Genesis Theatrical Productions will present the Chicago premiere of On Holy Ground by Stephanie Liss directed by Elayne LeTraunik, beginning May 5, 2014.
The two act plays include Daughter of My People which examines the life of Henrietta Szold, the founder of Hadassah. This is the story of a woman, an older woman deeply in love for the first time, with a much younger man. This is her journey through the awakening of her womanhood and her womanliness in a time when women were not allowed to be productive parts of society. It is the story of the Jewish state of Israel.
The second, Jihad, examines the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the stories of two mothers, one living in an Israeli settlement and the other in a Palestinian area. This is set in the present day in the Middle East, a land where nothing changes yet nothing stays the same.
According to playwright Stephanie Liss, “The stories rise from the land… a land that never changes…a land that endures. This land has a life that is its own. It calls questions and withholds answers. It is its own mystery. It is the land of the Jewish state.”
For On Holy Ground Stephanie did research by going underground with the PLO, Hamas and other terrorist groups as well as the IDF.
Stephanie Liss was born and raised in NY, NY. Her family moved to Los Angeles while she was in high school, but she wanted to go back to NY, so she went back to NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She graduated from the theatre program, and moved back out to L.A., where she began her writing career almost immediately. Although it took almost six years to have a movie for television made, she is proud that the first time she ever saw her name on screen was for ‘Second Serve – the Renee Richards Story.’
Following ‘Second Serve,’ came ‘David,’ for which she was nominated for both an Emmy and a Writers Guild Award, ‘Hidden In Silence,’ for which she won the Writers Guild Award and the Berlin Film festival for best television film, and a host of other television movies. She has testified before congress on behalf of issues about which she has written television movies, and researches her work extensively.
All of Stephanie’s plays are not only Jewish in orientation and theme, but through her films, there is always the thread of Torah, somewhere. Stephanie moves back and forth between television and theatre, but theatre is her heart, soul, and first love, and bringing Judaism to the stage in her plays, actually makes her heart sing…
Genesis Theatrical Productions seeks to empower and educate members of society through dynamic new theatrical works which emphasize social justice and communal responsibility.
The cast includes Lily Sauvage, Patricia Rogers, Michelle McKenzie-Voigt (on May 5,6,7,12,13,14) and Ann James (May 11 in Chicago and May 20 and 21 in Indianapolis). The director is Elayne LeTraunik with lighting design by Scott Pillsbury and sound design by JJ Porterfield. Costume design is by Ashley Keifer. Kate Powell is stage manager.
On Holy Ground will be presented May 5,6,7,12,13,14, 2014 at 7:30pm and Sunday, May 11 at 2pm at the National Pastime Theater in the Preston Bradley Center, 941 W. Lawrence, 4th Floor, Chicago. Tickets are $20 and can be reserved through Brown Paper Tickets or by calling 1-800-838-3006, ext. 1. For group sales, contact Elayne LeTraunik at genesistheatricals@gmail.com.
After closing in Chicago, On Holy Ground will premiere in Indiana on the Frank and Katrina Basile Stage at the Phoenix Theatre on Tuesday, May 20 and Wednesday, May 21, 2014 at 7:00 PM. Tickets are $22 for all performances and are available at Vendini.