Arts Judaica and YILoveJewish
present the Chicago premiere of
A People
by LM Feldman
Directed by Avi Hoffman
June 18-July 5, 2026
At Theatre Wit
Cast
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Creative Team
Avi Hoffman
Elayne LeTraunik
Katie Mae Ryan
Zach Stinnett
Karen Wallace
Dugan Kenaz-Mara
Abby Gillette
YILoveJewish
Arts Judaica
Arts Judaica is a unique and vibrant live theater company based in Chicago, dedicated exclusively to exploring and celebrating Jewish history, culture, and arts. As the only theater of its kind in the city, Arts Judaica serves as a vital platform for preserving and teaching the rich tapestry of Jewish heritage through compelling performances and educational outreach. The company is particularly committed to educating audiences about the profound historical lessons of The Holocaust, using the power of theater to foster understanding, remembrance, and dialogue. Through original productions, adaptations, and community engagement, Arts Judaica illuminates Jewish traditions, resilience, and contributions, inspiring audiences to reflect on the past while building connections in the present.
A People The Play
A People [a mosaic play]
by L M Feldman
A PEOPLE is a theatrical mosaic of eras and lands; generations and deserts; hats and books; clarinets and bread; people lost and people searching; angry young women; sad old men; angels; history; memory; and imagination. A PEOPLE gathers a versatile ensemble of performers, taking on a spectrum of Old and New World perspectives – across time, space, age, and gender – in a kaleidoscopic celebration of humanity that explores and explodes the history and present of the Jewish diaspora. A participatory theatrical experience as intimate as it is epic, A PEOPLE spins a luminous and tenuous tale of (dis)connection and (be)longing, all while wrestling with the question: What is my relationship to those who came before me? And are we – or is anyone – still a people?
This performance takes the audience on a journey through 4,000 years of Jewish history, exploring themes of heritage, tradition and identity. Through a blend of vignettes, music and monologues, the ensemble offers a candid look at how people connect with, wrestle with or embrace their lineage. With a mix of humor and honest reflection, A People provides a fresh perspective on the past and present of Jewish life.
Playwright LM Feldman
Director's Notes
This production of A PEOPLE is, for me, less a play and more a living conversation across generations, languages, and lands. As the child of Holocaust survivors who grew up speaking Yiddish in the Bronx and coming of age artistically in both Israel and America, I recognize in this mosaic the tangled threads of memory, trauma, humor, doubt, and fierce hope that make up our Jewish story. Feldman’s tapestry of voices—young and old, pious and skeptical, rooted and wandering—invites us to sit in the tension between past and present, between obligation and freedom, between the stories we inherit and the ones we dare to write anew. In rehearsals, we have treated each fragment not as a museum piece, but as a heartbeat: a chance to listen to those who came before us and to those who will follow, all sharing the same impossible, beautiful question—what does it mean to be ‘A People’?
In shaping this production, my deepest commitment has been to honor the radical inclusivity at the core of the text: a multiracial, multiethnic, multi-generational ensemble—Jewish and not—summoned to wrestle with Jewishness as something alive, porous, and urgently human. The doubling, the shifting of age and gender, the playful and painful collisions of Old World and New, all echo my life’s work of advancing Yiddishkayt and Jewish culture not as a historic relic, but as a vibrant, evolving force of survival. My hope is that you leave the theatre feeling not that you have “seen a play about Jews,” but that you have been invited into a communal act of remembrance and imagination—one that asks each of us: What do we carry? What do we choose? And how will we, together, continue to be “a people” in a fractured world?
Aren’t we all ‘A People’?
