{"id":176168,"date":"2022-08-23T16:12:07","date_gmt":"2022-08-23T20:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/?p=176168"},"modified":"2022-08-23T16:12:07","modified_gmt":"2022-08-23T20:12:07","slug":"theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/","title":{"rendered":"Theatre Ariel\u2019s New Season to Explore Old, Contemporary Jewish Theme"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Jesse Bernstein (Courtesy of Jesse Bernstein)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When it commences its 32nd season in October, Theatre Ariel will carry on the legacy of its founding artistic director, Deborah Baer Mozes, who retired after the 2021-\u201922 season.<\/p>\n

And so, when deciding on a theme for the Jewish salon theater\u2019s four shows for 2022-\u201923, new director Jesse Bernstein did not have to brainstorm for long.<\/p>\n

The theme will be legacy, as an email from the theater revealed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do we inherit? What do we leave behind? What do we pass on to the next generation,\u201d it further explained.<\/p>\n

But, as Bernstein elaborated, the subject is not just about the Main Line organization continuing the legacy of its founder. It is also a topic that is relevant to Judaism \u2014 and specifically to Judaism today.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we inherit from the generations before,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd also, as I was reading scripts, that theme started to emerge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Theatre Ariel\u2019s first show of 2022-\u201923, \u201cWe All Fall Down\u201d by Lila Rose Kaplan, is about whether a family\u2019s revitalization of an age-old Jewish tradition, the Passover seder, can bring them closer together. Its next play, \u201cAncient History\u201d by David Ives, features a couple that eschews labels…until the woman realizes that her Jewish background does mean something to her.<\/p>\n

Both of those will premiere for the theater\u2019s intimate crowds in 2022, with two more to follow in the first half of 2023.<\/p>\n

In 2022-\u201923, the theater will continue its legacy of in-person performance. It ended the 2019-\u201920 season online because of the outbreak of COVID-19. The 2020-\u201921 schedule played out entirely on Zoom due to the ongoing pandemic and last year\u2019s shows were in person for the first two performances and virtual for the next two.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s plays will all be in person with locations to be determined, Bernstein said. The director, who served as associate director under Baer Mozes, said the theater still had 58 members and an average crowd of between 40 and 60 people for its 2021-\u201922 performances. Both of those numbers were in line with pre-COVID standards.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are very much about the conversation around the show, as well as the reading. We\u2019re looking to create community and dialogue,\u201d Bernstein said. \u201cThere is a hunger for that. You can still engage with your Judaism and be entertained.\u201d<\/p>\n

Judaism is about continuity, he explained. But in the Jewish community of 5782, that continuity feels uncertain.<\/p>\n

Synagogue membership is declining. Many shuls in the Philadelphia area see small crowds for Shabbat services.<\/p>\n

Millennials are often unsure about the degree to which they want to affiliate. It\u2019s become a common refrain for local Jews of all ages to say something along the lines of, \u201cI\u2019m not religious, but I do appreciate my Jewish identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

But what, exactly, is that identity today?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a question that, like so many in Jewish life, really only leads to many more questions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn terms of where we are right now in American Jewry, one of the things that is a question is how do you involve more people? What are the important things we want to pass on? And what are we inheriting that we need to adapt?\u201d Bernstein asked.<\/p>\n

And then, he asked some more.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are the things that are being forgotten that we want to make sure are not forgotten? What is the value of Jewish culture and ideas and spirituality? How do we cling to that? How do we communicate that? How do we pass that on? That includes both the trauma and the celebratory parts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those are questions that Bernstein is asking not just about modern Jewry but about Theatre Ariel. The director wants to carry on Baer Mozes\u2019 legacy because he believes that Jewish art is a valuable inheritance worth continuing \u2014 and ultimately passing on to another generation.<\/p>\n

At the same time, much like the average synagogue congregation in 5782, Theatre Ariel\u2019s audience is older. And finding younger members is an ongoing challenge. Bernstein, who is 44, is not sure where they are and how to find them.<\/p>\n

The director and the theater\u2019s co-presidents, Marci Wilf and Judy Guzman, are looking into collaborating with venues that are more accessible to younger people, expanding the theater\u2019s social media presence and bringing younger people into the organization and its productions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a process,\u201d Bernstein said.<\/p>\n

