The
Cast:
The
Building Inspector and Sandalfon...................Aviva Pressman
The
Lawyer, Avraham, Zeyde and Oscar...................Justin Purvis
Mrs
Edelman, Sarah, Bubbe, and Barbara................Jen Speerstra
Josh
Edelman..........................................................Noah Mitchell
Marcy
Edelman.......................................................Anna Jackson
Hannah Fairweather
Gabriel Kanter-Goodell
Jaimin Kammerman-Fletcher
Rebecca Rich
Talia Silber
Production
Team:
Producers.....................................................Art
Levine, Roz Sloan
Director......................................................................Cyle
Durkee
Musical
Director and Arranger........................................Art Levine
Stage
Manager..........................................................Sarah Kamins
Costume
Coordinator........................................... Sandy Eggleston
Lighting
Design................................................................Roz Sloan
Sound
Execution.............................................................Art Levine
Poster Artwork.........................................................Shelly Gordon
Special Thanks
STTG wishes to thank
the following for their contributions to this production; Cantor Rosalie
Boxt, Roger Browdy, Cantor Larry Eschler, Shelly Gordon, Helena Johnson,
Jack Klevan, Jane Rushefsky, Rabbi Michael Safra, Jennifer Silber, Daniel
Snyder, Rabbi
Stan Levin, and Scott Black.
Special thanks to the
parents of our Personified Prayers for their patience and sacrifice.
SSTG also gratefully
acknowledges the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, for their
generous assistance and support.
The
producers also wish to
express their heartfelt appreciation to the Susan Chapman Foundation,
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| Anna Jackson, Justin Purvis, Jen Speerstra |
Noah Mitchell and Anna Jackson (as Josh and Marcy) | Anna Jackson, Aviva Pressman, Noah Mitchell (as Marcy, Sandalfon, and Josh) | Aviva Pressman (as Sandalfon) |
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Maddy
Adams, Hannah Fairweather |
Justin Purvis and Jen Speerstra |
Anna Jackson, Justin Purvis, Aviva Pressman, Jen Speerstra |
Arthur Levine - composer, author, lyricist |
All cast photos were taken by Jennifer Silber; photo of Art Levine was taken by Stan Levin. All of these photos are available to the press and to the public.
Who’s Who in the Cast and Production Staff
Maddy
Adams (Personified Prayer). This is her very first show, and she is
extraordinarily excited. She is studying piano, and she plays cello in the
orchestra at Robert Frost MIddle School. She is a member of Temple Beth Ami.
When she grows up, she wants to be a veterinarian, but if that does not work out
she wants to be a Broadway star.
Hannah
P. Fairweather (Personified Prayer). She is in 4th grade at Kensington
Parkwood Elementary school. She attends Sunday school and Hebrew
school at Temple Emanuel. She likes to sing and dance and perform in
front of her family. She likes to be on stage. She was in a High
School musical called "The Wiz" and in her Third Grade Opera.
She also performed in a play at Imagination Stage. She loves
animals. She would like to be a Kindergarten teacher when she grows up.
Anna
Jackson (Marcy) is a 2009 graduate of UNC School of the Arts where she
received a BM in Vocal Performance. While in school, she performed the roles of
Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro), Flaminia (Il mondo della luna),
Waitress (Fortune’s Favorites), and numerous ensemble roles with
Piedmont Opera Theatre. Since returning to the DC area, Anna has been seen in Treemonisha
and The Gondoliers (Washington Savoyards), Dr.Horrible’s
Sing-a-Long Blog (Landless Theatre), 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling
Bee (Montgomery College), and Schoolhouse Rock Live! (Studio 3
Children’s Theater).
Jaimin
Kammerman-Fletcher (Personified Prayer) is a 6th grader at the Charles E.
Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville. He has been studying voice with
Richard Hartzell since he was 8 and has spent two summers at Sabrina's Encore
Productions in Newtown, CT learning musical theater. Jaimin is excited to
be a part of Festival of Lights as it is his first real show! Jaimin loves
geology, listening to music and spending time with his friends. He hopes
that one day he'll star either along side or in one of his cousin Brett Boles'
Broadway shows. Jaimin thanks his family for their support!
Gabriel
Kanter-Goodell (Personified Prayer) is a 4th grader at JPDS-NC. He was born
in Washington D.C. Gabriel plays violin and loves music. He probably wants to be
a teacher when he grows up.
Art
Levine, playwright, composer and lyricist, is thrilled to be working with
this young talented cast. Art holds a bachelor’s degree in composition
from Berklee College of Music and a
Noah
Mitchel (Josh) recently made his professional debut in Love Potion #1 (L’Elisir
d’Amore) at The In Series. As a student at Montgomery College, he was in The
25th
Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,
and Harry Connick Jr.’s The Happy Elf (a co-production with Adventure
Theatre), among others. He was also a participant in the 2011 Overtures program
at Signature Theatre’s Musical Theatre Institute. He holds an AA in Theatre
from Montgomery College.
Justin
Purvis (Lawyer, Avraham, Zeyde, Oscar Edelman) is an improv performer,
coach, teacher, and producer in Washington, DC. He has studied with Improv
Olympic, Annoyance, and Groundlings Theaters and has performed with Washington
Improv THeater since 2005. Justin has traveled up and down the east coast
performing at improv festivals. He's been very lucky to work with many great
theaters here in DC, including Faction of Fools and Washington Improv Theater
and spent a month last year traveling around the US as part of the documentary
film, Driving Blind, chronicling his and his brother's struggle with the
degenerative eye disease, Choroideremia.
Aviva
Pressman (Inspector, Sandalfon, Rabbi) is excited to be performing in her
first Chanukah musical since kindergarten. Favorite roles include Cherry in Cosi,
Viola in Twelfth Night, and Maria Elena Holly in Buddy: The
Buddy Holly Story. When she isn't acting, Aviva works as a calligrapher and
donates her time to organizations she is passionate about. Thank you to her
grandpa, Rabbi Jack, for being supportive through all the Christmas productions;
this one's for you.
Rebecca
Rich (Personified Prayer) Rebecca is a member of the Children's Chorus of
Washington since 2009 and currently is in its Bel Canto Choir. She has
also been a member of Kol Ruach, the children's choir of Temple Emanuel,
since 2008. In 2011, she sang with the 5th Grade South County Honors
Choir of Montgomery County Public Schools. She has acted in the URJ Camp
Harlam Camp Play, Summer 2010 (We Will Rock You) & Summer 2011 (Campstock).
She plans to participate in many more musical productions to come.
Talia
Silber (Personified Prayer) Talia is a 3rd Grade student at Forest Knolls
Elementary School. She has taken classes at Round House Theater and Imagination
Stage. Taila's first professional role was in Round House Theater's world
premier of Charming Billy in February 2011. Previously, Talia was in the
Chorus for StroyKa Theater's production of Bye Bye Birdie in June 2010 and
played the role of Baby Dorit in Lumina Studio's productions of Charles Dickens'
play Baby Dorit in 2009. In the future, Talia would like to be a
scientist and would like to continue to be in plays and musicals. She aspires to
make it to the Big Screen one day.
Jennifer Speerstra (Barbara/Bubbe/Sarah) is delighted to be spending her holiday season with the fabulous cast and crew of Festival Of Lights! This is her first production with the Sandy Spring Theatre Company, but you may have caught her in these 2011 productions: Stage Door with American Century Theatre, I Like Nuts (the musical) at Capital City Fringe 2011, and Kennedy Center Staged Readings with American Ensemble Theatre and Molotov Theatre. Other credits and reviews may be viewed on www.jenniferspeerstra.com. Much love to her husband Josh, and wonderful friends and family.