Displaying items by tag: Avi Hoffman

The South Florida based YI Love Jewish and Chicago-based Arts Judaica proudly join forces to present a limited engagement of the Chicago Premiere production of L. M. Feldman's acclaimed theatrical mosaic A PEOPLE, at Theater Wit. Directed by world renowned actor, director and Jewish Culture activist Avi Hoffman, A PEOPLE invites Chicago audiences on a magical, lyrical journey through 5,000 years of Jewish identity, heritage, and humanity, brought to life by a dynamic ensemble of performers. The ensemble portrays a range of old and new-world characters, weaving together vignettes that question, affirm, and reimagine what it means to be part of a people. Historical and fictional characters, separated by generations, meet in a surreal landscape to explore their peoples' rich history and traditions, much of which they fear will be forgotten entirely. The play will preview June 18 and 19, 2026, prior to opening on Saturday, June 20^th at 7:30 pm,  and play through July 5^th. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm. There will be a special matinee celebrating  'Jewish Pride and Independence Day', Saturday, July 4 at 2:00 pm, as part of an ongoing initiative to celebrate Jewish Pride through world-class theater. 

Feldman's script is sometimes hilarious, sometimes searingly honest, as it weaves together old and new-world  voices to explore how all individuals wrestle with, deny, or embrace their heritage. The result is a vivid collage of characters and moments that illuminate the way we see life, the way we want it, and the way it really is.

YI Love Jewish is a global cultural initiative that advocates for Jewish Pride, builds cultural bridges and challenges antisemitism through the arts, while celebrating and promoting Jewish history, life, and culture, and their far-reaching impact on the world.

Arts Judaica, a Chicago-based 501(c)(3), is the city's only producing organization dedicated exclusively to exploring and celebrating Jewish history, culture, and arts through live theater, music, and educational programming. Together these two Jewish cultural organizations are presenting this play at Theatre Wit, a vital Lakeview venue known for its smart, intimate 98–99-seat black box spaces; they will bring together local and national voices in an accessible, neighborhood setting.

Tickets for A PEOPLE at Theater Wit are now available, with regular weekly performances Thursday–Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2:00 pm. Tickets can be reserved online at https://www.theaterwit.org/tickets/productions/572/performances#top or via Theatre Wit's box office (773) 975-8150, or in person at 1229 W. Belmont Avenue, Chicago, IL 60657. For press materials, including show logo, production photos, and artist headshots, or to schedule interviews and press comps, please contact John Olson. 

LISTING INFORMATION
 
A PEOPLE
By L M Feldman
Directed by Avi Hoffman
June 18 – July 5, 2026
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm.
Tickets will be $36 with group rates of 10 or more at $32
Opening will be a VIP special for $100.
Tickets can be reserved online at https://www.theaterwit.org/tickets/productions/572/performances#top or via Theater Wit's box office (773) 975-8150, or in person at 1229 W. Belmont Avenue, Chicago, IL 60657
More information at www.artsjudaica.com
 
A PEOPLE is a magical, lyrical journey into heritage, tradition, religion and humanity. Through vignettes, music and monologues, L M Feldman holds up a mirror to 5000 years of Jewish history, reminding us that we're all descendants from somewhere, and we choose to embrace our lineage, deny it, or wrestle with it. Hilarious and terrifyingly honest.
 
BIOS
 
L M Feldman (Playwright) is a queer, feminist playwright (and circus artist) who pens plays that are wildly theatrical but deeply intimate. Formally ambitious plays that move and take up space. Plays that are questioning, wrestling, and asking. Plays without answers. Plays about women and queers, plays about outsiders and searchers. Plays grappling with voice and agency, opportunity and access, history and its wake. Plays about the human connection. Plays that seek to be a greater, communal, rare theatrical event in which something transcendent transpires - for those both onstage & off.

