THE LION'S DEN ARCHIVES
The Lion's Den: The Theatre Ariel Newsletter
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2023 - 2024
Lion's Den : Telling Our Story Ourselves
There's a classic joke that about the quintessential Jewish telegram (recently been updated to be about the quintessential Jewish text message). The punchline, however, is as old as the Jewish people. The message simply reads: "Start worrying. Details to follow."
Theatre Ariel's 33rd season began on October 14th, 2023. We were all still reeling from the horrors of October 7th.
April 2024 Lion's Den 2.5: Telling Our Story Ourselves
Stories are how we define ourselves. Both to ourselves and to others. We are shaped by our experiences, which we form into a narrative. When we meet someone new we don't share our genetic profiles; we tell stories. People are an accumulation of stories.
February 2024 Lion's Den 2.4: How Do We Look? (theatreariel.org)
How Do We Look? You might have noticed something a little different in our correspondences, lately: namely, our new logo. It was designed by Robin Dalke of RD Graphics and we're pretty enamored with it.
Theatre After... and Before. In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, DC, people in the theatre industry were wondering what plays would come out of the tragedy.
I heard the above rabbinical expression the other day, during a Zoom gathering to mourn the losses of the horrific terrorist acts in Israel of October 7th.
The rabbi who mentioned the heart of many rooms spoke about the myriad emotions, thoughts and perspectives that not only individuals, but the collective group, were holding and struggling with.
I have fond memories of my sophomore years in both high school and college. In both instances, I found a solid core of friends, had intense and exciting creative experiences, and generally enjoyed myself.
I’m expecting similar things in my “sophomore year” as Theatre Ariel’s Artistic Director. This time, you’re my core group of friends, we’re going to have these exciting experiences together, and we’ll generally enjoy ourselves at TA events!
​2022 - 2023
Wake up, people!" So begins Survivors by Wendy Kout, a play about the lives of ten young people and how they survived the Holocaust. The script then goes on to call out rising hatred, xenophobia, censorship, and politicians destroying democracy with seeming impunity. "We aren't talking about America today," the play then says...
Some of you may have heard that last week, at a Broadway performance of Parade (a musical about a Jewish man wrongly accused of abusing a girl who was ultimately lynched by white supremacists) was picketed by Neo-Nazis.
And you may have heard that Saturday, February 25th was declared a "Day of Hate" by Neo-Nazis and other hate groups looking to express their anti-Semitism.
Rather than celebrate the military victories, politics and martyrdom that are all a part of the story of the Maccabean revolt behind the holiday of Hannukah, the rabbis chose to focus the holiday instead on the miracle of the oil lasting eight days and the rededication of the Temple.
There is a Talmudic tradition that one should express gratitude 100 times a day. With this season’s first salon behind us and Thanksgiving on the way, it seems like a perfect opportunity to express some things for which I am grateful.
It all has to do with you — our Theatre Ariel community.
These days, it seems there is a lot one could choose be bitter about. I don't need to list the reasons here, because you know what's going on. You pay attention.