AUTHOR: Prof. Elie Wiesel
TRANSLATOR and DIRECTOR: Guila Clara Kessous
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Justin Yates

Performers:
THEODORE BIKEL as Narrator
ISRAEL ARBEITER as “The Witness”
ANDREW BENJAMIN as “Nazi Commander”
AMY BETTINA as “Alishka”
DORON BLOOMFIELD as “Daniel”
PHOEBE KLINE as “The Pianist”
YANKEL POLAK as “Frank”
ERIC ROEMELE as “Yanek”
RABBI NOSSEN SCHAFER as “Yoilish”
Sisters PENINA and KAYLA SEIGEL as “The Orphans”
GIL YEHUDA as “Dov Ber”
CARRIE ANNE WEISBERG as “Woman in the ghetto”
NOAH and GIGI SOLOMON as “Boy and Girl in the ghetto”

Thanks to our extras: Sasha Benov, Anya Bowen, John Bowen, Meade Carey, Alyssa Connors, Tom Connors, Julian Cranberg, Lee Cranberg, Tracey Fitzpatrick, Sherry Flashman, Gary Fox, Aviva Glenn, Sasha Halberg, Alexa Halberg, Aaron Harel, Natan Harel, Bette Hoffman, Fred Manasse, Carol Mostow, Anna Spack, Jonathon Spack, Beth Weinberg

Production:
GUILA CLARA KESSOUS: (Producer)
ZACHARY BOS (Production Coordinator)
BRYNNA BLOOMFIELD (Scenic Consultant)
COLETTE BRUNSCHWIG (Painting Artist)
MARTIN MENDELSBERG (Scenic Projections)
TATYANA LEYKIN (Poster Designer)
ANDREW TUBELLI (Videographer)
DAVID MILLER (Photographer)
EVA ZADEH (Photographer)
JUSTIN YATES (Video & Sound Editor)

Dance and Music:
GABRIELLE ORCHA (Choreographer)
RACHEL BATIANCILA (Dancer)
NINA BRINDAMOUR (Dancer)
SARAH FOSTER Foster (Dancer)
AMY FISTEL (Vocal)
JILL BORENSTEIN (Piano and Xylophone)
MONTY BENNETT (Drummer)
CANTATA SINGERS & ENSEMBLE

Biographical Notes:

Recipient of the State Diploma of Performing Arts, the Concours Artistique Léopold Bellan and La Scène Française, among other acting awards, GUILA CLARA KESSOUS has acted, directed and produced performances in Paris, Avignon, New York and Boston. After completing an MBA in cultural business and a Master’s in comparative dramatic literature, she is completing a double Ph.D. under the supervision of Professor T.J. Kline at Boston University. She has taught at Boston University, Harvard University, the Alliance Française of Boston and Cambridge, the Sorbonne, and the Elie Wiesel Institute in Paris. Combining drama theory and practice, she has explored such topics as modern slavery (as director of Hilda by M. NDiaye, sponsored by UNESCO in New York), the meaning of intellect (as director of Culture.com, in honor of actor J. Malkovich), and God’s culpability (as director of The Trial of God, by E. Wiesel). Most recently, she directed a performance commemorating the Romanian Holocaust victim Benjamin Fondane at the 60th Avignon Theatre Festival in France with Jewish actor Daniel Mesguich.

ISRAEL ARBEITER as “The Witness” is a Polish Holocaust survivor who came to the United States in 1949 after being incarcerated in Auschwitz and other concentration camps. He is the President of the American Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors of Greater Boston. He helped establish The New England Holocaust Memorial, a tribute to the victims of the Holocaust. The Memorial serves as an educational tool for Boston area students and attracts thousands of visitors each year. Says Mr. Arbetier, “this play will offer participants and audience members an opportunity to share the deep and beautiful but sometimes bitter lessons of Jewish history with others—and thereby make our world a better place.”

ANDREW BENJAMIN as “Nazi Commander” is a junior at Boston University majoring in Journalism. His passion for acting led to his participation in the Stella Adler Theatre Program in 2006. He considers his character as “an unpredictable man… he enjoys being in control of the Jewish prisoners; he treats them as if they were cattle to be herded.”

