American premiere of the Israeli play Apples from the Desert September 8, 2011

THEATRE OR* AND MACC PRESENT THE AMERICAN PREMIERE OF THE ISRAELI PLAY
APPLES FROM THE DESERT
Theatre Or and MACC (Mizel Arts and Culture Center) present the American premiere of Savyon Liebrecht’s Apples from the Desert, winner of Israel’s best play, 2006, opening Thursday, September 8, and running through November 6. Apples from the Desert will also be performed in conjunction with JAAMM Fest (Jewish Arts, Authors, Movies, and Music Festival) – a festival featuring multiple art, music, literary, film and educational events.
Oded Kotler, the Israeli director of the 2006 world premiere, will participate in post-performance talkbacks Sept. 15-18 with the audience and artistic personnel. The Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles is sponsoring his residency. Other talkbacks are planned for 9/8, 9/11, 10/30, and 11/5, with more to be added.
Apples from the Desert, is a romantic comedy about a young, religious Israeli who flees her strict family to find freedom and love on a kibbutz in the southern desert. Her father wants to disown her, while her mother wants to support her, and the conflict’s resolution will surprise everyone.
Noted Denver director Terry Dodd will direct an ensemble cast featuring Albert Banker, Carol Bloom, Michael Boyer, Megan Hatch, and Judy Patterson.
When asked why he wanted to direct Apples from the Desert, Dodd responded, “Because it’s extraordinary to bring different cultures together on stage, and by doing so, help us all to find common ground.” Liebrecht, an award-winning Israeli writer of short stories, novels, films, and plays, hopes the American audience will learn that Israel is a complex multi-cultural society. This is her first play to be produced in America.
Theatre Or, a non-profit theatre company that recently relocated to Denver from Durham, North Carolina, and produced The Chosen last season with MACC, has produced other American premieres of Israeli plays, notably Motti Lerner’s Hard Love, and Naomi Ragan’s Women’s Minyan. Most recently, Theatre Or presented the American premiere of Peter-Adrian Cohen’s To Pay the Price, based on the life of Yoni Netanyahu, at 2009’s Festival of Jewish Theater and Ideas in New York. Theatre Or has also produced two festivals of staged readings of Israeli plays, includingOnStageIsrael, which was hosted by the Chicago’s Tony recipient Victory Gardens Theatre in 2008. Theatre Or received a special citation in the humanities from press for their first festival of staged readings in Durham, entitled Voices from the Holy Land. Gilboa was also named Theatre Woman of the Year for this pioneering work.
Theatre Or aims to introduce works that the entire community would not ordinarily see anywhere else. “Our mission is to produce professional, provocative theatre with Jewish perspective and universal appeal,” according to Theatre Or’s founder and Producing Artistic Director, Diane Gilboa, “There is a wonderful bounty of Israeli plays that American audiences deserve to see, plays that by depicting a foreign culture, give us insight into our own lives.”
“We were delighted with the community’s overwhelming response to last year’s production of The Chosen,” comments Steve Wilson, executive artistic director of MACC, “and we welcome Theatre Or’s return with a beautiful, heartwarming romantic comedy that also has depth and breadth as it explores the relationships and complexity of a modern religious family. We are very proud that it is an American premiere by amazing Israeli playwright/author Savyon Liebrecht. It is exciting to host mature theatre back on our stages at MACC.”
*Or is the Hebrew word for light.
Theatre Or and MACC present the American Premiere of Apples from the Desert By Savyon Liebrecht - A young, Israeli religious girl flees her strict religious family to find freedom and love on a kibbutz in the southern desert. September 8 - November 6, Wednesday, Sept. 7 (preview), 7:30 p.m., $12
Thurs. at 7:30 p.m. / Sat. at 8:00 p.m. / Sun. at 2 p.m. (No performances on 9/28, 10/8, 10/13, 10/20). $20-25; $20 by 9/1 - Post-performance talkbacks 9/8, 9/11, 9/15, 9/17, 9/18, 10/30, 11/5 - www.maccjcc.org or 303-316-6360. Pluss Theater, MACC, 350 South Dahlia, Denver, Colorado 80246.
For information about the production and Theatre Or, contact Diane Gilboa at theatreor@mindspring.com and/or visit www.theatreor.com.