March 9, 2015

Blog for March 9, 2015 (Previous blogs can be found by clicking the Theater Blog button above) 

 

Why Jewish theater?  Often I am asked why so many of my plays are geared to a Jewish audience.  What I often remind others is that theater grew out of religion.  Theater began as Greek expression of religious ideas. In fact, theater SHOULD BE a religious experience. 

 

When religion or theater are at their best, they are emotional, spiritual and physical experiences.  They evoke tears, laughter, love, fear, and yes, awe. I remember in my teens watching the great Sir Laurence Olivier performing King Lear on PBS. To this day, the memory brings back a host of feelings.  I was physically moved by his performance as it led me to tears.  I was emotionally moved, as I was not able to speak for several moments after the show ended.  I was spiritually moved for it made me ask important questions about what it meant to be human. 

 

I also remember my bar mitzvah.  I had all of those same feelings, same reactions.  Theater grew out of religion as an emotional response to existence.  Religion must always be an emotional response to existence, as well. That is why the two are (forgive me) forever intertwined.