AMY BETTINA as “Alishka” is an actress trained in NYC and Boston. She has appeared on ABC’s One Life to Live, an independent film as well as various commercials. Most recently, she has performed in Footloose in the Boston Metrowest area and will be starring in the lead role of a new independent feature from Metropolitan Pictures. About her role in this show, she says “I’ve always felt the need to broaden people’s awareness of the pains suffered during the Holocaust. The role of Alishka helps me portray the mental anguish so many Jews suffered as they learned of their impending fate in the concentration camps.”

DORON BLOOMFIELD as “Daniel” is a senior at Maimonides High School, where he founded the Maimonides School Drama Club. Doron’s previous acting credits include Noises Off (Freddy) and Lend Me a Tenor (Henry Saunders). He has directed numerous movies and plays as well, among them The Actor’s Nightmare and The Children’s Hour. He is currently producing and lighting The Mousetrap. He explains that his character “is young and innocent, in the process of learning what manhood is really about.”

PHOEBE KLINE as “The Pianist” is thrilled to make her debut at Boston University. Phoebe is a sophomore at Brookline High School where she is an active participant in the Drama Society and performing arts classes. Recent performances include Pippin (Fastrada) and Into the Woods (The Wolf and Jack’s Mother). She recently started her directing career with Peter Pan performed at the Pierce School, and interns at a community theater.

YANKEL POLAK as “Frank” is a senior at Boston University studying for a degree in Journalism when he is not cooking at popular local restaurants. He has performed in Twelfth Night and most recently in The Trial of God. He explains that his character Frank “is a leader and a survivor, whose internal struggle with purity is a reflection of the difficulties that armed Jewish resistance always faced.”

ERIC ROEMELE as “Yanek” is currently completing a dual master’s degree in clinical social work and theological studies at Boston University. In the past, he has been a professional actor. Among his past role are Hank in Marvin’s Room at the Worchester Forum Theatre; Eric in the world premiere of Cosmologies by David Rabe, directed by David Wheeler at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre; and Touchstone in As You Like It with the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. He dedicates this performance to Jason. He views Yanek as “the leader of the Jewish Resistance in the ghetto and inspires love, respect and trust. He is weary of battles, where he has seen many of his compatriots killed. He is ultimately concerned with the preservation of the entire Jewish community of the ghetto and wary of any acts that might endanger his people.”

RABBI NOSSEN SCHAFER as “Yoilish” received his rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach in 1976. He serves as a Jewish chaplain in prisons, hospitals and nursing homes. Inspired by his rebbe, Rabbi Carlebach, he and his wife Channah lead seminars and Shabbos retreats on themes of Torah and Chassidus. They have been married for 32 years with wonderful children and delightful grandchildren. According to Reb Nossen, his rabbi counterpart in the play, Yoilish, “portrays an elderly Rabbi confronted by the worst of situations, challenging all those involved to do the right thing, and give the highest meaning to their lives and deaths.”

Sisters PENINA and KAYLA SEIGEL as “The Orphans” are middle school students at Maimonides School in Brookline, MA. They both enjoy art and singing. Kayla appeared previously in Culture.com. “Playing the part of orphans in this play has really made us understand how children lives were affected in the Holocaust,” they explain. “We were inspired when we read Elie Wiesel’s book Night and this play has helped us understand it better.”

GIL YEHUDA as “Dov Ber” is a technology director at Fidelity Investments. In his spare time, Gil likes to teach adult and teen classes on the development of rabbinic moral and religious thought. He enjoys singing, music production, and recording. He lives in Sharon, Massachusetts with his wife Liz and their two sons. About his character, he explains that “Dov Ber portrays the steadfast hope for a better tomorrow, despite having inner doubts. He does not deny the reality of human suffering, but seeks to inspire optimism in its face. He is a peaceful warrior in the face of irrational hostility.”

CARRIE ANNE WEISBERG as “Woman in the ghetto” is a senior marketing concentrator at Boston University’s School of Management, and a theatre minor. She is passionate about theatre; her past projects include the role of Reggie Fluty in The Laramie Project and serving as actor, writer, and director of the collaborative show Homegrown at the College of Fine Arts. Carrie thanks her friends, family, and her dogs for their unconditional love and support.

NOAH and GIGI SOLOMON as “Boy and Girl in the ghetto” are 9 and 7 years old respectively; this is their first appearance on stage. Noah likes to act and build, and wants to be either a rabbi or a videogame designer. Gigi likes to dance and to walk her dog Scout. When she grows up, she wants to be a Kindergarten teacher. “It is important for people to learn about the Holocaust because it reminds us to treat others the way you want to be treated,” they explain. “Our great-great-grand parents are from Poland and Lithuania, and we are very grateful they came to America before the War. Being part of this play showed us how they would have been treated if they had not left their homeland.”

