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House, Divided by Larry Loebell |
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Directed by Fred Sternfeld Sunday, March 25, 2012 at
photo by Elaine Siegel |
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CAST OF CHARACTERS LOU GOLDSTEIN – Noah Budin YOUNG LOU – Luke Wehner YOUNG DOUG – Luke Brett OREN GOLDSTEIN – Dan Folino* PAUL GOLDSTEIN – Eric Thomas Fancher NEWS ANCHOR, STAGE DIRECTIONS – Jacqi Loewy* * – member of Actors Equity Association |
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About the play… The Goldstein family of Philadelphia was upended when older brother Louis decided to embrace Jewish Orthodoxy and move to Israel during the height of the Vietnam War. Betrayed and bewildered, Louis’ younger brother Douglas built his life as an advocate for peace. More than two decades later, Louis is a retired officer of the Israeli Army and Douglas is a senior director with Amnesty International. Divided by deep familial wounds and opposing religious and political beliefs, the brothers are forced to re-engage when their respective sons make surprising life decisions of their own. House, Divided is a timely and challenging exploration of faith, family and politics – and our collective failure to consider other points of view. Reviews of the Philadelphia production … “… the fully engaging HOUSE, DIVIDED is an important play: It handles delicate arguments and forcefully presents all sides … Ultimately, the play succeeds in posing the question: What are we, on whatever side of the conflict, handing down?” H. Shapiro, Philadelphia Inquirer, May 30, 2008 “… Like so many American plays, Larry Loebell’s drama is about fathers, sons and brothers. And being an all-male play, it’s also about the very male issues of war and honor. Surprisingly evenhanded and satisfyingly complex, the drama doesn’t waste our time in pushing our buttons, despite the number of hot-button topics it addresses. … The family arguments are natural and convincing, with passionate exasperation becoming the dominant tone. … To Loebell’s enormous credit, he gives every side of every argument its due … “House, Divided” is a solid debate between the forces of history and the forces of religion, between politics and faith …” T. Zinman, Variety.com, May 30, 2008“striking … marvelously constructed … In theater, storytelling has long been used to build a sense of community and in House Loebell investigates how stories can build bridges and heal divisions. … Dramatically engaging and intellectually stimulating, the play endorses neither the Israeli nor Palestinian positions, and Loebell offers no easy resolutions to the conflict. Instead House offers the simple proposition that families and nations would benefit if they only listened to each other’s stories.” J.C. Robb, Philadelphia Weekly, June 11, 2008 “There came a moment in Act II of Larry Loebell’s disturbing play, House, Divided, when the tension felt almost unbearable … riveting play … two brothers and their two sons divided over issues so monumental that they can only be described as “cosmic.” … Mr. Loebell dissects global issues through the intimate lens of a warring family. … The battle lines are drawn almost from the first moments of the play, but the family revelations tumble out even more intensely in Act II … truly absorbing” S. Friedman, The Bulletin, June 2, 2008 “… this play goes way beyond a struggle among people of one ethnic or religious minority … Loebell’s deeply challenging play shows two primeval characters… Both these Titan brothers see their Jewish identity in dramatically different ways … Loebell probes deep into those two souls … Loebell takes his audience on a rollercoaster journey … Several times during the play, members of the audience gasped and made comments … The play clearly was getting under the skin of a number of people in the audience, demonstrating, literally, a house divided, hopefully leading to many fruitful discussions about our actions as human beings … Loebell presents an almost mathematical balance of different views and ideologies in his play, but with a conversational, intuitive writing style. … House, Divided will most likely will shatter many perceptions that people might have of Jewish people. I am convinced that this play will be performed and studied not only in Israel and in the US, but in many other countries … “ “… riveting … much to Loebell’s credit, the universal issue of how political strife destroys families eclipses any argument over current events in the Middle East. … In this gripping production, Loebell’s intelligent writing treats the issues with the importance they deserve – by showing how they too often direct and distort the attitudes and actions of an individual’s entire life. … As an ensemble, the entire cast delivers staggeringly rich performances. … too many of the new plays in this genre leave me feeling disappointed, because they fail to integrate their contemporary issue with any universal theme that will outlast current events. Here, I worried only about how the eventual resolutions in the second half would live up to the intense, complex moral challenges presented by act one. This was the most richly integrated evening of political drama I’ve experienced in a very long time.” “…[a] remarkable new play … This is theater that seems to have been lifted from the front pages of Israeli and