Sarasota Jewish Theatre Opens REMEMBER THIS: The Lesson Of Jan Karski in February

Sarasota Jewish Theatre will present “Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski,” by Clark Young and Derek Goldman, from February 4 to February 15, and the Be A Theatre Maven program for this play on February 6. On February 9 at 7:30 p.m., SJT presents The Whole Megillah: The Story of The Yiddish Theatre with Charles Troy, an acclaimed musical theatre historian. 

“Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski” by Clark Young and Derek Goldman, on stage from February 4 to 15, features SJT favorite Michael Raver in a virtuoso performance portraying Polish World War II hero and Holocaust witness Jan Karski, plus 30 other characters. Karski survived the 1939 Blitzkrieg, joined the Underground and from 1940 to 1943, risked his life to bring firsthand accounts of the Warsaw ghetto and Polish concentration camps to the Allied powers. Directed by Gus Kaikkonen, this story of moral courage and individual responsibility is a cautionary tale about the dangers of complacency and the ways in which a self-described ordinary little man can become a true hero. Single tickets are $34-$46.

Raver – who was previously seen with SJT in “Bad Jews,” “Lost in Yonkers,” and “The Immigrant” – stated, “My initial response to taking on this play was one of equal parts exhilaration and apprehension. It is, without question, a daunting undertaking. I am profoundly honored to have been entrusted with it. Jan Karski was a truly extraordinary man—one whose life stands as a testament to the remarkable courage, resilience, and moral fortitude that can exist within us all.” 

Be A Theatre Maven – a program launched last season – focuses on “Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski” on February 6 from 10:00 a.m. until noon. This deep dive into the play begins with continental breakfast in the lobby of The Sarasota Players. SJT Artistic Director Carole Kleinberg and the play's director Gus Kaikkonen then lead a discussion about the play and playwright, after which participants meet with the technical team and learn about the design and construction of the set, lighting, sound, props, and costumes, and the complex coordination required to construct a believable and functional universe for the play and the players. Raver and Kaikkonen will discuss the challenges and techniques involved in bringing the characters to life on the stage. Comprehensive study guides will be emailed prior to each program. Tickets are $30.

A special program has been added to SJT's offerings. On February 9 at 7:30 p.m., The Whole Megillah: The Story of The Yiddish Theatre will be presented by Charles Troy, an acclaimed musical theatre historian. This program covers the moment of Yiddish theatre's birth in Rumania in 1876, to its rapid spread across the Western Hemisphere, to its meteoric flowering into a Golden Age that would last a few short decades and carry the seeds of its own destruction. Tickets are $15.