DC Theater Arts: Hayley Finn is on a mission. As the recently appointed artistic director of Theater J, which makes its home at the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center in Northwest Washington, DC, she felt called to the theater by its mission, which “celebrates, explores, and struggles with the complexities and nuances of both the Jewish experience and the universal human condition.”
3 comments:
I think a place like this is very important. especially in the times we are in currently, the attacks on Israel have opened up a need for a safe space like this. Jewish representation should not be forgotten. Although I could be biased, because I am Jewish, I feel like there has been a lack of Jewish representation, a lot of times in Media. Sometimes there is a negative portrayal/ connotation that comes with being Jewish- this stems from history of course. Theater J pushes the limits of theater, it becomes more than a show, it is a community. Something I wonder about a theater like this is whether can it ever be something open to everyone. will it always feel somewhat segregated? what purpose does it serve other than being a place where Jewish people can enjoy theater that speaks to them? I feel like this could be a place for everyone, everyone who is respectful of not only religion but the people and stories they have to tell. I think any good listener can truly enjoy this place.
Despite having lived most of my life in the DC area, I sadly never made it to Theater J before moving to Pittsburgh. While never personally interacting with Theater J, my lighting mentor worked often at Theater J and always marveled on how they transformed the JCC into a lively arts space. I’m super excited to see how Hayley Finn transforms Theater J and hope her goal of highlighting non-white Jewish stories is achieved. One quote by Finn that stuck out to me was, “[Theater J] is an authentic appreciation of that mission to create a community.” Given the events of the last week, community is now more important than ever and Theater J being a place to build Jewish community is so impactful. Having one place to express rage, sadness, and grief through an artistic form is one of the reasons, and specifically, affinity theatres are so special. While I won’t be in DC during this next break, hopefully I’ll be able to stop by Theater J either over the winter or spring break and experience their super intriguing upcoming season that the article described.
We have been touching on the subject of different affinity theatres and mission statements in our Anti-Rascist and Equitable Practices in Theatre class and it was thrilling to see all of the things we talked about in class within this article. I admire Hayley Finn for finding theatre that inspires her and for feeling so compelled to work at Theatre J and the other theatres mentioned in the article that she aligns with. Reading this article right in the hight of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was also a big part of my joy reading this article. I feel like everything I see in the news that talks about the Jewish community this past week just makes me sad. So to finally read an article where we are not worried about war, who is right/who is wrong, but instead just simply celebrates a community was so very refreshing and needed.
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