A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

Tim Schall, Johanna Elkana-Hale, Elise LaBarge and Jeff Wright will perform during Cabaret NJT

NJT presents pre-season cabaret event

Published August 23, 2012

Prior to the opening of the first production of its 16th season, the New Jewish Theatre will present “Cabaret NJT”, an evening of music and song, at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 9. Some of the best cabaret talent St. Louis has to offer (all alumni from...

Michelle Hand and Robert Thibaut in the NJT production of ‘The Immigrant.’ The play won four Kevin Kline Awards.

New Jewish Theatre has winning night at Kevin Kline Awards

BY ELLEN FUTTERMAN, EDITORPublished April 4, 2012

The New Jewish Theatre took home six awards at the 7th annual Kevin Kline Awards ceremony Monday night, bested only by the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, which received seven top prizes. Topping the NJT list was Outstanding Production of a Play for last...

Jason Cannon, Terry Meddows perform in the New Jewish Theatres
production of ‘Way to Heaven.

Strong performances, but story gets muddled on ‘Way to Heaven’

BY ROBERT A. COHN, Editor-in-Chief EmeritusPublished February 1, 2012

Maybe something got lost in translation, but the New Jewish Theatre's production of "Way to Heaven" gets bogged down in its effort to give a fictionalized account of the International Red Cross's whitewashed inspection of a notorious Nazi concentration...

NJT to stage drama inspired by true story of concentration camp

Published January 11, 2012

Next up at the New Jewish Theatre starting in late January will be "Way to Heaven," which tells of an elaborate hoax by the Nazis to beautify the ghetto/concentration camp of Theresienstadt before the International Red Cross came to inspect it in June...

Greg Johnston, Peggy Billo, Laurie McConnell, Adam Moskal,
Rachel Fenton perform. Photo: John Lamb

Lois returns to kibbitz

By Lois CaplanPublished December 14, 2011

After six months of R&R, PT, OT, ST and general misery from a fall  June 13, which caused brain injury, I am finally back in the saddle. Well, not totally but with the help of a wheelchair, a walker and some wonderful assistance from aids, friends...

From left, Laurie McConnell, Greg Johnston, Alexandra Woodruff
perform in NJTs production of ‘The Last Night of Ballyhoo. Photo:
John Lamb

‘Ballyhoo’ is funny, poignant look at 1939 Atlanta Jewish society

BY ROBERT A. COHN, Editor-in-Chief EmeritusPublished December 7, 2011

Fans of Alfred Uhry's award-winning play and film "Driving Miss Daisy" are sure to love "The Last Night of Ballyhoo," appearing through Dec. 18 at The New Jewish Theatre. Though not as much of a household name as Neil Simon or Arthur Miller, Uhry is...

Marilyn Klinghoffer places flowers on the casket of her late husband, Leon Klinghoffer on Oct. 21, 1985. Leon Klinghoffer, was an American citizen killed by terrorists who hijacked  an Italian cruise liner.  Composer John Adams’ opera ‘The Death of Kinghoffer,’ stirred controversy from its inception. Opera Theatre of St. Louis is staging the opera in June — its first North American production in 20 years. 
File photo: Religious News Service photo

Culture and conflict

By David Baugher, Special to the Jewish LightPublished June 1, 2011

Kathleen Sitzer was braced for the impact but it never came. "Surprisingly, it was extremely positive," she said. "I was all prepared for a lot of flak about it. I didn't get it and I was delighted." It was 2005 and Sitzer, artistic director of the New...

(From left) Julie Layton, Gary Wayne Barker, Elizabeth Townsend and  Bobby Miller perform in the New Jewish Theatre’s ‘Awake and Sing.’

NJT soars with ‘Awake and Sing’

BY ROBERT A. COHN, Editor-In-Chief EmeritusPublished April 27, 2011

Clifford Odets, one of the leading playwrights of left-wing social protest and a master craftsman of Depression-era Jewish family dynamics, would no doubt be proud of the soaring New Jewish Theatre production of one of his best plays, "Awake and Sing,"...

The cast rehearses ‘Awake and Sing!’ last week. From left are Aaron Orion Baker, Julie Layton, Bobby Miller, Gary Wayne Barker and Elizabeth Ann Townsend. Photo:  Lisa Mandel

Theatrical collaboration

BY PATRICIA CORRIGAN, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHTPublished April 21, 2011

In the Great Depression, Clifford Odets wrote "Awake and Sing!," a play about a family's responses to challenges that sound eerily familiar. Kathleen Sitzer, artistic director of the New Jewish Theatre, ticks off those challenges: A broken economy, war...

Rep’s Steve Woolf to direct NJT show

Published April 13, 2011

The New Jewish Theatre has announced that Steve Woolf, Artistic Director of the Repertory Theatre, will direct NJT's production of Clifford Odet's 1935 classic "Awake and Sing!"  While Woolf does direct outside of the Rep, he does not typically direct...

Adena Potok

NJT production benefits from legendary author’s widow

Susan Fadem, Special to the LightPublished October 6, 2010

Shoulders squared, pencil in hand, she sits, professional yet maternal, immersed as if hearing the words for the first time. This was three weeks ago, early into the rehearsal process for the New Jewish Theatre's presentation of "My Name is Asher Lev,"...

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