World Premiere Adaptation of FALLING OUT OF TIME to Play Theater J

The world premiere adaptation of the 2014 Israeli novel, Falling Out of Time, written by esteemed Israeli author David Grossman, plays at Theater J March 17 through April 17, 2016. This one-of-a-kind theatrical event, adapted and directed by Derek Goldman, follows a grief-stricken man who has left his bewildered wife to embark on a haunting journey of loss, solace and hope. This production promises to be the season's most moving theatrical event. The entire theater will be transformed by set designer Misha Kachman into an immersive space for the actors, with onstage seating for an inclusive and intimate audience experience.

After losing his youngest son in the Israeli-Lebanon conflict of 2006, David Grossman wrote his stunning masterpiece, Falling Out of Time, which deals with the grief of parents in the aftermath of their children's death. Grossman is an Israeli author whose critically acclaimed novels, including Falling Out of Time and To the End of the Land, have been translated into more than 30 languages, and have won numerous prizes including the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, Sapir Prize, JQ Wingate Prize, Bernstein Prize and others. A respected peace activist, Grossman has written much on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and his novels deal with the weighty issues of love, childhood memory, masculinity, and the Holocaust.

"It's particularly vital that we are bringing Grossman's work to our stage this year," says Theater J's artistic director, Adam Immerwahr, "when in Israel he has been denounced as a 'foreign agent in the cultural world' by the right-wing ultranationalist Israeli group Im Tirtzu-who seek to stigmatize Israeli artists connected with organizations that Im Tirtzu feels oppose the state of Israel and its policies. Now more than ever, we are proud to be premiering this stunning adaptation of one of David's most profound and touching novels, and to and stand behind the rights of all artists-regardless of their political views-to create their art."

Falling Out of Time will be directed by Derek Goldman, whose previous Theater J credits include direction for the critically acclaimed Our Class, In Darfur, and Theodore Bikel's Sholom Aleichem: Laughter through the Tears, which went on to have a hit off-Broadway run. Derek is an award-winning director and playwright/adapter, producer, developer of new work and published scholar, whose work has been seen around the country and internationally, and at major regional theaters including Steppenwolf, Lincoln Center, Arena Stage, Mosaic Theater, The Kennedy Center, Folger, CenterStage, Round House, Segal Center (Montreal), Everyman Theatre and many others. He is also the Artistic Director of the Davis Performing Arts Center, and Professor of Theater and Performance Studies at Georgetown University.

A number of post-show discussions will accompany the run of Falling Out of Time, providing a forum for audience and community members to discuss a number of important issues raised by the play. On March 17, Theater J will partner with The Parent Circle - Families Forum (PCFF), a joint Palestinian Israeli organization of over 600 families who have lost a close family member as a result of the prolonged conflict, for a pre and post show conversation. Additionally, author David Grossman will arrive in Washington, DC for a panel on March 20 at 7:00 pm entitled The Freedom of the Writer and the Cruelty of History: A Conversation with David Grossman, Azar Nafisi and Leon Wieseltier. Azar Nafisi, an Iranian author, is best known for her 2003 book Reading Lolita in Tehran, which remained on the New York Times Bestseller List for 117 weeks. General admission tickets to the conversation are available for $35: bit.ly/GrossmanPanel.

The cast of Falling Out of Time features New Zealand based actor Joseph Wycoff as Man and Erika Rose (In Darfur) as Woman. Adding to the strong ensemble is Nora Achrati, Edward Christian, Leo Erickson, Nanna Ingvarrson, John Lescault, Michael Russotto and Rafael Untalan.

The artistic team of the Helen Hayes Award Winning production of Our Class reunites for Falling Out of Time, including set designer Misha Kachman, costume designer Ivania Stack, sound designer Eric Shimelonis, and movement directors Emma and Mark Jaster, plus lighting designer Colin K. Bills.

Falling Out of Time runs March 17 - April 17, 2016, at Theater J in the Washington DCJCC's Aaron & Cecile Goldman Theater. Press night is Monday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m. The performances on Thursday, March 17 and Sunday, March 20 are pay-what-you-can previews. Performances on Friday, March 18 and Saturday, March 19 are $30 previews. On Sunday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m. the show will have open-captioning for the hearing impaired. There will be a special noon matinee on Wednesday, April 6. Stage seating tickets costs $35. Tickets are available at theaterj.org or (202) 777-3210.