But one well worth undertaking.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important that our stories are handed down,\u201d Guzman said. JE<\/p>\n

jsaffren@midatlanticmedia.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When it commences its 32nd season in October, Theatre Ariel will carry on the legacy of its founding artistic director, Deborah Baer Mozes, who retired after the 2021-\u201922 season. And so, when deciding on a theme for the Jewish salon theater\u2019s four shows for 2022-\u201923, new director Jesse Bernstein did not have to brainstorm for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13404,"featured_media":176169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,8959],"tags":[13286,10240,10935],"section":[],"coauthors":[13277],"yoast_head":"\nTheatre Ariel\u2019s New Season to Explore Old, Contemporary Jewish Theme - Jewish Exponent<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Theatre Ariel\u2019s New Season to Explore Old, Contemporary Jewish Theme - Jewish Exponent\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When it commences its 32nd season in October, Theatre Ariel will carry on the legacy of its founding artistic director, Deborah Baer Mozes, who retired after the 2021-\u201922 season. And so, when deciding on a theme for the Jewish salon theater\u2019s four shows for 2022-\u201923, new director Jesse Bernstein did not have to brainstorm for […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Jewish Exponent\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/jewishexponent\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-08-23T20:12:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Arts-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jarrad Saffren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@jewishexponent\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@jewishexponent\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jarrad Saffren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jarrad Saffren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/#\/schema\/person\/707bd2a155ec5af845fa9269bac92728\"},\"headline\":\"Theatre Ariel\u2019s New Season to Explore Old, Contemporary Jewish Theme\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-08-23T20:12:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-08-23T20:12:07+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/\"},\"wordCount\":766,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Arts-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Plays\",\"theater\",\"Theatre Ariel\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Arts\",\"Performance\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/\",\"name\":\"Theatre Ariel\u2019s New Season to Explore Old, Contemporary Jewish Theme - Jewish Exponent\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Arts-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-08-23T20:12:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-08-23T20:12:07+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Arts-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Arts-1.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"Jesse Bernstein (Courtesy of Jesse Bernstein)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Theatre Ariel\u2019s New Season to Explore Old, Contemporary Jewish Theme\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/\",\"name\":\"Jewish Exponent\",\"description\":\"What It Means To Be Jewish In Philadelphia\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Jewish Exponent\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/JE-Logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/JE-Logo.png\",\"width\":700,\"height\":86,\"caption\":\"Jewish Exponent\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/jewishexponent\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/jewishexponent\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jewishexponent\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/#\/schema\/person\/707bd2a155ec5af845fa9269bac92728\",\"name\":\"Jarrad Saffren\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Theatre Ariel\u2019s New Season to Explore Old, Contemporary Jewish Theme - Jewish Exponent","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Theatre Ariel\u2019s New Season to Explore Old, Contemporary Jewish Theme - Jewish Exponent","og_description":"When it commences its 32nd season in October, Theatre Ariel will carry on the legacy of its founding artistic director, Deborah Baer Mozes, who retired after the 2021-\u201922 season. And so, when deciding on a theme for the Jewish salon theater\u2019s four shows for 2022-\u201923, new director Jesse Bernstein did not have to brainstorm for […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/","og_site_name":"Jewish Exponent","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/jewishexponent","article_published_time":"2022-08-23T20:12:07+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":1000,"url":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Arts-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jarrad Saffren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@jewishexponent","twitter_site":"@jewishexponent","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jarrad Saffren","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/"},"author":{"name":"Jarrad Saffren","@id":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/#\/schema\/person\/707bd2a155ec5af845fa9269bac92728"},"headline":"Theatre Ariel\u2019s New Season to Explore Old, Contemporary Jewish Theme","datePublished":"2022-08-23T20:12:07+00:00","dateModified":"2022-08-23T20:12:07+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/"},"wordCount":766,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Arts-1.jpg","keywords":["Plays","theater","Theatre Ariel"],"articleSection":["Arts","Performance"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/","url":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/","name":"Theatre Ariel\u2019s New Season to Explore Old, Contemporary Jewish Theme - Jewish Exponent","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Arts-1.jpg","datePublished":"2022-08-23T20:12:07+00:00","dateModified":"2022-08-23T20:12:07+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Arts-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Arts-1.jpg","width":800,"height":1000,"caption":"Jesse Bernstein (Courtesy of Jesse Bernstein)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/theatre-ariels-new-season-to-explore-old-contemporary-jewish-theme\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Theatre Ariel\u2019s New Season to Explore Old, Contemporary Jewish Theme"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/","name":"Jewish Exponent","description":"What It Means To Be Jewish In Philadelphia","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/#organization","name":"Jewish Exponent","url":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/JE-Logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/JE-Logo.png","width":700,"height":86,"caption":"Jewish Exponent"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/jewishexponent","https:\/\/x.com\/jewishexponent","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jewishexponent\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/#\/schema\/person\/707bd2a155ec5af845fa9269bac92728","name":"Jarrad Saffren"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176168"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13404"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176168\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176168"},{"taxonomy":"section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section?post=176168"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=176168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}