BWW Stage Mag The Berlin Diaries - Arts Judaica at Open Space Arts Stage Mag

OPEN SPACE ARTS/ARTS JUDAICA

              IN ASSOCIATION WITH HER STORY THEATER

                          PRESENTS THE CHICAGO PREMIERE OF

THE BERLIN DIARIES

                           BY ANDREA STOLOWITZ
                             DIRECTED BY iZADORIUS TORTUGA
   
 
 
PRODUCED BY ELAYNE LETRAUNIK
 
 
Running time is 90 minutes with no intermission
 
 
 
 

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The great-grandfather of Oregon Book Award-winning playwright Andrea Stolowitz kept a journal for his descendants after escaping to New York City in 1939 as a German Jew. Following the complicated lure of genealogy, Stolowitz goes back to Berlin to bring the story of her unknown ancestors out of the archives into the light. The record keeps as many secrets as it shares; how do people become verschollen, lost, like library books?

 

 “THE BERLIN DIARIES was first produced as a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere by Theatre Lab at FAU (Boca Raton, FL) and Phoenix Theatre Cultural Center (Indianapolis, IN and CenterStage at the JCC Rochester (Rochester, NY). For more information, please visit nnpn.org”

“Originally developed and produced at English Theatre Berlin/International Performing Arts Center (Artistic Director, Daniel Brunet). Further development provided by Orlando Shakespeare Festival, The New Harmony Project, PlayPenn, and New Dramatists.”

 

Cast

Eliana Decker-Glick
Andrea (also Max and others)
Artem Kreimer
Max (and Andrea and others)

Creative Team

Izadorius Tortuga

Director

Viscaya Wilson

Scenic and graphic designer

Gabe Seplow

Lighting Designer

Valerio Gardner

Sound Designer and Music Composer

Joel Zishuk

Projections Designer

Sean Smyth

Stage Manager

Elayne LeTraunik

Producer

Meet the Company

Eliana Decker-Glick

Andrea (also Max and others)
Eliana Decker-Glick - Andrea (also Max and others) Eliana Deckner-Glick is a Jewish American actor from Atlanta, Georgia. Besides extensive work in theatre, commercials, and independent filmmaking she's known for Melrose where she won Best Ensemble at the Premiere film festival. Her onstage credits include Indecent, The Seagull , and Beyond the Garden Gate where she received praise from the Chicago Theatre Review. She earned her BFA in acting from the prestigious Theatre School at DePaul University in 2023. Eliana is represented by Grossman Jack and 10MGMT.

Artem Kreimer

Max (and Andrea and others)
Artem Kreimer - Max (and Andrea and others) Artem Kreimer is still somewhat new to Chicago, having previously spent ten years in the NYC theater scene. He’s so excited to join OSA again after just closing Mercy Killing in this very same space! Prior shows include Adam Rapp's Wolf in the River and NYT Critic's Pick Inanimate (The Flea Theater), The Illuminati in Drama Libre (Chicago Park District), Rand/Feinstein (The Conspirators), Usual Girls (Signature/Columbia), Boy Crazy Till the Day I Die (EST/Youngblood), As You Like It and The Cherry Orchard (Columbia Stages). Aspirations include owning a giant dog. – www.artemkreimer.com

Izadorius Tortuga

Director
Izadorius Tortuga - Director Izadorius Tortuga is incredibly excited to make his Chicago directing debut after spending the last four years away earning his BFA in directing at Carnegie Mellon University. Notable accomplishments there include directing a riveting production of Sender by Ike Holter, devising an immersive, site-specific adaptation of Death of Orpheus, producing a workshop reading of his new musical, 69 Love Songs: A Queer Fantasia, and assistant directing the regional premiere of Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. Since his recent return to the Windy City he performed in New Wave Theatre Company’s inaugural production, This is Art and served as properties designer for [Title of Show] at PrideArts. Previously, Izadorius has collaborated with many companies across the city, including Theatre Above the Law, Links Hall, Prop Thtr, and Collaboraction. Special thanks goes out to all those who took him underwing throughout his youthful storefront theater endeavors.

Viscaya Wilson

Scenic and graphic designer
Viscaya is a scenic designer and fine artist rooted in the Midwest. She is currently advancing through her Senior year at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama, specializing in Scenic Design. Alongside her work in Drama she is passionate about theatrical education and psychology. She is ecstatic to be working with Open Space Arts to begin her Chicago arts adventure

Gabe Seplow

Lighting Designer
Gabe Seplow (He/Him) is a director, writer, actor, designer, and deviser based in Chicago, IL. Holding a BFA in Contemporary Theatre from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Gabe's journey in the realm of theater has been a rich tapestry of exploration and growth. Lighting Design Credits Include: Boston, Ma: Dawn (The Harvard ballet), Off-Broadway: A Fairly Odd Musical the Unauthorized Parody, Toothy Treasure: The Musical, Chicago, IL: Re-Writing the Declaration (Governor State Univeristy), Bell, Book, & Candle (St. Sebastian Players).

Valerio Gardner

Sound Designer and Music Composer
is excited to be working with Open Space Arts for the first time with The Berlin Diaries. Past credits include a number of shows with PrideArts Center; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Music On Stage); Skunk and Badger (Lifeline Theatre); The Full Monty (Nebula Theater); The Billboard (16th Street Theater). He’d like to thank his friends and family for their continued support, and to thank Izadorius for trusting him with the source material of this show.

Joel Zishuk

Projections Designer
Is a Chicago based Lighting and Projection Designer . He currently works as the Technical Director at Highland Park High School. Other professional credits include Les Misérables (Lighting, Uptown Music Theater), Beehive: The 60’s Musical (Lighting, Cumberland County Playhouse), Silent Sky (Lighting, Citadel Theatre), FORTS! 2023 & 2024 (Lighting, filament & Writer’s Theatre), How I Learned What I Learned (Projections, Gablestage), ). He received his BFA in Theatre - Design and Technology from the University of Central Florida. www.JoelZishuk.com

Sean Smyth

Stage Manager
Sean Smyth (Stage Manager), Sean has Stage Managed: Into the Woods; How to Succeed in Business; Les Misérables; High School Musical; Legally Blonde; Urinetown; The Lion in Winter; Oklahoma; The Complete Works of William Shakespeare; A Christmas Carol; Oleanna; The 25 th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; Around the World in 80 Days; Paint Your Wagon; Mystery of Edwin Drood; Fidler on the Roof; Nunsense; various events with the Chicago Writer’s Guild; and Perennial Actors world premieres of Oxy-Ohio and INVISIBLE, he also Stage Manages at The Bridge Church. He has done Sound Design for Nunsense, Bed, Book and Candle and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Sean is a professional member of the Stage Manager’s Association.

Elayne LeTraunik

Producer
Elayne LeTraunik - Producer 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.

The Arts Judaica program, sponsored by the non-profit Open Space Arts,  employs the transformative power of art to celebrate the essence of Jewish culture, pay homage to its rich history, and staunchly combat the  rising tide of antisemitism.

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