Chaim Potok News

The Palisades Players at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades presents My Name Is Asher Lev on Sat, Aug 27, 9 pm, Sun, Aug 28, 2 pm and Mon, Aug 29, 7:30 pm.

Cape Rep Theatre is proud to present the Tony Award winning Broadway musical Hairspray, book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman; based on the New Line Cinema film written and directed by John Waters, August 3rd thru September 3rd: Tuesdays thru Thursdays at 7 pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays August 14, 21 & 28 at 2 pm.

My Name is Asher Lev, adapted by Aaron Posner from the novel by Chaim Potok, follows the journey of a young painter torn between his Hassidic upbringing and his desperate need to fulfill his artistic promise. When his artistic genius threatens to destroy his relationship with his parents and community, young Asher realizes he must make a difficult choice between art and faith. Aaron Posner's stirring adaptation of a modern classic presented by Palisades Players SummerStage and a professional cast, made up entirely of Actors Equity members, present a heartbreaking and triumphant vision of what it means to be an artist in a world dominated by faith and tradition.

Cape Rep Theatre is proud to present the Tony Award winning Broadway musical Hairspray, book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman; based on the New Line Cinema film written and directed by John Waters, August 3rd thru September 3rd: Tuesdays thru Thursdays at 7 pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays August 14, 21 & 28 at 2 pm.

Summer starts at Cape Rep's Outdoor Theater on June 28th with our Summer Children's Show Series. 

Cape Rep Theatre will present the hilarious comedy Rough Crossing by Tom Stoppard, with music composed by Andre Previn June 23rd through July 23: Tuesdays through Thursdays at 7 pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm.  Tickets are $28.  Pay-What-You-Can-Night is the first Friday, June 24th. Group rates & Student Rush tickets also available.  Call the box office for details.  Cape Rep Indoor Theater. North Side Route 6A E. Brewster. 508.896.1888 or www.caperep.org. 

If there is anything an audience can relate to in contemporary theatre, it is the concept of struggling to forge ahead with one's own individual passions whilst navigating the traditions of the past and the expectations of those who, having grown up in more desperate times, had only such traditions to survive by. Where parents fought to give their children a better life, but don't know how to handle it when they start to take such opportunities. My Name is Asher Lev turns up the dial hard on this theme by setting such conflict in the home of an observant Torah Jewish family, wherein the titular character is awakened with a prodigal gift for art. In his father's mind, this gift is from the devil. So Asher's narrative plays out as the ultimate declaration of independence from family, from community, but not perhaps from faith.

Mad Horse Theatre Company wraps its 30th Anniversary Season with the smart, sassy comedy Stupid F**ing Bird, by Aaron Posner, directed by Christopher Price.

Cape Rep opens it's 2016 season with the Cape Cod premiere of My Name is Asher Lev, by Aaron Posner, adapted from the acclaimed novel by Chaim Potok.  This gripping drama tells the story of a young man in post-war Brooklyn whose budding artistic genius threatens to destroy his relationship with his strict orthodox faith and his deeply religious parents. Adapted from the best selling novel by Chaim Potok (author of The Chosen) and winner of the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best New Off Broadway play My Name is Asher Lev asks how can you choose between art and faith when your soul cries out for both?

Cape Rep Theatre is proud to present the Cape Cod premier of MY NAME IS ASHER LEV by Aaron Posner, adapted from the novel by Chaim Potok, May 5th through June 5th.

The Segal Centre for Performing Arts today announced the programming for its 2016-2017 Season. The upcoming 49th season is brimming with artistry, audacity and authenticity.

Concluding its highly successful 2015/16 season, Folger Theatre stages the world premiere of District Merchants, a variation of Shakespeare's play, The Merchant of Venice. Commissioned by Folger Theatre as part of the 2016 celebration of 400 years of Shakespeare and in tandem with the Folger exhibition America's Shakespeare, playwright Aaron Posner sets this new exploration of class and difference in our own political place of power, Washington, D.C., just after the Civil War.

I doubt that many of us these days have such a rigid upbringing that our passion causes us to question our ideals. Sure there are people with strict ideologies but we live in a more inclusive and forgiving world (most of us) and usually our beliefs follow suit with our wants. Which is why Aaron Posner's play "My Name is Asher Lev", currently being performed by New Century Theatre Company, with its juxtaposition of strict religious beliefs against passionate art might come across as a bit foreign to most of us and a potential hard sell. But thanks to the usual talent and commitment from the folks at NCTC even this unfamiliar tale can resonate with power.

'My Name is Asher Lev' is a gem of a show now being performed at George Street Playhouse through May 1st.

New Century Theatre Company (NCTC) opens its 2016 season at 12th Avenue Arts with NY NAME IS ASHER LEV today, April 20. The production runs through May 21, Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays-Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 4pm.

George Street Playhouse presents Aaron Posner's MY NAME IS ASHER LEV, which runs now through May 1 at the New Brunswick theatre. In the video below, director Jim Jack and actor Miles G. Jackson (Asher Lev) discuss the story and themes of the play, adapted from the best-selling novel by Chaim Potok. Click below to watch the interview!

Hershey Area Playhouse is proud to present the first production of its newly relaunched Dark Night Series, My Name is Asher Lev, a story about a boy prodigy who must be a painter at any cost - against the will of family, community and tradition.

George Street Playhouse presents Aaron Posner's MY NAME IS ASHER LEV, which runs now through May 1 at the New Brunswick theatre. Miles G. Jackson (4000 Miles) portrays the titular Jewish artist Asher Lev, who must be a painter despite his faith and the will of his family. Bob Ari (Frost/Nixon, GSP's Red) and Lena Kaminsky (Law & Order, GSP's The Pillowman) both return to George Street to round out the cast. MY NAME IS ASHER LEV is directed by George Street Playhouse Director of Education and Outreach, Jim Jack. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

George Street Playhouse presents Aaron Posner's MY NAME IS ASHER LEV, which runs tonight, April 12, through May 1 at the New Brunswick theatre. Miles G. Jackson (4000 Miles) will portray the titular Jewish artist Asher Lev, who must be a painter despite his faith and the will of his family.

Cape Rep Theatre is proud to present the Cape Cod premier of MY NAME IS ASHER LEV by Aaron Posner, adapted from the novel by Chaim Potok, May 5th through June 5th.