Minnesota Jewish Theatre Co Opens 2011-12 Season

Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company (MJTC) will open its 2011-2012 17th professional season on October 29, 2011. The four-show season will feature three regional premieres and a holiday-hit revival.

The 2011-2012 season will open with the regional premiere of Our Class by Tadeusz Slobodzianek in a version by Ryan Craig. A new work from the London stage, Our Class is based on a true story. It's 1925 in Poland, and 10 young Jewish and Catholic children, all class mates, share their dreams of what they would like to be when they grow up. As the friends grow older, things in their small town change. Poland is first invaded by the Soviets and then the Nazis. A fervent nationalism develops and bitterness ensues. In a series of events, friends betray each other and violence escalates to an unimaginable end. This "remarkable and powerful play" (The Telegraph) looks at the lives of friends and neighbors from the small Polish town of Jedwabne. With an incisive and captivating boldness, Our Class explores human behavior. Our Class will be directed by Miriam Monasch and will run October 29 - November 20, 2011.

MJTC revives its hit holiday production, The Magic Dreidels, adapted for the stage by Jenna Zark from the book by the award-winning children's author Eric A. Kimmel, originally commissioned and produced by MJTC in 2000. Jacob is sent to the well by his father to get water for preparation of the holiday meal. There he loses his dreidel down the well. A goblin living in the well replaces his dreidel with magical ones, beginning a series of funny and touching adventures for Jacob. The Magic Dreidels, a treat for the entire family, explores the cultural traditions of Hanukkah and the universal themes of sharing, compassion, and friendship. The Magic Dreidels will run December 13-22, 2011.

The season continues with the regional premiere of the new musical comedy My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding by David Hein and Irene Carl Sankoff. David is 13-years old when his parents divorce. His mother moves to Canada for a new job while his father stays in Nebraska. David is our guide in this touching story about equality, gay marriage, the changing family, and identity. This heartfelt work, based on true events, celebrates love in all its forms. My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan received Best Book, Best Direction, and Most Promising New Musical Awards at the 2010 New York Musical Theatre Festival, and was recently nominated for Best Comedic Play at the Canadian Comedy Awards. This play is MJTC's winter weekend production, and will play Saturdays and Sundays, February 18 - March 11, 2012.

The season will end with the regional premiere of The Last Word by Oren Safdie. Henry is an 80 year old retired successful businessman now deeply committed to getting his plays published. Len is a college student majoring in playwriting who has come to Henry's offIce To interview for a job as his assistant. This delightful new comedy reveals the challenging world of playwriting as it explores the colliding forces of classicism and modernism and a struggle with fear of failure and the pursuit of dreams. The Last Word will open April 14 and plays through May 6, 2012.

Season passbook subscriptions are now on sale for $51 - $72, with a specially-priced student passbook for $36. Season passbooks may be purchased by calling 651-647-4315 or e-mailing info@mnjewishtheatre.org. Box office hours are Monday through Friday 9 am - 4:30 pm.

Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company is a non-profit organization now in its 17th year of presenting professional productions rooted in the Jewish experience and illuminating The Common humanity among us all. The audience for MJTC is almost equally divided between Jews and non-Jews. For further information about MJTC, call 651-647-4315 or visit our website at www.mnjewishtheatre.org. Join our Facebook family at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Minnesota-Jewish-Theatre-Company/44432069548.

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