Oh, What a Closing Night (Habimah)

Sunday night was the close of the Habimah production of Prophets Need Not Apply. What a night!! What a day!! It began at 11:45 a.m. when we gathered at Congregation Ner Tamid and Director Morgan Land put us through a full run-through before the 2:30 p.m. performance. Then we returned at 6:00 p.m. where Morgan, true to form, had selected scenes run through for fine tuning. And then the 7:30 p.m. performance to another full house.

As I have come to expect the kids were phenomenal and the adults did a pretty good job too! I focus on the kids because I saw them "grow up" during the production just as my own children did when performing with Curtains Up! Theatre in Palos Verdes starting when they were in elementary school. It is such a joy to see the development of self-confidence, discipline and sense of teamwork in the young people. They are learning life skills which will serve them and the community well in the decades ahead. Since I saw what children's theatre experience did for Alicia and Seth, I have advocated theater experience as a major builder of self-esteem in children. I have continued to see it in the 3 Habimah productions in which I was fortunate to perform.

The emotion of the evening resulted from this being Morgan's last production at Ner Tamid; he is not returning for 2007-2008. Cast members (past and present) and the entire audience expressed their support for Morgan and all that he has done for the congregation both as a teacher and as the writer/director of Habimah productions. There was a lot of love, laughter and tears. It was overwhelming!

Again, I thank Morgan for all he has done for the congregation. He is truly a Mensch!!

(I had hoped to post some pictures here compliments of Bernie Schaefer but I have been having some technology problems. I hope I can add some later.)

Celebrating Morgan Land

Yes, today was the party celebrating all that Morgan Land has done for the children of Congregation Ner Tamid through the Habimah program. He writes and directs plays based on biblical stories, but with a wonderful modern touch.

The best way I can express my feelings about Morgan is to include part of the tribute I wrote for the memory book that was presented to him this afternoon:

Morgan:

I am going to miss you! But, more importantly, the kids are going to miss being exposed to you even if they don't understand how much you have given them. My long-term memories include enduring many years of Hebrew School. I learned a few things then but it was never fun. In contrast, with Habimah you have created an "institution" in which kids can have fun, and gain self-confidence and self-esteem while learning about Judaism and their heritage. Your impact on them will continue into their future growth and maturity.

Obviously, I want to thank you for making Habimah one of the very best synagogue programs around. . .and not just at Ner Tamid. I thank you personally for the opportunity to perform in wonderfully creative plays and to learn from a delightful cross-generational experience with so many wonderful young people. . . .

You will not be forgotten.

Morgan Land (June 9, 2007)

Morgan in the pool surrounded by some of the kids

Habimah – The 1st Performance

Last night was the first performance of the Habimah production of Prophets Need Not Apply at Congregation Ner Tamid in Rancho Palos Verdes. Actually, it was a long and exhilarating Habimah day. It started at noon with a tech rehearsal. Then after a break, there was a 5:30 .m. run through before the 7:30 p.m. performance.

The Kids in the cast are phenomenal. So were the adults, but this program and these productions are all about the kids. Writer/Director Morgan Land outdid himself once again. In addition to his talents in developing a script and creatively presenting it, he is amazing with young people. I think there were about 40 cast members under the age of 17. And then there were about 10 of us "older folk." I marvel at Morgan's ability to work with such a large cast and to help everyone keep focused. Truly amazing!

When I discussed the first tech rehearsal which was held last Thursday night, I included a picture of Moses in costume. Well, Moses got a revamp - totally new costume and new hair (as can be seen below). It was quite a contrast from the original get up, and it worked much better for both the actor and the character.

The production will continue next Sunday. And, if any of you who are reading this have an interest in attending either of the 2 performances (2:30 and 7:30 p.m.), just leave a comment letting me know where to contact you with details. Shalom!

Habimah. . .the first Tech Rehearsal

In a post last Sunday, I mentioned the upcoming Habimah production at our synagogue. Tonight, as I mentioned then, was the first dress/tech rehearsal and it was a little rough as expected. But I can't resist sharing this picture:

In the script, this is Moses set down in New York in modern times. The beard makes him look more like Santa Claus; at least that's what some of the younger children thought. And the hair and beard are scheduled to be changed before opening night.

But look again. . .closely. Could it be? Is that really The Ancient One, Blessed be He? Maybe his kids knew what they were talking about when they gave him that title. More on the production after Sunday's first performance.

Oh what a theatrical week. . .

This is one of those weeks when all sort of theatrical activity dominates my life. The 7^th weekend of King Kalimari is over and the final performances will be next weekend. Tuesday night is the first rehearsal for Culver City Public Theatre's summer production of Much Ado About Nothing, which marks my first experience performing Shakespeare. Thursday night is the tech rehearsal for Prophets Need Not Apply, the latest Habimah production at Congregation Ner Tamid in Rancho Palos Verdes, directed by Morgan Land (pictured below giving notes during a recent rehearsal).

The first Habimah performance will be next Sunday evening (preceded that day by another tech rehearsal and a run-through). In between all of this, on Wednesday I will be working as an extra on a new TV series, Mad Men. All in all a very busy week. By next Sunday night, I expect to be totally exhausted but feeling buoyant by the varied acting experiences as we transition from May to June.

Later I will be writing more about the Habimah program and the incredible impact it has had on the children of Congregation Ner Tamid. It is a program that has bolstered my view that theater is one of the best builders of self-esteem. And, by including a number of adults in the cast with 40+ young people, it has also proved to be an incredible cross-generational experience. I'll also be writing more about my foray into Shakespeare and the experience of becoming Dogberry, who Director Ken MacFarlane describes as "one of the great comic characters" in the Bard's works. I am both excited and honored to be cast in this production. Below is a photo of Ken, taken backstage at CCPT when we were performing in Ibsen's Enemy of the People in the summer of 2004.

And now to get some rest on this Memorial Day weekend as the summer theater season is about to get underway.