Meet the Company
Jin Ai
Jin Ai is grateful to Arts Judaica for the opportunity to reflect on cultural heritage. Raised in Kyrgyzstan, she trained in LA and earned her BA in English and Theatre. Jin has performed in shows such as: Fiddler on the Roof (GOLDE), You Can’t Take it With You (PENNY), West Side Story (MARGARITA), Eurydice (EURYDICE U/S), The Illusion (ELICIA), and a myriad of short film and VO roles. Offstage you'll find her writing poetry, dancing, or crying over Hadestown. @jin.aiyaa
Daniel Boughton
Daniel Boughton (he/him/his) serves on AGMA's Midwest Area Committee and graduated from Southeast Missouri State University. He has performed with Goodman Theatre, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Kentucky Shakespeare, on Japanese television, in a one-shot Moby music video and as Robin in Star Trek Versus Batman. Daniel has sung with Erin McKeown and Huron Coast. He has also directed and acted for Eclectic Full Contact Theatre, The Whiskey Rebellion Theatre and, internationally, Missoula Children's Theatre. Daniel is a company member and steward of Bring Your Own Theatre Productions. He thanks his partners and friends for their support!
Freya Churchwell
Freya Churchwell is currently based in Portage, Indiana, but is originally from Chicago. Freya is excited to return to theatre after taking theatre in undergrad and acting as director for the college plays. She has appeared in a couple of films; one as a singing extra. Freya enjoys singing and visiting Vegas.
Zach Kunde
Zach Kunde is a Chicago based improviser, director, and actor with a Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater; he is proud to join the cast of A People and hopes this piece inspires others to ask questions, learn, and grow. Thank you to everyone who has helped him get this far. Zach promises, he didn’t come this far just to come this far. More information: @Zach_The_Actor or ZachKunde.com
Douglas Levin
Roles include Carl Voldman in Survivors (Arts Judaica), Rabbi/Ensemble in Fiddler on the Roof (Music Theater Works), Mitchell in Little Dog Laughed (Live Theatre Workshop), Richard Dalloway in Mrs. Dalloway, and Toby Belch (Rogue Theatre), Malvolio, Polonius, and Bottom (Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival), Albert Dussel in Good at Heart (Cleveland Public Theatre).
Xavier Mattison
Originally from Michigan, Xavier Mattison got his start acting in student films made by friends before pursuing training and performance opportunities in Chicago. He completed both the Improv and Conservatory programs at The Second City and performed with The Kensingtons at The Second City Blackout Cabaret. Xavier has also appeared on NBC’s Chicago Med. He enjoys character-driven work and brings a background in improvisation, physical comedy, and voiceover to his performances.
Haley Schenk
Haley Schenk is super excited to make her first official Chicago debut! She graduated from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point in 2024 with her BFA in Acting as well as three minors in Criminal Justice, Sociology, and Women’s and Gender Studies. Since moving to Chicago she was in a show at The Magnified Gift Theater in Broadview IL and has worked on some miscellaneous short film projects as well. She wants to thank her family, especially her parents, for always supporting her through the hard times, and for encouraging her to always follow her dreams. She is excited and grateful for this new opportunity, and can’t wait to see where this could lead.
Charity Schultz
New to the Chicago scene, this is Charity’s first project in the city and first show since graduating with her Acting BFA in VA! She’s thrilled and extremely grateful for this opportunity and for the trust instilled in her to help breathe life into this production. May it inspire many to look forwards and backwards to find the true beauty of our present. So many thanks to Yahweh, to my Alex, and to the kindest friends and family who have joined me in celebrating this moment! I’m so blessed to be known by you in this lifetime.
