Over the next three years, we'll be taking our work to six cities across North America.
Inspired by The Dybbukast and the ways in which it brings together scholarship and theatricality, our residencies bring arts and educational engagement connected to Jewish history to communities throughout North America. This program provides a unique opportunity to combine meaningful Jewish arts with community events and professional development training through one to two-week residencies that involve:
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original live performances inspired by creative Jewish texts from throughout history that are infused with scholarship illuminating the cultural contexts and implications for our world today
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partnerships with local institutions to present training workshops for educators and community leaders in which they learn techniques to engage with their constituents and students around the topics brought up in the performances and beyond
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curricula connected to the performances and workshops available on our website to learners and educators
Upcoming Residencies
San Diego Area
June 14 - 18, 2023
PUBLIC EVENTS
Thursday, June 15, 10 am - 11:30 am at Leichtag Commons in Encinitas –"Visioning and Time Management" workshop
In association with San Diego Gives University, The Hive offers a professional development workshop facilitated by theatre dybbuk Artistic Director Aaron Henne designed to help participants identify personal and professional goals and the steps needed to reach them.
This workshop is free to attend, but registration is required.
Thursday, June 15, 6 pm - 8:30 pm at the Coronado Public Library – performance of The Villainy You Teach
The character of Shylock in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice has long been a source of debate. Some have argued that his is an antisemitic portrait with long-lasting effects on the perception of Jews in our world, while others have stated that the character is a nuanced portrayal that, especially given the time and place of his creation, is empathetic to his plight. Often, at the center of this debate is found a speech in which Shylock proclaims his humanity while defending his vengeful desires.
In The Villainy You Teach, theatre dybbuk explodes this famous speech and investigates the ways in which language can both take on a wide variety of meanings and lose all meaning through persistent examination and exposure. We invite audience members to witness an actor perform this brief speech repeatedly over the course of most of the length of the play, reciting it dozens, if not hundreds, of times alongside a performed reading of Merchant in its entirety.
Audience is welcome to come and go throughout this installation-style performance.
Admission is free and no reservations are required.
Friday, June 16, 6 pm - 8 pm at Leichtag Commons in Encinitas – "Shabbat By the Sea: One Community, Many Stories"
Join The Hive and Jeighborhood for a storytelling Shabbat experience led by theatre dybbuk Artistic Director Aaron Henne. Aaron will lead participants through a short workshop where they’ll write quick, anonymous, first-person stories that, as we near the summer solstice and think about the times we have shared during the season, speak to those moments in our lives where we felt connected, found ease, or experienced joy. The writing workshop is followed by dinner and a storytelling performance.
Tickets, which include the workshop, dinner, and performance, are $36.
Saturday, June 17, 9 am - 12:30 pm in La Jolla – storytelling master class with theatre dybbuk for Veterans Playwriting Workshop presented by La Jolla Playhouse
Led by theatre dybbuk Artistic Director Aaron Henne, this workshop is designed for veterans and military servicemen and women who are interested in exploring the art of storytelling through writing, voice and movement.
In this master class, the artists of theatre dybbuk take participants through a process in which they gain additional tools to investigate their own personal narratives, texts, and turning points as vessels to create new theatrical work. The three-hour session will use a combination of writing, vocal work, and movement-based techniques.
This master class is free and open to anyone in the veteran or military community.
Sunday, June 18, 2 pm at the Lawrence Family JCC in La Jolla – JFEST performance of The Merchant of Venice (Annotated), or In Sooth I Know Not Why I Am So Sad
What can a play from sixteenth century England tell us about how antisemitism and other prejudicial beliefs operate in our world today?
Our latest theatrical production brings together elements of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice with Elizabethan history and news from the 21st century to expose the underbelly of the classic play. The multidisciplinary work takes a kaleidoscopic view of the ways in which members of a society displace their fears on the "other" during times of upheaval.
The Merchant of Venice (Annotated), or In Sooth I Know Not Why I Am So Sad is presented as part of a rolling world premiere with the Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival (JFEST) at the Lawrence Family JCC in La Jolla.
