YOU’RE INVITED70th Season 2018-2019Roth/Resler Theater

70TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

GALLERYPLAYERS

Logo concept by Benny Zelkowicz

History in Photos

Why honor Gallery Players?

Gallery Players Committee

Gala Committee

This year the JCC Board of Trustees has chosen to combine forces with our Gala and our Gallery Players, the JCC’s theater program, to celebrate Gallery’s 70 years of outstanding production in our community. Gallery Player’s proud history is detailed in this brochure. We know you will be inspired by it. For all its 70 years, Gallery Players has been the JCC’s window to the community. Many people enter the JCC for the first time to see one of our productions. Gallery Players connects performers to each other and to the community; and connects the community to Jewish history and culture.

For 70 years our program has offered youth and adults the opportunity to experience and be part of, live theater. We educate, we delight and we inspire. We hope you will join us in supporting this year-long celebration!

Jennie Cammeyer, President, JCC Board of Trustees

Carol Folkerth, JCC Executive Director

Jeremy Kalef (Chair)Laurie AlexanderToby BriefKen ClubokJoan FishelAnca Bates-GalronSusan Gellman

Joan GrossmanCheryl JacobsLinda KatzFred LuperJennifer MyersPam ScheerIra Scheer

Jon SchelbAaron Shatz Amy Silver-JuddRena VeslerBenny Zelkowicz

ChairsElaine LewinStephanie & Adam LewinCarrie & Andy MadisonConnie & Craig TuckermanCarol & Fred Luper

Robin BrennemanAllan FinkelsteinPam GurwinSara LuckDebbie MeyerMarlene Miller

Miriam PortmanRebecca ShocketLiz ShafranPatty SchiffJennifer Wasserstrom

Special Performance/Event

Starring Ed Asner More than a half century after WW II at the desperate urging of a passionate survivor, a young investigative reporter finds herself caught between numerous versions of the same story. Played out against the backdrop of deadline reporting and journalistic integrity, the critically acclaimed The Soap Myth by Jeff Cohen questions who has the right to write history—those people who have lived it and remember, those who study and protect it, or those who would seek to distort its very existence? And finally what is all our responsibility once we know the truth? Live stage reading: Sunday, May 5th, 2019 - 3:00pm

The African savannah comes to life on the Gallery Players stage with Simba, Rafiki and an unforgettable cast of characters as they journey from Pride Rock to the jungle... and back again, in this inspiring, coming-of-age tale. Featuring young performers from JCC summer theater camp! June 27th and 28th, 2019

The JCC 2019 Gala the largest JCC fundraiser, will be held Saturday, February 23rd at 8:00 p.m. Guests will enjoy an evening of Gallery Players memories, cele-brate our JCC theatre, past and present talent, historical productions and connections. All proceeds from the event will benefit this exceptional milestone season for Gallery Players.

Gallery Players celebrates Leonard Bernstein’s 100th Birthday with a screening and sing-along of Bernstein’s classic musical, West Side Story. Dessert reception included. Come in costume and you will be entered in a lottery to win a prize! Synopsis: Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their friends build toward tragedy. Sunday, August 26th - 2:30pm

The 2018-2019 Season

Falsettos, book by William Finn and James Lapine and music and lyrics by William Finn(October 13th - 28th, 2018)

Falsettos is a hilarious and profound look into a large, modern, dysfunctional, yet loving Jewish family in New York in the 1970s. With mixed and matched love triangles and non-traditional family values, it has become a Broadway classic. Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical; Best Original score.

Newsies, book by Harvey Fierstein, lyrics by Jack Feldman, and music by Alan Menken(March 2nd - 17th, 2019)

Inspired by a true story and based off the 1992 Disney film, Newsies tells the story of newspaper boys in 1899 who make a meager living selling newspapers on the city streets. After a newspaper cost hike at the expense of the newspaper boys, one of them, Jack Kelly, plus an independent newspaper owner Kather-ine Plummer, organize a strike against the big publishing companies. Tony Awards for Best Original Score & Best Choreography Opened on Broadway in 2012 and ran over 1000 performances.

Funny Girl, book by Isobel Lennart, lyrics by Bob Merrill, and music by Jule Styne(December 8th-23rd, 2018)

Follow the semi-biographical story of beloved comedienne and Broadway star Fanny Brice. As she waits for her husband to return from prison, the star of Ziegfeld Follies reflects on her life and her rise to fame. This hit musical is full of Broadway classics such as “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” “People,” and “Sadie, Sadie, Married Lady,” that will be sure to stick in your head. Nominated for 8 Tony awards.