Avi Hoffman
Avi Hoffman, a child of Holocaust survivors, began his professional career at the age of 10 (1968), in the venerable National Yiddish Theatre-Folksbiene of NY. He was awarded Congressional recognition, was invited to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis and was inducted into the Bronx Jewish Hall of Fame for his lifetime work advancing Yiddish and Jewish culture and Holocaust awareness. Nominated (Drama Desk) for his Yiddish language portrayal of Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, he is best known for his award winning Too Jewish Trilogy. Avi has performed all over the world, has numerous film, television and theatre acting and directing credits and has received multiple awards and nominations. Visit www.YILoveJewish.org
Elayne LeTraunik
Elayne LeTraunik is a native Chicagoan and has been involved in the Chicago theatre scene since the 1970s. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago with honors in History and Theatre, she continued her acting studies at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England. Elayne has worked extensively both as an actress and a producer and starred in the Chicago premieres of “Nuts” and “Extremities.” She also appeared in “Beyond Therapy” which featured Skipp Sudduth and Carmen Roman. She currently works extensively in commercials and independent productions. As a producer, she oversaw a number of award winning and critically acclaimed productions including the Chicago premiere of “A Dybbuk” and a revival of “Class Enemy.” Elayne was the auditions columnist for “Performink” newspaper for 15 years and was the founder and Artistic Director of Red Hen Productions and Chicago Jewish Theatre. Elayne was also a prolific writer and was a weekly columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times as well as contributor to Plays and Players Magazine in London. Elayne currently works as a freelance grant writer and PR person for a number of small theater and arts companies in Chicago. More information about her can be found at elayneletraunik.weebly.com. She was the Associate Artistic Director of Genesis Theatrical Productions but now acts as a consultant, script reader and grants writer and has taken courses in grant writing from the Foundation Center and from the Fundraising Authority.. She is a member of Actor’s Equity and is represented exclusively by Big Mouth Talent.
Katie Mae Ryan
Katie Mae Ryan (Stage and Production Manager) has previously stage managed the show Female, Ashkenazi with a Sewing Machine for Arts Judaica and is excited to return to support A People. Previous stage management credits include frikiNation (Urban Theater Company), The Tender Trap (asst. Blue in the Right Way), Come Again (Stage Left Theatre). Katie Mae directs, writes, and performs sketch comedy, and they will be directing for the upcoming Trans Scribe play festival.
Zach Stinnett
Zach Stinnett is a Chicago based Sound Designer for theatre and film. He is the former Technical Director of MCL Chicago where he designed Sound and Lighting for the original run of Yippie Ki Yay Merry Christmas a Die Hard Musical. In his spare time, he ruins countless movies for non sound people by explaining what is and is not the sound of a shammy.
Karen Wallace
Karen Wallace is a lighting artist based in Chicago, IL, and is excited to add Arts Judaica to her credits. She is passionate about making accessible art and is inspired by her community, collaborators, and fellow theatre educators. Her recent design credits include A Devil Comes to Town (2025) with Trap Door Theatre, Hadestown (2025) with After School Matters, Three Viewings (2025) and No Wake (2026) with Third Avenue Playworks, Six! (2025) with Actor’s Training Center, and global lighting design for Frankenstein (2026) and other Jury Experience scripts. Karen is the Assistant Lighting Supervisor for this season at Lookingglass Theatre Company. She graduated from DePaul University with a BFA in Lighting Design. KarenWallaceLD.com.
Dugan Kenaz-Mara
Dugan Kenaz-Mara (He/Him) is excited to be working on this show as his Arts Judaica and Theater Wit debut! He is a props and puppet designer, stagehand, and TYA artist who can be found backstage at theaters all around Chicago. Dugan has recently worked as a stagehand at The Goodman (Holiday, A Christmas Carol, BUST), Actors Gymnasium (Little Red), and Blue Man Group. Recent prop/puppet credits include Sandbox Theater Collective (Happy Birthday Mars Rover), The Conspirators (Chicago Cop Macbeth), Factory Theater (Kitty James), and many shows for the Evanston Children's Theater. He’s also a long-time cast member at the Bristol Renaissance Faire. You can find more of his creations on Instagram @dkm_creatures. He hopes you enjoy the show!!
Abby Gillette
Abby is a Jill of All Trades, Master of Fun. She has been working in theatre most of her life, ever since she saw a touring Broadway production and decided she’d even be willing to mop the stage to be part of that magic. She wrangles kids by day as a mom and teacher and enjoys a revolving door of hobbies in her free time. All of her sewing skills come directly from her two grandmothers- her work on this play is dedicated to Shirley and Jean!
We want to give a special thanks to Kaufman's Bagel & Delicatessen for acting as our challah suppliers for the show.
For great bagels, challah and delicious deli food
KAUFMAN'S
4905 w. dempster st., skokie, il 60077 847.677.9880
