Main Street Theater Adds Pay-What-You-Can Performance of MEMORIAM

 Main Street Theater has just added a pay-what-you-can-performance of the world premiere of Memoriam on Monday, April 14 at 7:30 pm. The production runs through April 19 at MST’s Rice Village location, 2540 Times Blvd., 77005. Performances are Thursday – Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 3:00pm. Tickets are $40 - $63 and are available here.

“I realized that, in our lifetime, the Holocaust will stop being a lived memory, a bleeding trauma, and will turn into a story. When it does—what kind of story will it be?” shares playwright Noga Flaishon.

“Memoriam imagines a future where authenticity is a commodity—one that only increases in value. Not so different from our world, it explores how corporate media monetizes the most vulnerable parts of our identity and how trauma can be packaged, sold, and consumed. Let's be very cautious about that. Let’s be critical of who gets to tell which stories—and the harsh truths lost when we turn actual events into consumable stories.” 

Part of the Art Series

Apr. 6: Join us following the matinee for a discussion with Holocaust survivor Ruth Steinfeld who will share her story with us.

Apr. 13: Join us following the matinee for a discussion with community leader Tracie Jae, founder of The Quiet Rebel. We’ll explore the idea of “story” and how stories define us, impact us, and even manipulate us.

Everyone is welcome at our post-show discussions, regardless of whether you are seeing the play that day. Just plan to arrive at the theater at 5:15pm. Free to all.

Pride Night: Apr. 17. Happy Hour starts at 6:15pm followed by our SingOut Cabaret. Special thanks to media sponsor OutSmart Magazine and event sponsor “The Gowrie Conspiracy.”

Free Beer Fridays: every Friday night, thanks to Saint Arnold Brewing Company.

 Closing Weekend Party: April 19 in the lobby after the show (open to ticketholders of that performance) 

About Memoriam

In the near future, Memoriam Inc. buys and sells memories, digitizing them for mass-viewership. Customers can rent memories and experience them fully, even feeling the sensations the original memory-holder felt: childbirth, joyful reunions, romantic wedding proposals – almost like watching a short movie but much more intimate and personal. Now Rachel, a buyer for Memoriam, is going after the most important and most personal memory acquisition she has ever sought: the memories of the last holocaust survivor on earth – who happens to be her own grandmother. A powerful, painful, loving story of family and what memories mean, who owns them, and what we owe to future generations. Recommended for mature audiences due to sensitive subject matter and loud sounds.

Memoriam was developed by the Jewish Plays Project, and introduced to Main Street Theater through the Houston Jewish Playwriting Contest, in collaboration with the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC of Houston. 

About Playwright Noga Flaishon

Noga Flaishon is a neurodivergent British/Israeli writer and producer. Initially training as an actor at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, she worked in the industry for several years before transitioning to full-time writing and producing in 2020. She is a writer and producer at Big Finish Productions, creating audio dramas in the Doctor Who universe. She writes for Six to Start, contributing to the interactive mobile game Zombies, Run!. She is also completing an MFA in Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. 

Noga’s work has been recognised by the Arts Council of England, The Offie Awards, The Standing Ovation Awards, Papaptango Award, Verity Bargate Award, The King’s Head Theatre, Pleasance Theatre, The Royal Court Theatre, and The Jewish Play Project, among others.

Noga’s credits include but are not limited to: 100 Years of Waiting (The Hope Theatre), Broken Link (OnComm-nominated, The Living Record Festival, The Space Theatre, Brighton Fringe), Bunker (Lion and Unicorn Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe), Lethe (Standing Ovation Award-nominated, King’s Head Theatre), and A Mother’s Love (Doctor Who audio drama, Big Finish Productions).

Her work explores mental health, memory, and gender politics, often blending sci-fi, horror, and magical realism to tell poignant and unsettling stories about real-life issues. 

About the Production

Julia Oppenheim directs Memoriam. The cast is Dillon Dewitt, Dain Geist, Julia Krohn, Chesley Ann Santoro, and Sammi Sicinski. The set designer is Lee O Barker. Donna Southern Schmidt is the Costume Designer. John Smetak is the lightning designer. The sound designer is Yezminne Zepeda. Props design and set dressing are by Rodney Walsworth. Julie Marie Paré is the production stage manager.

Houston Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. BRIGHT STAR (Spark Theater)

7.6% of votes

2. ROCK OF AGES (Standing Ovation Theatre)

6.3% of votes

3. THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA (The Sankofa Collective)

5.7% of votes

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