Jewish Playwriting Contest
Thank you to all who attended the 2024 Jewish Playwright Contest!
Announcing the winners…a tie between:
The Last Yiddish Speakerby Deb Laufer
Why This Night? by Dan Kitrosser
Congrats and stay tuned for 2025! More info coming January 2025.
Learn more about The Jewish Plays Project, the nation’s leading incubator for new Jewish plays.
9th Annual Jewish Playwright Contest: Northern Virginia
Thursday, May 9, 2024, 7 pm
The J’s Chaiken Auditorium
Three plays. 90 Minutes. One winner. Help decide.
At our 9th annual contest, enjoy professional actor’s stage readings of contemporary Jewish plays selected by the Northern Virginia Readers Panel. This slate of highly original, theatrically vibrant plays are a not to miss.
Selections include:
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Memoriam by Noga Flaishon (London, UK) In the near future Memoriam inc. buys and sells memories, digitizing them for mass-viewership. Now they are after the memories of the last holocaust survivor. |
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The Last Yiddish Speaker by Deborah Zoe Laufer (Mount Kisco, NY) In the new, post-insurrection America, an ancient Yiddish-speaking woman is deposited on Hannah and Paul’s doorstep. Should they hide her, or save themselves… |
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Why This Night by Daniel Kitrosser (Philadelphia, PA) A Typical 19th Century Queer Shtetl Seder Murder Mystery! It’s like if Agatha Christie, John Waters and Tevye the Milkman had an orgy, with mOYder! |
Attend the event and VOTE to determine which of these three plays will be the TOP JEWISH PLAY of 2024!
Cast:
Tyler Herman – Motke in “Why This Night,” Stage Directions in “Memoriam”
Julia Klavans – Sarah in “The Last Yiddish Speaker,” Rachel in “Memoriam,” Stage Directions for “Why This Night”
Zach Brewster-Geisz – Paul in “The Last Yiddish Speaker,” Chris in “Memoriam,” Rev Alt Belinsky in “Why This Night”
Jane Petofsky – Rivka in “Memoriam,” Marya in “Why This Night”
Adrienne Nelson – Aunt Rivka in “Why This Night,” Stage Directions for “The Last Yiddish Speaker”
Martha Karl – Chava in “Why This Night”
Dylan Toms – Chris in “Memoriam,” Feyful in “Why This Night”
Pay what you can.
The Process
STEP 1: COLLECT: Each year, JPP brings the Top Plays to as many as 12 Jewish communities around the country, presenting them for lay leaders, clergy, arts-lovers, and regional theater pros. The JPP gathers cripts from around the world —about 300 per year —representing a phenomenally rich and diverse cross section of new Jewish drama. This year, they’ve received and vetted 1,800 PLAYS FROM 1000 PLAYWRIGHTS IN 34 STATES AND 10 COUNTRIES.
STEP 2: IDENTIFY
An Artist’s Panel of more than 80 theater professionals reads like mad – each play is read at least 5 different Artist Panelist. After four months, a select group of plays are named Finalists
STEP 3: DEVELOP
JPP brings the Top Plays to as many as 12 Jewish communities around the country, presenting them for lay leaders, clergy, arts-lovers, and regional theater pros. Pozez JCC is one such community!
STEP 4: SELECT
Each community organizes a committee who reads and determines the top three plays for which the community will vote on the BEST Jewish play. All votes are submitted and the play with the most votes is named THE TOP JEWISH PLAY of 2024.
This program is sponsored by David Bruce Smith, Grateful American Foundation.