The Merchant of Venice (Annotated), or In Sooth I Know Not Why I Am So Sad is presented in five acts and runs 2 hours and 45 minutes, including one 15 minute intermission.
Tickets are $25.
Additionally, on July 10 from 1 pm - 3pm, we'll return to the area for a workshop with La Jolla Playhouse's Summer Youth Programs. More details to come.
Our partners include: The Hive at Leichtag Commons and the Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, and Coronado Public Library.
San Francisco Bay Area
September 2023
PUBLIC EVENTS
Saturday, September 9, 6:30 pm at the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto – performance of The Merchant of Venice (Annotated), or In Sooth I Know Not Why I Am So Sad
What can a play from sixteenth century England tell us about how antisemitism and other prejudicial beliefs operate in our world today?
Our latest theatrical production brings together elements of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice with Elizabethan history and news from the 21st century to expose the underbelly of the classic play. The multidisciplinary work takes a kaleidoscopic view of the ways in which members of a society displace their fears on the "other" during times of upheaval.
The Merchant of Venice (Annotated), or In Sooth I Know Not Why I Am So Sad is presented as part of a rolling world premiere.
The Merchant of Venice (Annotated), or In Sooth I Know Not Why I Am So Sad is presented in five acts and runs 2 hours and 45 minutes, including one 15 minute intermission. General admission tickets are $40; $30 with a valid student ID.
Sunday, September 10, 2 pm at Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco – performance installation of The Villainy You Teach
The character of Shylock in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice has long been a source of debate. Some have argued that his is an antisemitic portrait with long-lasting effects on the perception of Jews in our world, while others have stated that the character is a nuanced portrayal that, especially given the time and place of his creation, is empathetic to his plight. Often, at the center of this debate is found a speech in which Shylock proclaims his humanity while defending his vengeful desires.
In The Villainy You Teach, theatre dybbuk explodes this famous speech and investigates the ways in which language can both take on a wide variety of meanings and lose all meaning through persistent examination and exposure. We invite audience members to witness an actor perform this brief speech repeatedly over the course of most of the length of the play, reciting it dozens, if not hundreds, of times alongside a performed reading of Merchant in its entirety.
Audience is welcome to come and go throughout this installation-style performance.
ticket information coming soon
In addition to these events, we will be doing professional development and community events at JCC of The East Bay and a presentation at the Magnes Museum in Berkeley.
Our partners include: the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto, Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, JCC East Bay, and Magnes Museum
Portland, Oregon
October 2023
PUBLIC EVENTS
Sunday, October 22nd at 2 pm and Monday October 23rd at 7pm with Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education – performance of The Merchant of Venice (Annotated), or In Sooth I Know Not Why I Am So Sad
What can a play from sixteenth century England tell us about how antisemitism and other prejudicial beliefs operate in our world today?
Our latest theatrical production brings together elements of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice with Elizabethan history and news from the 21st century to expose the underbelly of the classic play. The multidisciplinary work takes a kaleidoscopic view of the ways in which members of a society displace their fears on the "other" during times of upheaval.
The Merchant of Venice (Annotated), or In Sooth I Know Not Why I Am So Sad is presented in five acts and runs 2 hours and 45 minutes, including one 15 minute intermission.
ticket and location information coming soon
Tuesday, October 24 with The Eastside Jewish Commons – Community Workshops
times and workshop details coming soon
Wednesday, October 25, 7 pm at the Mittleman JCC – One Community, Many Stories storytelling workshop and performance
details coming soon
Thursday, October 26th with Portland State University - "Shakespeare in Performance" illuminated lecture
In “Shakespeare in Performance,” Prof. Daniel Pollack-Pelzner takes up the question: “Why perform The Merchant of Venice?” The fraught history of this troubling play has morphed from performing it as a comedy, championing young lovers who outwit the murderous plot of Shylock, a Jewish money-lender, to staging it as a tragedy of social prejudices and institutional injustices that spur inhumane actions. As the play has been cut, amended, restaged, and reimagined, its focus has shifted to encompass questions of gender and sexuality, race and economics, alongside the religious and ethnic dynamics that provide a shifting mirror for audiences’ fears and fantasies. This lecture will interweave research in Shakespeare production history with performances by actors from theatre dybbuk.
