, No. 6
'Dreams' teaches about retaining Jewish identity
JENNIFER GOLDBERG
Staff Writer
A new Jewish short play based on a children's book will be performed all over the Valley this fall in honor of Celebrate 350 Arizona.
"Dreams in the Golden Country," based on the Scholastic Dear America book by Kathryn Lanksy and adapted for the stage by playwright Barbara Field, will be produced by the Arizona Jewish Theatre Company. The "Dear America" series features the "diaries" of fictional youth living through different eras in American history.
In "Dreams," 12-year-old Zipporah Feldman, her older sister Tovah and their mother emigrate from Russia in the early 20th century to join the girls' father in New York. The girls each take their own path toward assimilation: Tovah marries the Irish-Catholic son of the couple next door, and Zipporah eventually becomes a star actress in the Yiddish theater world.
Janet Arnold, AJTC managing director, says she first heard of the play while at a Jewish theater conference in Washington, D.C. The Kennedy Center, responsible for the creation of "Dreams," showed a portion of the play to conference attendees.
"They're planning some sort of national tour, but it wasn't coming through Arizona, so they gave us the rights" to stage an Arizona production and perform it locally and around the state, Arnold says. Last month, the Jewish Community Foundation gave AJTC a $5,000 grant for the "Dreams" production.
Arnold explains that while "Dreams" is geared toward third- through fifth-graders (and is available with teacher and student study guides), the timelessness of the immigrant story is appropriate for all ages and is especially relevant as Celebrate 350 kicks off.
"We think (the play) is very important, because it talks about the contribution these people made, but it also talks about assimilation and the concessions you have to make when you move to another place, and yet not lose your sense of self," she says.
One cast member of "Dreams" used her experience in the play as a way to revisit her religious identity. Actress Leah Long, 34, plays Zipporah from 12- to 30-years old. She is also the only Jewish member of the cast, and spent time during rehearsals explaining Jewish traditions and rituals to her fellow cast members.
"It's wonderful, because as I get to explain to them the meaning of keeping kosher, or as I sing to them the melody of the Friday night candles for the Sabbath service, I am revisiting it all myself," Long says. "I'm getting to reinterpret and find new meanings for myself."
So far, performances are planned at the Playhouse on the Park-Viad building (these performances are sponsored by the Arizona Jewish Historical Society), at the synagogue of the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley and at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center.
In addition, Arnold has spoken to various local school districts to see if they can perform the play for public school students.
"One of the reasons we'd like to take it to public schools is that anyone who has moved here from anywhere else can relate to it," says Arnold. "Just as importantly, we think with kids, the most important thing is to be like everybody else, and not stand out and be different. We think ("Dreams") hits on that: retaining your identity, but still being able to make it in the real world."
Long says, "It's been a great experience to do the show. I'm really proud of it."
Details:
- What: "Dreams in the Golden Country"
- When: 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 10
- Where: Playhouse on the Park (inside the Viad Corporate Center), 1850 N. Central Ave., Phoenix
- Cost: $15 adults, $8.50 children
- Call: 602-241-7870
- When: 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24
- Where: Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley, 100 Meadow Lark Road, Sedona
- Cost: $12 adults, $5 children
- Call: (928) 204-1286
- When: 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21
- Where: Valley of the Sun JCC, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
- Cost: $10 adults, $5 children
- Call: 480-483-7121, ext. 1206
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