THEODORE BIKEL is not a “specialist but a general practitioner in the world of the arts.” This is reflected in his multiplicity of talents: musician and legendary folk singer and recording artist, theater, opera, film and television actor, radio host, political activist, Jewish spokesman, lecturer and raconteur, and author are some of the many `careers' to which Mr. Bikel can lay claim. His many starring roles on Broadway include The Sound of Music, Zorba and Fiddler on the Roof, having played the role of Tevye over 1600 times. He maintains an active concert schedule throughout the U.S. and abroad.

JUSTIN YATES (Assistant Director) is a senior in the Boston University College of Communications majoring in Film and Television and working on a minor in Anthropology. Justin is happy to be working behind the scenes again after writing and directing No Day But Today: The Life and Music of Jonathan Larson for Boston University Group On Broadway. He was also the assistant director of Cinderella: The Musical at the Bendheim Performing Arts Center in New York. As an actor Justin has performed in several shows for Boston University On Broadway and Stage Troupe as well as several community and high-school theater productions. Justin would like to thank Elie Wiesel for trusting us with his beautiful words, and his parents for all of their support.

BRYNNA BLOOMFIELD (Scenic Consultant) is a local professional set designer. She has designed productions for several Boston companies including the Lyric Stage Company, The Nora Theatre, Speakeasy Stage, Act Roxbury and Shakespeare and Company. Ms. Bloomfield teaches design and stage craft at Emerson College. “I have lived my whole life as an observant Jew but until now I have not worked on a single theatrical production with Jewish content. I wanted to participate in this play for the sake of my own identity.”

COLETTE BRUNSCHWIG (Painting Artist) was born Le Havre, France. As an adolescent, she was a refugee in the south west of France during the Second World War. She met two famous artists, a Czechoslovakian painter (school of Berlin), and a beaux-arts professor of the school of Paris and was greatly inspired by their work. In 1945, she came to live in Paris and pursued a traditional education in the School of fine arts and at the Studio André Lhote. She worked independently for fifteen years and and met painters, writers, philosophers, and poets. Her first exhibit was at the Gallery Colette Allendy (1952) where the painters from before and after the war gathered. During the same period, she showed her work at Le Salon de Mai where European and American painters frequently had their exhibitions. Since 1970, she has exhibited her work every two years. She has chosen certain artistic paths to follow: the path of lyrical abstraction (Soulages, Polak, Kline, etc. …) and automatic writing (Michaux, Masson) and has begun two simultaneous projects: a work on canvas and a work on paper, since, as Balthus affirms «in contemporary art there are no painters who are not at the same time both from the Orient and from the Occident.” The artist currently lives and works in Paris. For more information, please visit the artist’s website.

MARTIN MENDELSBERG (Scenic Projections) earned his MFA at the University of Denver and BFA from Minneapolis College of Arts and Design. He has exhibited internationally in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, China, and in the United States. His work is represented in permanent collections at Yale University, The New Zealand National Gallery, and Victoria University School of Architecture. He currently teaches design and typography at Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design in Denver, Colorado.

TATYANA LEYKIN (Poster Designer) is a senior in the Boston University College of Fine Arts, majoring in painting. Tatyana is excited by the intermingling of writing, theatre, and visual arts at play in this production.

ANDREW TUBELLI (Videographer) is a senior in the College of Engineering majoring in biomedical engineering. Aside from the sciences, Andrew is heavily involved in film projects such as butv10, Shadows (a student-run television show) and various short films. He is very excited to have the opportunity to work on a play written by the author of Night.

DAVID MILLER (Photographer) is a student at the Center for Digital Imaging and Arts at Boston University in Waltham, MA. He has a broad fine art portfolio, and works primarily as an event photographer in the Boston area. As a Modern Orthodox Jew, David is glad to participate in any mission to educate others about the Holocaust.

EVA ZADEH (Photographer) is a graduate student at the College of Communication majoring in print journalism. She has exhibited her photography in Barcelona (Spain) and in Paris (France). She has been inspired by the tales of an Auschwitz survivor, Mr. Grinholtz, since she was in primary school.

