The Braid To Open 2026 Season With DO THE RIGHT THING

The Braid will open its 2026 season with Do The Right Thing. The production brings to the stage five actors performing a curated collection of stories exploring a timeless question: What happens when doing the right thing comes at a cost?

In the face of rising antisemitism, this show could not be more timely. While anchored in Jewish ethics and identity, the stories illuminate universal moral tension: between idealism and consequence, conviction and community, pressure and personal compass. The show brings audiences onto a tense runway, into the turmoil of Vietnam War-era journalism, and face-to-face with a plea during the LA wildfires to commit insurance fraud-exploring Jewish ethics when the cost of doing right is anything but easy.

Featuring a mix of acclaimed and never-before-heard Jewish voices, the production exemplifies The Braid's signature Salon Theatre form which lives at the intersection of storytelling and theatre, in which true Jewish stories are brought to life by a cast of skilled actors. The world premiere takes place January 20, 2026, at The Braid Theatre in Santa Monica, before traveling across Los Angeles until Feb. 18, plus two live on Zoom performances (Feb. 12 and 15) for a global audience and two San Francisco Bay Area performances (Feb. 21-22).

Through first-person accounts, a nervous flier describes stopping a plane over suspected engine fire, a rookie journalist recounts the moment silence saved lives on a amid college protests, and a Palisades lawyer faces a desperate friend's plea to commit insurance fraud. The show also explores the provocative, stubborn Jewish tradition of speaking up-even when it means defying expectation. More stories, including work by acclaimed author Robert Masello, discover the humor and the heartbreak behind unforgettable real-life choices.

From headline moments to intimate family turning points, each story reveals the Jewish tradition of wrestling with ethics when the stakes get personal. First-time Braid writer Lauren John shares, "I saw my first Braid performance at Congregation Beth Am [in the Bay Area] in April 2025 and really enjoyed the content and format. It made me realize that although I am not a professional writer or actress, I might have a way to share a story that has long been told in my very New York Jewish family. I hope that others can find some humor or lessons in it."

Returning writer Vanessa Bloom, an Asian American Jew and an Abby Freeman Artist-in-Residence at The Braid, finds her fifth performed story at The Braid to be just as meaningful as her first: "I can see my growth and change reflected in my work over the years. It's meaningful to see stories performed because it's like getting to watch a window into your own life."

Artistic Director Ronda Spinak, who curated and adapted the stories, reflects how doing right even in defiance of social pressure is at the heart of Jewish values. "The Talmud teaches that if not one out of 70 judges is willing to speak up in defense of the accused, then the trial isn't fair and the person should go free. Two millennia later, Jewish filmmakers Sidney Lumet and Reginald Rose embodied those ethics in Twelve Angry Men. Doing the right thing even when it's hard-that's who we are in our bones. We stand up for our values even when it costs us. And I'm proud to share true stories of that moral strength with the world."