Hadassah Minneapolis Welcomes Doris Rubenstein Setting the Stage: Jewish Theater in the Upper Midwest from Its Origin to the Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company

Please join us as we hear Doris Rubenstein share her experiences researching her book, Setting the Stage: Jewish Theater in the Upper Midwest from Its Origin to the Minnesota Jewish Theater, which she co-wrote with Natalie Madgy. They trace the roots of Jewish theater in Minnesota and neighboring parts of Wisconsin that resulted in the Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company. Profiles of local Jewish artists past and present in our region reveal the outsized impact this population has had on the richness of theater life in Minnesota.

Doris has been the Arts Reporter for the American Jewish World since 2007, covering plays with Jewish content on most of the major stages in the Twin Cities. She was inspired by the 25th anniversary of the Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company and began researching the origins of Jewish theater in this region. Many of you will remember the one-act play, The Pickle, about Doris’s experience entering her Kosher dill pickles at the Minnesota State Fair, which, due to their “look”, were rejected. It’s a story of prejudice and the power of Chutzpah. Setting the Stage looks at Jewish theatre through various vantage points: productions by synagogues, camps…even Hadassah groups! The contributions of secular production companies to promote a greater understanding of the Jewish experience are valuable.