NEXT Presents Emerging Artists Creating Surprising New Homes for Original Theatre

What's NEXT? It's the name of a group of emerging artists who will create theatre in a thrift shop in Studio City, a fabric store in Venice, a downtown art gallery and five other LA venues from June 8 to 18. Eight productions of The Way Home, NEXT's original salon-style show, will travel throughout the city to showcase a new generation of emerging artists who create theatre that speaks to all generations.

NEXT, now in its third year, is a professional development fellowship program from Jewish Women's Theatre (JWT). Each year, a group of emerging artists are selected from a competitive applicant pool. The fellows then select a theme and invite the Los Angeles community to submit stories, poems, plays, musical works and art around that theme. NEXT fellows then collaborate to curate, cast, direct, and produce an original show and companion art exhibit over a nine-month period.

This year's theme, captured by the title The Way Home, was assembled from the best of over 80 story submissions from aspiring and professional writers who were asked to theatrically explore what 'home" means to them.

Tickets for The Way Home are $18 and may be purchased at bit.ly/wayhometix. Performances will take place in downtown LA, Santa Monica, Reseda, Fairfax/Melrose, Venice, Studio City and Silverlake. The Santa Monica performances on Sunday, June 9 and Saturday, June 15 will be at The Braid, JWT's art and performance space in Santa Monica, and will include opportunities to view a NEXT-curated exhibit featuring paintings, sculpture and other displays by emerging artists whose work expresses The Way Home theme.

"This year's show is all about finding our sense of belonging in the world," explains Andrew Fromer, an alumnus of the program who now serves as NEXT's Executive Producer and JWT's Assistant Artistic Director. "We wanted to examine the meaning of home. Is home a place? Is it a feeling? Our show explores the intriguing idea of 'home' and the importance of community."

Daphna Shull, another program alumna and now NEXT's Literary Manager, adds a second meaning to the theme. "The Way Home also honors the creative 'home' that JWT established when it created NEXT for emerging theatre professionals. In a large entertainment town like Los Angeles, it's priceless to have a supportive community and place for budding artists to work together to gain hands-on training and experience. Here, my peers are my confidantes and creative collaborators, which is extremely refreshing."

NEXT fellows learn and build on JWT's unique salon theatre model. "Our aim with The Way Home is to bring affordable and original live theatre to a wide array of residents throughout our city," said Ora Yashar, a member of this year's NEXT cohort. "We hope to especially excite and engage younger audiences who may not necessarily be avid theatre goers. The salon style theatre implemented within JWT's unique format allows our shows to travel to unexpected community venues from thrift stores to art galleries, because we tell stories without costumes, props or sets. Therefore, it's easy to transform each venue into a magical new home for theatre."

Ronda Spinak, JWT's Artistic Director elaborates, "For example, we're going to the National Council of Jewish Women's Thrift Store in Studio City on June 16. Before the show, we are giving audience members a 10% discount. This promotion echoes the theme of The Way Home because our program will help give thrift shop clothes a new home. On June 13, we'll be in Venice, where our audience members can tour a textile shop and learn about the owners' history and how they found their way home to America."

NEXT fellows also believe the professional development they receive is making a creative difference in their work. "JWT's leadership is willing to find the balance between holding our hands and letting us go," said Fromer. "What started as very direct involvement between the mentors and the mentees, changed to 'run with what you got' and I was able to create our own marketing brand and branch out. JWT asked me what I wanted to do, then I got to do it."

"This growth and escalation of freedom and responsibility is exactly what we wanted to happen," said JWT's Artistic Director Ronda Spinak. Dr. Jonas Salk said, 'Good parents give their children roots and wings. Roots to know where home is, wings to fly away and exercise what has been taught them.' This was what we hoped NEXT would accomplish. And we are overjoyed that it is happening."

This year's NEXT Fellows are Judith Goldstein, Julie Lanctot, Kyra Morling, Arnon Z. Shorr, Chandler Turk, Aysha Wax and Ora Yashar.

Tickets for The Way Home are $18 and may be purchased at bit.ly/wayhometix. The website also lists performance dates for venues throughout the Los Angeles area. The Santa Monica performances on Sunday, June 9 and Saturday, June 15 will take place at The Braid, JWT's art and performance space, and will include opportunities to view a NEXT Council-curated exhibit featuring art on the same theme of The Way Home, by emerging artists.