BAR MITZVAH BOY Opens March 23 At Miles Memorial Playhouse

Bar Mitzvah Boy. Southern California Premiere engagement of a new play.

Written by Mark Leiren-Young. Produced and directed by Howard Teichman. Presented by West Coast Jewish Theatre.

Miles Memorial Playhouse, 1130 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90403.

ADMISSION: $35 adults. $30 Santa Monica residents with I.D. (those purchasing adult tickets online can receive a $5 reimbursement at the door); $32.50 for groups of ten or more; $25 students with I.D.; $20 for all preview tickets (March 21 and 22); SPECIAL: Purchase a ticket at full price, bring us a picture of your own Bar or Bat Mitzvah and receive a $5 reimbursement at the door.

Joey Brant is a Jewish divorce lawyer in his 60s. He has never had a bar mitzvah ceremony. He feels the need to get one now, before his grandson has his bar mitzvah. For reasons which will become clear in the story, Joey's bar mitzvah ceremony must take place at the synagogue he attended five decades ago. Joey, a thoroughly secularized man, must now re-connect with the faith of his ancestors. He promptly alienates the synagogue's regular instructor, which means that Joey must now go to the temple's rabbi for his bar mitzvah lessons.

Rabbi Michael Levitz-Sharon, a woman, finds her faith challenged at the same time that Joey is rediscovering his spiritual roots. her 11-year-old devoutly Jewish daughter has contracted terminal cancer. The daughter, Rachel, wants nothing more than to live long enough to be bat-mitzvahed. The impending tragedy is taking its toll on Rabbi Michael's marriage.

Will Joey at long last have his bar mitzvah and find his faith? Can Rabbi Michael retain her beliefs?

R. Emmett Lee plays Joey. Lee has extensive credits on stage (Absolutely Filthy, Size of Pike, First Monday in October, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Blade to the Heat, Tartuffe, more), on screen (Jersey Boys, No Way Out, more) and on television (Scorpion, Tim & Eric's Awesome Show, Reasonable Doubts, Magnum P.I., The Wonder Years, Knight Rider, more).

Pamela Heffler portrays Rabbi Michael. Her previous plays include The Threepenny Opera, Henry IV, Crave, Forty and Other Problems, Autobahn and Casanova. Her films include The Shift (with Danny Glover) and American Splendor. She's had roles on the TV shows The Guiding Light, HeartBeat, Love Bites, and Deadly Sins .She is also a dancer.

Howard Teichman directs. As the Artistic Director for the West Coast Jewish Theatre, Howard has dedicated his life in the theatre to bringing Jewish thematic plays to the second largest Jewish community in the United States. During his tenure as the Artistic Director, Mr. Teichman has either produced or directed numerous memorable plays that have drawn both critical acclaim and audience pleasure.

Playwright Mark Leiren-Young is the author of fifteen plays, among them Watchin', Blueprints from Space, Basically Good Kids, Articles of Faith, Canadian Content, Dim Sum Diaries and more. He won the Writers Guild of Canada Award for his film The Hundred Year Old Whale. And was nominated for his film The Green Chain.

Associate producer/ Sound design: Bill Froggatt. Costume design: Howard Teichman. Set design: Kurtis Bedford. Lighting design: Ellen Monocroussos. Hair, wigs, make-up: Judi Lewin. Stage manager: Emily Hucal.

Bar Mitzvah Boy won the 2017 Jewish Plays Project Award. See it and it will win your heart.