Her plays include THRIVE, OR WHAT YOU WILL (Page 73 Residency, New Georges Audrey Residency); ANOTHER KIND OF SILENCE (Magic Theatre Virgin Play Festival, PlayPenn Conference, Playwrights Realm Fellowship, FEWW Prize Honorable Mention); AMANUENSIS (Georgetown University); A PEOPLE (Orbiter 3, Jewish Plays Project); THE EGG-LAYERS (Jane Chambers Honorable Mention, New Georges/Barnard College commission); GRACE, OR THE ART OF CLIMBING (Denver Center, Art House Productions, Nice People Theatre, ATCA/Steinberg New Play Award Nomination, Barrymore Nomination); ensemble-devised works, including GUMSHOE (New Paradise Labs + Free Library of Philadelphia + Rosenbach Museum), WAR OF THE WORLDS: PHILADELPHIA (Swim Pony + Drexel University), AND IF YOU LOSE YOUR WAY, OR A FOOD ODYSSEY (The Invisible Dog, New York Innovative Theatre Award Nomination), and others; and a baker's dozen of short plays. She has been nominated for the Barrie and Bernice Stavis Playwright Award, Wendy Wasserstein Prize, Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, and the Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award. She was awarded an artist grant through the Boomerang Fund and a creation grant from the State of Vermont, and she has been an artist-in-residence at Terra Firma, SPACE at Ryder Farm, the School of Making Thinking, Tofte Lake Center, Montana Artists Refuge, Montana Repertory Theatre, Sewanee University of the South, Cornell University, and Theater Emory/Brave New Works Festival. A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, L is also a New Georges Affiliated Artist, a devised-work collaborator, a teacher of playwriting (Bryn Mawr College, Lantern Theatre/Jefferson Medical School, PlayPenn), and a freelance dramaturg.
 
Avi Hoffman (Director) - Founder and CEO of Yiddishkayt Initiative, Avi Hoffman is a world-famous actor, who specializes in Jewish culture and Yiddish theater. His long-running "Too Jewish" trilogy has been seen by millions on PBS and in venues around the world. Based in Miami, Florida, he has produced and presented shows throughout North America, Europe and Israel. International Festivals include Romania, Poland, New York, Toronto, Montreal, Tel-Aviv and other European cities and countries. His connections in the theater, entertainment and film communities are extensive. He was awarded Congressional recognition, was invited to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis and was inducted into the Bronx Jewish Hall of Fame for his lifetime work advancing Jewish culture and was named a "Sage" by THE NEW YORK TIMES.      
 
ABOUT ARTS JUDAICA
Arts Judaica is dedicated exclusively to showcasing Jewish arts, culture, and history. As the only organization of its kind in the Chicago are, Arts Judaica serves as a vital platform for preserving and celebrating Jewish heritage through compelling performances, educational programs, and community outreach initiatives.

Our mission is to illuminate the richness of Jewish traditions and history, with a particular focus on educating audiences about pivotal events such as the Holocaust. Through thought-provoking productions, dynamic workshops, and meaningful collaborations, we aim to foster understanding, promote cultural dialogue, and inspire reflection among diverse audiences.

Arts Judaica, a tax exempt, 501c3 entity, is a unique and vibrant live theater/music/education organization based in Chicago, dedicated exclusively to showcasing Jewish arts, culture, and history. As the only organization of its kind in the city, Arts Judaica serves as a vital platform for preserving and celebrating Jewish heritage through compelling performances, educational programs, and community outreach initiatives. You can also see more about our work at https://www.artsjudaica.com.
 
ABOUT YI LOVE JEWISH
Performing arts, media, publishing, education, language, and literature, the mission of YI Love Jewish is to instill Jewish Pride and combat antisemitism by promoting Jewish history, life, and culture and their far-reaching impact on the contemporary world. Based in Miami-Dade County and in partnership with the University of Miami, YI Love Jewish builds engagement and forges multi-cultural and diverse connections through an immersive and varied range of programming for audiences around the globe. More information at YI Love Jewish https://yilovejewish.org