Prof. Pollack-Pelzner is a consulting scholar on The Merchant of Venice (Annotated), or In Sooth I Know Not Why I Am So Sad and this lecture is being presented as part of Shakespeare’s First Folio: 1623–2023, a city-wide celebration of the 400th anniversary of publication of the first folio.
time and ticketing details coming soon
In addition to these events, we will be offering a variety of professional development workshops with the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland.
Our partners include: Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, Mittleman Jewish Community Center, Eastside Jewish Commons, and Portland State University, with the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland acting as our hub partner
Baltimore, Maryland and region
January 2024
Our partners include: Na'aleh: The Hub for Leadership Learning, Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore, and the Jewish Museum of Maryland, with more partnerships under discussion
Montreal, Quebec
November 2024
Our partners include: the Museum of Jewish Montreal, with more partnerships under discussion
Previous Residencies
Atlanta, Georgia
January 31 - February 5, 2023
Thanks to everyone who joined us for our residency in Atlanta!
You can read about some of the work we did there in the Atlanta Jewish Times.
PUBLIC EVENTS
Tuesday, January 31, 7 pm at The Temple – selections from breaking protocols
theatre dybbuk offers a performed reading of selections from a new theatrical work called breaking protocols. In its entirety the play asks, "Why do conspiracy theories arise and in what ways do they show up at times of great crisis and upheaval in society? And what are the motivations and forces underpinning their proliferation?"
breaking protocols uses the sometimes comic and heightened approaches of vaudeville to examine the quintessential antisemitic text, "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion," while illuminating contemporary issues connected to antisemitism, propaganda, and false narratives.
This event will include a 60 minute presentation of sections from the play and a 30 minute Q and A with the creative team.
This event is free and open to all, but reservations are required.
Friday, February 3 at The Temple
Shabbat service event with theatre dybbuk.
Free and open to all. No RSVP necessary.
Saturday, February 4, 1-5 pm at Theatrical Outfit
"Heritage, History, and Humanity" Master Class with Working Title Playwrights
In this workshop, the artists of theatre dybbuk take participants through a process in which they gain tools to investigate their own personal and/or communal narratives, texts, and turning points as vessels to create new theatrical work that explores the complexities of our world. The session will use a combination of writing, vocal work, and movement-based techniques. The workshop is open to theatrical artists of a variety of disciplines.
Registration and pricing information can be found on the Working Title Playwrights website.
Sunday, February 5, 2 pm at The Breman Museum – a special preview of The Merchant Project
In this unique event, The Breman Museum will present the team from theatre dybbuk as they read selections from the company's still-in-development The Merchant Project, a piece which explores Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. The new piece will have its world premiere in May 2023 and so, this will be an opportunity to get a glimpse into the work as it is being created and to learn about the process with the creative team behind it.
There will be a 60 minute reading of selections from the play followed by a 30 minute Q & A.
The event is free and open to all, but reservations are required.
In addition to these public events, theatre dybbuk is partnering with the Alfred & Adele Davis Academy, The Weber School, and The Temple on a variety of learning opportunities for artists, educators, leaders, and students.
learning materials
• Access learning materials related to breaking protocols and listen to "The Protocols, Henry Ford, and The International Jew"
• resource packet from dramaturg Dylan Southard for The Merchant of Venice (Annotated), or In Sooth I Know Not Why I Am So Sad (PDF)
• listen to "The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages" related to The Merchant of Venice (Annotated), or In Sooth I Know Not Why I Am So Sad
• Filling Your Toolbox: exercises for Jewish Youth educators (PDF)
This program is supported in part by a grant from The Covenant Foundation.