Gallery Players70th Celebration Sponsorship Benefits

Tony Award Winner “Miracle of Miracles” - $15,000

• 10 Season Subscriptions• 2 tickets to West Side Story & 4 tickets to The Soap Myth with special guest, Ed Asner • 10 tickets to Gala – February 23, 2019• Plaque on theater seat in Roth/Resler Theatre• Sponsorship annouced at each performance• Sponsors for one show/name or logo on event sign• Full Page Ad in all performance playbills• Ad on REACH screen in lobby for entire season

Producer “If I were a Rich Man” - $10,000

• 8 Season Subscriptions• 4 Tickets to The Soap Myth with special guest, Ed Asner• 8 tickets to Gala – February 23, 2019• Plaque on theater seat in Roth/Resler Theatre• Sponsorship annouced at each performance• Full Page Ad in all performance playbills• Ad on REACH screen in lobby for entire season

Director “Sunrise, Sunset” - $7,500

• 6 Season Subscriptions• 3 tickets to The Soap Myth with special guest, Ed Asner• 8 tickets to Gala – February 23, 2019• Plaque on theater seat in Roth/Resler Theatre• Sponsorship annouced at each performance• Full page Ad in Gala playbill• Ad on REACH screen in lobby for entire season during performances

Choreographer “Matchmaker, matchmaker” - $5,000

• 6 Season Subscriptions• 2 tickets to The Soap Myth with special guest, Ed Asner• 6 tickets to Gala – February 23, 2019• Plaque on theater seat in Roth/Resler Theatre• Sponsorship annouced at each performance• ½ page Ad in Gala playbill• Ad on REACH screen in lobby for entire season during performances

For more information about our sponsorship benefits, contact Sheila Cline:

614-559-6225 or scline@columbusjcc.org

Gallery Players70th Celebration Sponsorship Benefits

Diva “Tradition” - $2,500

• 4 Season Subscriptions• 2 tickets to The Soap Myth with special guest, Ed Asner• 4 tickets to Gala – February 23, 2019• Plaque on theater seat in Roth/Resler Theatre• Sponsorship annouced at each performance• ¼ page Ad in Gala playbill

Star “To Life” - $1,800

• 2 Season Subscriptions• 2 tickets to The Soap Myth with special guest, Ed Asner• 2 tickets to Gala – February 23,2019• Plaque on theater seat in Roth/Resler Theatre

Supporting Actor “Sabbath Prayer” - $1,000

• 2 Season Subscriptions• 2 tickets to The Soap Myth with special guest, Ed Asner• 2 tickets to Gala – February 23, 2019

Ensemble “Far from the Home I Love” - $750

• 2 Season Subscriptions• 2 Tickets to West Side Story sing-a-long, Sunday, August, 26, 2018• 2 tickets to Gala – February 23, 2019

Extra “Do You Love Me?” - $500

• 2 Season Subscriptions• 2 tickets to Gala – February 23, 2019

For more information about our sponsorship benefits, contact Sheila Cline:

614-559-6225 or scline@columbusjcc.org

Charlotte & Ben Kahn JCC Theatre Arts Endowment FundEstablished in 2000 by Charlotte Kahn, the fund supports the JCC’s

theater department.

Lillian C Strouss Gallery Players Endowment FundAnnual income supports Gallery Players programming.

Dottie and Mayer Rosenfeld JCC Endowment

Established in 2002, this fund supports JCC programs, including Gallery Players.

Bea & David Roth Roth/Resler Theater Endowment Fund

Supports the JCC Theater.

Michael Feinstein JCC Cultural Arts EndowmentEstablished by Michael Feinstein, the fund supports Gallery Players

guest artists.

Harold M. Eisenstein Fund for Gallery PlayersEstablished in 1997 by Anita and Harold Eisenstein, the fund supports

Gallery Players.

The Scheer Family Gallery Players Theater FundEstablished in 2018 by Pamela and Ira Scheer, the fund provides for

maintenance and upkeep of the physical plant of the theater.

For Gallery Players 70th anniversary, Pam and Ira Scheer have offered to match, dollar for dollar, donations that will be used to upgrade the theater seats.

These endowment funds, benefiting the JCC, are held and managed through our partners at the Columbus Jewish Foundation.

