The B’nai Torah Theatre Arts Series, GFour Productions, and producer/director Shari Upbin will bring In The Voice Of Our Mothers to the B’nai Torah stage for one performance only on February 15th, 2015. Playwright Carol Fox Prescott, who will also direct the production, will conduct a ‘talk back’ with the audience after the February 15th performance. In the Voice of Our Mothers will also be presented at the David Posnack Jewish Community Center, 5850 South Pine Island Road, Davie, on Tuesday, March 10, 2015.
Told from the point of view of the women, In The Voice of Our Mothers reveals the intimate and compelling narratives of five of the most beloved and iconic women of the bible. They invite audiences into their worlds, and offer first-person accounts of their stories – stories that are familiar to all, yet are also the stories of their lives. Prescott stays true to the ancient texts – yet the play powerfully convinces audiences of the relevance of these women’s lives – their actions, their choices, and the consequences thereof – even today.
“When I wrote the original stories that In The Voice of Our Mothers is based on, I was looking for a way back into Jewish life and practice that would nourish and sustain me, different from the religion of my childhood,” Prescott has said. “As an actress, it was natural for me to attempt to step into the shoes of the women and look out through their eyes. The process worked on a very personal level, providing an opening for prayer, celebration, community and growth”. “When it was suggested to me that the stories become a play, I wholeheartedly dove into the project without thinking much about what they might mean to me now, twenty years later,” she continued. “While working on and developing the play in rehearsal and performance in a variety of venues – synagogues churches, universities, prisons, theaters – I assumed that questions would be asked and answered in the process. And it has, as they say in the Bible, come to pass. The play continues to unfold as our audiences help us to reveal deeper and richer textures through our relationships within these ancient texts”.
“The subject and presentation of this amazing piece of theatre will bring joy and tears to anyone who experiences In The Voice Of Our Mothers,” says producer Shari Upbin. “It is a tribute to women of all religions around the world. To be connected to an event that will be ongoing and witnessed by audiences all over, is an homage to the mothers of the Bible.” The music from Rabbi Danielle Upbin’s CD Reveal the Light has been incorporated into the Boca Raton production. “When I heard the CD,” says Carol Fox Prescott, ‘I said ‘this is my dream, these are the songs.’” Rabbi Upbin is Shari Upbin’s daughter.
Five talented actresses will don the mantles of the Matriarchs: Renee Rogoff will play Sarah, Mary Stucchi will play Rachel, Penny Mandel will play Rebecca, Malia Nicoline will play Miriam, and Irene Kessler will play Leah. Peggy Linker will understudy all roles. And Judy Goldman will play the shofar in the production. “In The Voice of Our Mothers is everything great theatre should be,” says Seth Greenleaf of GFour Productions. Exciting, educational, challenging, and rewarding.”
In the Voice Of Our Mothers is the second in the Theatre Arts Series at B’nai Torah. The series’ first production, James Sherman’s From Door to Door, directed by Shari Upbin, played to a full house on January 18th.
In the Voice Of Our Mothers will run for one performance, only – on February 15th, 2015, at 1 pm at Congregation B’nai Torah, located at 6261 SW 18th St. in Boca Raton. Tickets are $36 ($25 for congregational members), and may be purchased by calling 561-392-8566 or on line at www.bnai-torah.org. Group rates are available. For more information about In the Voice Of Our Mothers, GFour Productions, or Shari Upbin, please contact Carol Kassie at ckassie@gmail.com / 561-445-9244. For more information about Rabbi Danielle Upbin and Reveal the Light, visit http://www.danielleupbin.com .