GABRIELLE ORCHA (Choreographer) graduated magna cum laude in 2006 with a BFA in Theatre Arts and a minor in Dance from Boston University. She is a 2002 recipient of the National Foundation for the Advancement in the Arts merit award for choreography and dance. Her work was showcased from 2003-2006 at both Aurora Borealis and the American College Dance Festival. Two-time alumna of the School of Jacob’s Pillow, Gabrielle just choreographed one of her dream plays, Fiddler on the Roof, directed by John Vreeke, which runs until the end of December at the Olney Theatre in Maryland. Other D.C. area credits include choreographing Olney’s Jacque Brel, and the National Players’ Call of the Wild, which is currently on a nine-month national tour. Gabrielle was recently selected as runner-up for the 2007 Kennedy Center ACTF National Student Playwriting Award for Song of Miriam, which she wrote, directed, and choreographed. Invited to attend the National Festival as a playwright and performer, she had the honor of dancing her signature role, Grandma Esther, on the Kennedy Center stage. She was a 2006 winner of the prestigious Kahn Award.

RACHEL BATIANCILA (Dancer) studied ballet, lyrical, modern, and jazz at the Lee Lund Studio of Dance in Milford, CT. During her time at Boston University, Rachel has studied under Micki Taylor-Pinney, Ann Brown Allen, and DeAnna Pellecchia; danced to Gabrielle Orcha’s choreography to represent the University at the American College Dance Festival; and has performed at the Huntington Theatre and the Wimberly Theatre. Among her other performances are roles in Woman with A Vision, Strange Milk, The Whole Megillah, Sol Goddess, and the highly acclaimed Dance on the Top Floor in Boston.

NINA BRINDAMOUR (Dancer) studies ballet and modern dance with Marcus Schulkind at Green Street Studios in Cambridge, MA. Other teachers have included Carl Thomsen, Carol Burnham, Gene Murray, Nicole Pierce, and Cheri Opperman. Nina has performed with Dancers Courageous, Lida Winfield, Ina Hahn's Windhover Dance Company, on Cape Ann, and for Marcus Schulkind at Green Street Studios. She first met Gabrielle Orcha at rehearsals of Doris Humphrey works at Windhover, and is very happy to be in one of Gabrielle’s pieces.

SARAH FOSTER Foster (Dancer) is pursuing an MS in arts administration at Boston University, where she also received a BA in French Language and Literature. She performs and choreographs regularly with the BU Dance Theatre Group and teaches beginning modern dance for the BU Department of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.

AMY FISTEL (Vocal) is an audiologist and mother of three grown sons. She has sung in school and Jewish choirs, including Zamir Chorale of Boston, and is a founding member and composer for Arbah Kanfote, a Jewish Women’s Choir in Sharon, MA. She has performed in community theater and written theme songs for Jewish women’s organizations as well as personalized poems and children’s books. She dedicates her work in this production to her grandson Shalom Yosef—may the Jewish spirit continue from strength to strength.

JILL BORENSTEIN (Piano and Xylophone) earned a B.A. as a performance major in classical piano from SUNY-Binghamton, and a Master’s in Creative Arts in Learning from Lesley University. She studied classical piano with Kyriena Siloti and Lenore Engdahl, and jazz piano with Charles Banacos, and has performed as a solo pianist during Afternoon Tea and other events at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. She has also performed with swing bands in the Boston area, and as an accompanist for classical and jazz vocalists and instrumentalists. She teaches music in the Cambridge public schools.

MONTY BENNETT (Drummer) is a senior in the College of Communication studying Film and Television. He has played the drums since he was a little boy, performing in bands in various school ensembles as well as in local youth music projects. Monty would like to thank Danny Carrey for the inspiration and Millie for the support.

Closely coupled with the CANTATA SINGERS’ acclaimed performances of magnificent choral masterpieces is a long-standing commitment to the creation of new masterworks by some of today’s most gifted and exciting composers. Under the direction of DAVID HOOSE, the group has commissioned nine major choral/orchestral works by John Harbison, James Primosch, T.J. Anderson, Andy Vores, Andrew Imbrie, Donald Sur, Peter Child, and Stephen Hartke. Harbison’s 1986 commission, The Flight Into Egypt, won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize in Music. In 1995 the group was awarded the ASCAP/Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music. Their educational program “Classroom Cantatas” has given thousands of elementary, middle, and high school students in the Boston Public Schools an opportunity to give voice to their studies and life experiences through the creation and performance of original cantata compositions. For more information and a season schedule, please visit www.cantatasingers.org.