American newspapers, a microcosm of the turmoil that never seems to end. The twist here is that both sides are Jewish, on both sides of the ocean, on both sides of the age-old conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. … HOUSE, DIVIDED just breaks your heart, because each of the brothers and each of the sons is both right and wrong – in their beliefs, in their actions. And the clever way Loebell has both their younger selves and their older selves weave in and out, often as overlapping presences on the stage, is fascinating. … Sometimes without a word, the characters can display frustration, disapproval, anger and fear … There are a few laughs along the way, a few tears, and, as in real life, not a lot of answers for the Palestinian-Jewish question, not even for the Jewish-Jewish question. … HOUSE, DIVIDED will make you think hard about your own beliefs.” “… dynamic … as in the best playwriting, the emotional connections of the audience toward the characters shift as they grow over the course of the work. … This play is enriched with little character-building details. … Mr. Loebell has offered up a fascinating and artfully crafted play… a winner from the start.” “… a well-crafted play about a Jewish-American family that has broken apart over religion, politics and the Jewish state … Loebell recognizes what other authors and playwrights have ignored: that many Diaspora Jews, especially American leftists, feel differently about Israel than others who tend to be religiously and/or politically conservative. He dramatizes these differences in one household where brothers have been antagonists for decades. … Their hostility and their competitive relationship add interesting layers. … Loebell presents people who say what many of us hear discussed among American Jews, in colorful and colloquial language. He gets the nuances right. …” “… we are presented with a collection of pairings both tangible and cerebral (distanced brothers, sympathetic cousins, the US and Israel, secular and religious, duty and conscience, youth and age) that twine together in an intricate and beautiful way highlighting the complexity of these pairings while decrying black and white absolutes. … much like the blurred edges of the set, which are reminiscent of smudged charcoal, as the action continues, the scenes set in the past begin to bleed into those in the present exhibiting unique and meaningful tableaus … Regardless of your personal history or views on the political and social issues, you can understand and appreciate the universally human emotions, connections, fears and desires that lie at the core…”
photo by Elaine Siegel |
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Meet the playwright, cast and staff of House, Divided… Luke Brett (Young Doug) is currently studying theatre at Baldwin Wallace College. Credits: Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice and Andy Paris, Jedadiah Schultz and Russel Henderson in The Laramie Project at Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory; Bill Sykes in Oliver!, Darry in The Outsiders, Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, Mr. Bennet (understudy) in the North American premiere of Miss Elizabeth Bennet, Doc in Tennessee William’s Confessional and the Gravedigger in Hamlet at BW. He is beyond excited to be a part of this project and would like to thank his priceless parents for their neverending love and support. Noah Budin (Lou Goldstein) is a singer, songwriter, recording artist, performer, actor, storyteller, educator and program director. In addition to recording CDs of original music and performing concerts around the country, Noah is the full-time Assistant Director of Activities for Stone Gardens, the Assisted Living Residence at the Menorah Park Center for Senior Living in Beachwood, OH where he facilitates, implements and runs entertainment and educational programs for senior adults. Noah was also a member of the cast of Cleveland’s longest running hit show Tony ‘n’ Tina’s Wedding at the Hanna Theater for over one and a half years and played the role of Lazar Wolf in Cain Park’s highly acclaimed production of Fiddler on the Roof. Recently, Noah has appeared as Bellomy in The Fantasticks, Speed in The Odd Couple, Ira in Brooklyn Boy, and Donny Dubrow in American Buffalo. In the 1980’s and 90’s Noah was a member of the Chicago based a capella music and comedy group “Four Guys Standing Around Singing.” Noah has released two CDs of original music, “Hallelujah Land: Songs of Faith and Freedom” and “Metaphor.” Check out his website www.noahbudin.com. Eric Thomas Fancher (Paul Goldstein) Credits: Steven in the Ohio Premiere of The Texas Chainsaw Musical at Blank Canvas Theatre; Frid in A Little Night Music at FPAC; Cinderella’s Prince and the Wolf in Into the Woods at Tri-C West; Charlie Brown in You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown and Luke in Altar Boyz at TrueNorth Cultural Arts; Bill Calhoun/Lucentio in Kiss Me, Kate at Solon Center for the Arts; Frog in A Year With Frog and Toad, Patrick Dennis in Mame, Kenickie in Grease and Brad in The Rocky Horror Show at Cassidy Theatre; Dakin in the Cleveland Premiere of The History Boys and Peter in The Diary of Anne Frankat the Beck Center For the Arts; Francis Bacon in the Regional Premiere, and revival of William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead, Michael Cassio in Othello: The Moor of Venice and the Prince of France in Love’s Labour’s Lost with the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival. He would like to thank Fred for the opportunity to work with such a talented company of actors, as well as Sarah for being wonderful. Dan Folino (Oren Goldstein) After a two year residency at the Barter Theatre in Virginia, Dan has come home to Cleveland. While at Barter, he performed in eleven full scale productions, two mini productions and two national tours. Some of his favorites include The Blue Sky Boys (Galileo and The Red Baron), Where Trouble Sleeps (adapted from the novel by Clide Edgerton by Catherine Bush), The Full Monty (Jerry), Civil War Voices (Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain) and the world premier of Richard Alfierri’s Revolutions (Nick Greenburg). Cleveland audiences may remember him from Evil Dead: The Musical (Ash), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Hedwig), Sweeney Todd (Sweeney), Jekyll and Hyde (Jekyll/Hyde), Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Beast), The History Boys (Irwin), and Evita (Che). While not performing in theatre, he fronts the band vanityCrash, who’s next album will drop this summer. You can catch Dan later this year in the regional premier of Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson (Andrew Jackson) at the Beck Center. Love to Crystal. Charles Kartali (Doug Goldstein) REGIONAL: American Stage, Aspen Theatre in the Park, BoarsHead, Cleveland Play House, Cleveland Public Theatre, Dobama Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, Mandel JCC, Shadowland, Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Syracuse Stage, among others. RECENT CREDITS: Mr. Lockhart in The Seafarer at Dobama, Bursar/Cardinal Barberini in Galileo at the Cleveland Play House, The Old Man in A Christmas Story at Syracuse Stage and Vet in The Book of Grace at Cleveland Public Theatre. SELECT CLEVELAND CREDITS: The Man in Bill W. and Dr. Bob, The Old Man in A Christmas Story, Christopher Trumbo in Trumbo (with Robert Vaughn) and Mitch Albom in Tuesdays With Morrie at Cleveland Play House; Shmuel Berger in Pangs of the Messiah and Eric Weiss in Brooklyn Boy at the Mandel Jewish Community Center; Victor in The Price and Johnny in Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune at Ensemble Theatre; Herr Gottfried Swetts in A Bright Room Called Day at Cleveland Public Theatre and Ross in The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? and Chas in The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek at Dobama Theatre. FILM & TELEVISION: High Spirits and Lost Subs. ASIDES: Part-time Lecturer, Case Western Reserve University; Company Member, Generous Company; Finalist Judge, Dorothy Silver Playwriting Competition (2001-present); Guest Artist, WordBRIDGE Playwrights Lab (1996-present); Fusion Fest, CPH (2006-11); Artistic Associate, Ensemble Theatre (2002-03) and Victory Gardens Readers Theatre. AFFILIATIONS: Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Larry Loebell (Playwright) is a Philadelphia playwright, screen writer, dramaturg, and teacher. His most recent play, The Shanghai Kaddish, has had readings at NJ Rep in Long Branch, new Jersey, at Azuka Theater in Philadelphia and as part of the Id Theater development project in NYC. His previous play, House, Divided was nominated for a “Best New Play” Barrymore Award after its premiere production at InterAct Theater Company. His other produced full-length plays include Girl Science, which will premiere at Arcadia University Theater, La Tempestad, which premiered Off-Off Broadway at the OHIO THTR in New York, produced by The Resonance Ensemble, The Ballad of John Wesley Reed, which was produced by Theatre Catalyst in Philadelphia, and Pride of the Lion. Published full length plays include La Tempestad in the anthology Playing With Canons: Explosive New Works from Literature by America’s Indie Playwrights, NYT Books, Girl Science, by IndieTheaterNow, and Pride of the Lion, published by Playscripts.com. Published short plays in regular production include Angie and Arnie Sanguine, But Who’s Counting, and Just Before the War Between the Plates, all published by Playscripts.Com. Monologues and scenes from his plays have been published by Applause Books, Smith and Krauss Books, and Playscripts. He has been awarded four Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowships in Playwriting, an EST/Sloan Science Foundation grant for his play Girl Science, and he was awarded a new play commission for House, Divided from the National Council for Jewish Culture. He has written film documentaries on historical and scientific subjects, and has also written (and received Emmy recognition) for work on the children’s television show Rugrats. He is the writer of a biographical play about Thomas Paine, which had its world première during Paine’s 272nd birthday celebration in 2009 in his home town of Thetford, England. Since 2006, he has written and seasonally revised Living News, a living-newspaper-style play which performs four times daily during the school year as part of the permanent exhibit at the National Constitution Center. He also wrote the monologues spoken by the signers of the Constitution which National Constitution Center visitors can hear on their iPod tour of Signers Hall. Larry teaches playwriting and dramaturgy at Arcadia University in