A few photographs and thoughts from the absolutely soul-expansive, mind-blowing, joy-forward panel on Jewish Representation in the Theater at this year’s BroadwayCon.
To sit beside this group of brilliant minds, talents and Jewish people was such an unspeakable honor, and to really comb through the nuances of the contemporary conversation was as illuminating as it was affirming.
This was just the beginning for this brilliant crew (and many others).
2. When the story centers around a character’s ethnic and religious-identity, is crucial to the fabric of who they are, and includes self-effacing parody OF that identity—then the casting of said identity is not only critical but to ignore it is actually harmful.
Finally
3. In these identity-forward times, the conversations around these issues are not always going to be directly parallel (ie a conversations comparing and contrasting the issues of various oppressed groups). It’s not the oppression Olympics. We must all breathe, LISTEN, check ourselves and remember that liberation is a GROUP PROJECT.
Thank you to Becca Suskauer and Ari Axelrod for organizing, and to Talia Suskauer, Brandon Uranowitz, Zachy Prince and Shoshana Bean for your heartfelt insights.
All photos © Rebecca J Michelson: also a genius Jewish person
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I'm so glad I came across your blog post. I'm a huge fan of theatre and I'm always interested in learning more about the diverse perspectives and experiences of theatre artists and audiences. Your panel on Jewish Representation in the Theater sounds like a fascinating and important discussion.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your honesty and insight on the challenges and opportunities of casting and portraying Jewish characters and stories on stage. I agree that identity is a complex and nuanced issue that requires sensitivity and respect. I also love your point that liberation is a group project and that we need to listen and support each other.
I'm curious to know more about the panelists and their work. Do you have any links or recommendations for their shows or projects? I would love to check them out.
I'm also wondering if you have any plans to visit London and see some of the amazing theatre shows here. I'm always looking for the best deals on London theatre tickets and I love discovering new and exciting shows. If you ever come to London, I would love to hear your thoughts on the theatre scene here and maybe catch a show with you.