For information about our JCC funds, contact Karen Bokor:614-559-6202 or kbokor@columbusjcc.org

JCC Theater Arts Endowment Funds

Individual Tickets Sales Information

Gallery Players Season Subscription

Subscription Price....................................$70 per personLink...................................................tinyurl.com/gp70th

Individual Ticket Price

JCC Members..........................................................$25 Non Members..........................................................$30Link...........................................tinyurl.com/gallerytickets

Special Program Ticket Price

West Side Story Sing-a-long JCC Members............................................................$5Non Members............................................................$7

The Soap Myth Ticket Price..............................................................$70

Staff:Melanie Butter........................................................................Program Directormbutter@columbusjcc.orgSheila Cline...........................................................Special Events & Fundraisingscline@columbusjcc.orgGiselle Siegel.....................................................Gallery Players Artistic Director gsiegel@columbusjcc.orgMike Levison........................................................................Marketing Director Yoni Mizrachi........................................................................Graphic Designer

jccgalleryplayers.org

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Did you know...

• Gallery has performed Fiddler on the roof 6 times: 1972; 1983 (first production in new Roth/Resler Theater); 1993; 1998 (Gallery’s 50th anniversary season); 2006; 2013.

• The musical-comedy duo of Betty Comden and Adolph Green appeared at a fundraiser for Gallery Players in June, 1983, 5 months after the new Roth/Resler Theater opened. Gallery stalwart Bea Roth spear-headed the gala, which raised money for technical support for the theater.

• Michael Feinstein appeared in Gallery Players productions The Dybbuk (1974); The Rothschilds (1976); David and Lisa (1974); I Never Saw another Butterfly (1972); Dinner at Eight (1976). He also served as Harold Eisenstein’s assistant, was a member of the production staff and provided sound for numerous productions.

• Irene Braverman has appeared in more GP shows than anyone else, beginning with the 1954 production of Years Ago. In total, she has been a featured performer in over 40 productions! Including 3 times as Yente in Fiddler on the Roof, 1983, 1993, and 2013.

• Paul Lipson, Gallery’s Tevye in the 1983 production of Fiddler on the Roof, appeared in the role over 2,000 times during the course of his career.

• Gallery’s first production in May, 1950, was Hay Fever. It was performed in the round in the loft gallery space of the R.G. Barry Corporation - Thus the source of the company’s name.

• In 1962 – ticket prices to The Three Penny Opera were $1.25 for Center Members and $1.75 for non-members.

• Funny Girl was produced in 1985 featuring Broadway star Jana Robbins as Fanny Brice.

• All My Sons has been produced three times in 1956, 1989 and 2005.

• Cinderella has been produced three times in 1960, 1976 and 1983.

• A View from a Bridge has been produced twice.

• Maggie Grace is known for her role as a cast member in the Lost series and has recently acted in such films as The Twilight Saga and Hurricane Heist. She started her career at the JCC performing in The Crucible in 2000.

• Josh Radnor, star of How I Met Your Mother, performed in Gallery Players children’s shows as a youth.

History

Gallery Players Mission Statement

In the late 1940’s, the foremost community theater in Columbus was the Players Club Theater. As a club, this group did not permit the partici-pation of African Americans or Jews. In response, in 1948 a group of Hadassah women who were interested in theater, met at the home of Florence Zacks (Melton) to organize a theater activity in which members of the Jewish community could comfortably take part.

The R. G. Barry Corporation offered loft space to this fledging drama group on the top floor of its factory at 80 1/2 East Long Street. It was within this space that Gallery Players produced its first production in May of 1950. This initial effort was met with great interest by the Jewish community.

The new Jewish Center was under construction at the time and the pro-gram department of the agency offered its multi-purpose room as a site for the group to stage future productions. The group readily accepted and became an adult activity offered by the Center. To present plays at the highest level, the group reached out to the general community for talented individuals.

Thus, Gallery Players became the first theater in Central Ohio to im-plement a casting policy that did not discriminate on the basis of race, religion or gender.

Today, Gallery Players continues this inclusive tradition bringing Central Ohio the very best that community theatre can offer by relying on the talents of a diverse cross section of the community. These talented people ensure Gallery Players stays strong for another 70+ seasons!

Gallery Players produces theater of the highest artistic expression, reflecting a Jewish perspective while exploring our common humanity. Building on its rich history, Gallery Players strives to challenge and inspire audiences and artists alike.

– Adopted October 2014

Courtesy of Columbus Jewish Historical Society