FANIA IN THE FOREST Staged Reading to Debut at Goldrich Cultural Center

The Goldrich Cultural Center will present a staged reading of 'Fania in the Forest,' Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m.

A fierce coming-of-age television pilot about a rebellious 16-year-old Jewish girl who escapes the Vilna, Lithuania ghetto and fights to earn her place among the male-dominated forest partisans fighting the Nazis, 'Fania in the Forest' was named to the 2026 Women's List, recognizing the year's top unproduced screenplays by women. It also was selected as a Top 5 ScreenCraft Fellowship finalist and Austin Film Festival Pitch finalist.

'Fania in the Forest' is inspired by the experiences of teenager Fania Yocheles Brantsovsky, who escaped the Vilna ghetto and joined the partisans. It was written by award-winning writer Lisa Kenner Grissom, who visited Vilnius, Lithuania, met Fania in 2019 and was captivated by her story. The reading is directed Genevieve Fowler, who has worked with The Kennedy Center, REDCAT Theater, The Tank Center for Sonic Arts, The Center for New Performance, California Institute for the Arts and the Braid, among others.

Jordan Bielsky, the grandson of freedom fighter Tuvia Bielski, (whose family story was portrayed in film 'Defiance') will read the role of Lev. Other cast members include Alexa Yeames as Fania, Dor Gvirtsman as Fischel, Clay Hollander as Marek and Sophie Alter as Rochel. The ensemble also features Amy Tolsky.

A Q&A and reception with Kenner Grissom, Fowler, and members of the cast will follow the 75-minute reading. The event is executive produced by Noam Dromi of Reboot Studios and co-produced by Lauren Schaffel.