About Theater J
Hailed by The New York Times as “The Premier Theater for Premieres,” and nominated for over fifty Helen Hayes Awards, Theater J has emerged as one of the most distinctive, progressive and respected Jewish theaters on the national and international scene. A program of the Washington DC Jewish Community Center, the theater works in collaboration with the other components of the Morris Cafritz Center for the Arts: the Washington Jewish Film Festival, the Ann Loeb Bronfman Gallery, and the Literary, Music and Dance Department.
|
OUR MISSION
Theater J produces thought-provoking, publicly engaged, personal, passionate and entertaining plays and musicals that celebrate the distinctive urban voice and social vision that are part of the Jewish cultural legacy. Acclaimed as one of the nation’s premiere playwrights’ theaters, Theater J presents cutting edge contemporary work alongside spirited revivals and is a nurturing home for the development and production of new work by major writers and emerging artists exploring many of the pressing moral and political issues of our time. Dedicated above all to a pursuit of artistic excellence, Theater J takes its dialogues beyond the stage, offering an array of innovative public discussion forums and outreach programs which explore the theatrical, psychological and social elements of our art. We frequently partner with those of other faiths and communities, stressing the importance of interchange among a great variety of people wishing to take part in frank, humane conversations about conflict and culture.
|
Performing
in the 240-seat Aaron & Cecile Goldman Theater in the vibrant Dupont Circle
neighborhood, Theater J works with some of the world’s most distinguished
authors for the stage. It has produced world premieres by Richard Greenberg,
Thomas Keneally, Robert Brustein, Wendy Wasserstein, Joyce Carol Oates and
Ariel Dorfman, with many debuts from emerging writers like Stefanie Zadravec,
Anna Ziegler and Sam
Forman. Theater J’s
diverse body of work features thematically-linked festivals including its
“Voices From a Changing Middle East” and “Locally Grown: Community Supported
Art From Our Own Garden.” The Washington Post named Theater J’s
Productions of Photograph 51 and The Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv’s Return
to Haifa among the top 10 productions of 2011. Washington City
Paper recognized Imagining Madoff as one of the most notable
cultural events of 2011, and the Jewish Daily Forward named Return to
Haifa among the top five productions of 2011 With hit productions ranging
from Talley’s Folly and The Disputation to The Price, Honey
Brown Eyes (Winner of the 2009 Helen Hayes Charles MacArthur Award for
Outstanding New Play), The Chosen, (a Theater J production
presented by Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater), In
Darfur, Mikveh and New Jerusalem (2011 Helen Hayes Award Nominees),
it’s no surprise that Washingtonian Magazine notes, “Theater J
productions keep going from strength to strength.”
Winner of the 2008 Mayor’s Arts Award for Excellence in an Artistic Discipline, Theater J offers a number of additional programs including Artistic Director’s Roundtables, Peace Cafés, Tea@2 (a monthly reading series) and our Passports Education Program. Theater J has garnered support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Theatre Communications Group (TCG) and The Shubert Foundation. Theater J is a member of the Cultural Alliance, the League of Washington Theatres, TCG and the Association for Jewish Theatre.