Glenside, PA, and film history at University of the Arts where he is an Adjunct Full Professor.Jacqi Loewy (Stage Directions/Newscaster) is on the full-time faculty and Director of Theatre at Notre Dame College. Acting and/or directing credits include The Cleveland Play House, Cleveland Public Theatre, Playhouse Square, Kenley Players, Ensemble, Dobama, True North, Solon Center for the Arts, Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, Weathervane, Charenton, Mercury Sumer Stock, The Eldred Theatre at CASE and (many moons ago) Broadway. You may have seen her locally in Always, Patsy Cline (Hanna Theatre), Shear Madness (Allen Theatre), Safety (Dobama), Mame (Mercury), Six Degrees of Separation, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg(Charenton) or South Pacific and Man of La Mancha for the late, great John Kenley. Jacqi has recently completed a commissioned play, Legally Addicted, to begin touring for Fairmount Center for the Arts. Her play Ten Cents A Dance was produced by True North. She is also responsible for the production of Both Sides of the Family and Mr. Lewis Rules: Stories from the Juvenile Justice System. An active (and longtime) member of SAG, AFTRA and AEA, Jacqi is represented by The Talent Group and has appeared in numerous commercials and feature films, most notably The Clearing with Robert Redford and Helen Mirren. She is grateful for a life filled with work she loves, including Interplay and Fred Sternfeld!Faye Sholiton (Producer) In 2005, Faye Sholiton chaired “Halle-lujah” – a celebration of the history of the JCC Halle Theatre, as the final curtain was descending. In 2011, she founded Interplay to revive Jewish theatre in Cleveland. The company stages engaging, entertaining works that explore the world through a Jewish lens. As a playwright, she has developed her own work at the Cleveland Play House since 1996; and at Dobama Theatre since 2009. Her full-length plays have been read and performed more than 40 times throughout the U.S., and in London. She has received four Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist grants and dozens of regional and national playwriting awards. Scenes from The Interview, V-E Day, All Things Being Equal, and Telling Lives appear in anthologies. She writes extensively about theater and has served as dramaturg on many area productions. Since 2009, she serves as Ohio Regional Representative to the Dramatists Guild. Her work was seen recently at Dobama (Fear of the Marketplace and Telling Lives, both in workshop productions). Her play A Brief History of Mah Jongg appears in March at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage. Visit www.fayesplays.comfor Interplay Jewish Theatre updates.Fred Sternfeld (Director) is delighted to return to Interplay Jewish Theatre after having directed their staged reading of Comparing Books last fall. Fred most recently directed The Fantasticks at TrueNorth Cultural Arts and The Bluest Eye at Karamu House Theatre. Fred is widely represented on Northeast Ohio stages through diverse projects, garnering numerous honors and awards, including the award-winning productions of A Little Night Music at Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory, Baby at TrueNorth Cultural Arts, Yellowman at Karamu Performing Arts Theatre, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at Beck Center and Ragtime, the musicalfor the Arts & Culture program at the Cleveland Jewish Community Center. He has served as Artistic Director at Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory, Lakewood Little Theatre – Beck Center for the Arts and the Cleveland, Seattle & Dallas Jewish Community Centers. Other selected credits: Fiddler on the Roof, Oliver! & The Sound of Music at Cain Park; Company, Les Miserables: School Edition, Children of Eden, Into the Woods, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Eat (It’s Not About Food) and The Odd Couple at FPAC; The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife & The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek at Dobama Theatre; A Shayna Maidel, Jolson and Company, Man of La Mancha, Modern Orthodox, Rags, From Door to Door, South Pacific, The God of Isaac, Beau Jest, Crossing Delancey, The Twilight of the Golds, The Immigrant & Conversations With My Father for the Cleveland JCC; Bad Seed at Ensemble Theatre; Amadeus at Willoughby Fine Arts; Table Settings, Isn’t It Romantic, The Diary of Anne Frank & Broadway Bound at JCC Center Stage in Seattle; Peter Pan (1987 & 2008), On the Town, Of Mice and Men, La Cage aux Folles, Saturday Night, Foxfire, Noises Off, Children of a Lesser God & The Importance of Being Earnest at Beck Center; Proof at GLTG and All My Sons & Enter Laughing at the Dallas JCC. Upcoming: Gruesome Playground Injuries for Ensemble Theatre in April of 2012. For pictures and reviews for any of the shows listed here you can go to this link.Luke Wehner (Young Lou) is excited to take part in House, Divided. Previous credits include Three Sisters, Sweeney Todd, and Celebration, among others. As director, Luke has twice collaborated with Olivia Fine, in 2010 on Jesus Christ Superstar, and in 2009 on Playing In Sand , an original piece re-imagining John Gardner’s “Grendel” for the stage. He would like to thank Darius Stubbs, Pauline Sanducci, and Brendan Joyce. “We will name ourselves by our missteps more accurately than by our victories, always.” |
