ONCE MORE WITH CHUTZPAH! – A CELEBRATION OF JEWISH COMPOSERS

Abstract

It is well known that many of the most influential American composers have been Jewish—George and Ira Gershwin, Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein, Irving Berlin, just to name a few—and it is my responsibility as a Jewish-American actor to honor their legacy and celebrate my heritage—keeping one foot in the past and one foot in the future. To honor these musical theatre composers, I, along with fellow Musical Theatre major Jenna Meadows, created a cabaret-style performance that highlighted their works, while at the same time exploring our own experiences as American Jews studying musical theatre. Our performance was made public via the School of Theatre, Film, and Television’s online streaming platform, in an effort to both educate and entertain both the Tucson community and any nationwide audience members that tuned in. Our performance also raised an awareness of the negative impact that COVID-19 has had on the theatre community, since many theatres have faced the unfortunate risk of permanent closure due to the pandemic. We provided viewers with a link to donate to the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene in New York City—a theatre that works to honor and maintain Jewish tradition by producing works entirely in Yiddish.