Theatre Kavanah to Bring THE CHOSEN to Town Hall Theater, 3/7

Theatre Kavanah, a Burlington-based company devoted to exploring the intricacies of the Jewish experience, will bring a staged reading of Aaron Posner and Chaim Potok's The Chosen to Town Hall Theater on Thursday, March 7th.

Directed by Mark Alan Gordon, The Chosen immerses its audience in the lives of two boys, two fathers, and two distinct Jewish communities, "five blocks and a world apart." Set against the backdrop of World War II, the revelation of the Holocaust, and the founding of the State of Israel, the play is at once heartbreaking and hopeful. Its themes of struggle, transformation, and, ultimately, understanding transcend time and circumstance.

Middlebury resident Adam Joselson will portray the young Reuven Malter, whose friendship with the ultra-Orthodox Danny Saunders is at the center of the play. Joselson, a sophomore at MUHS, played the part of young Reuven in Theatre Kavanah's inaugural performance of The Chosen in Burlington in 2012, and he will reprise his role at the Town Hall Theater, as well as in Burlington and Stowe.

Prior to the Middlebury show, award-winning playwright and recipient of the 2002 "New Voice in American Theatre" award Dana Yeaton will deliver a free talk about taking works from the page to the stage. Yeaton's adaptation of Chris Bohjalian's best-selling novel, Midwives, is frequently performed at professional and university theatres across the country. Mr. Yeaton is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre at Middlebury College.

This staged reading of The Chosen will feature G. Richard Ames, Bruce Chalmer, Adam Joselson, Jason Lorber, Matthew Winston, and Charlie Yarwood. Homemade chicken soup and other refreshments will be available for purchase, sponsored by Havurah: Addison County Jewish Congregation.

The Chosen will be performed at Town Hall Theater on Thursday, March 7. The pre-show talk begins at 7:00 pm in the Gallery, and curtain is at 8:00 pm. Tickets, $15/10, are available at www.townhalltheater.org, 802-382-9222 or at the THT Box Office Monday - Saturday between noon and 5:00 pm.