About The Company Etan Weintraub Managing Director Ariella McCown Chana Zeller Co-Technical Directors Susan Vick Steering Committee Chair Founders Itta Chana Englander DeDe Jacobs Komisar Artistic Director Emeriti Yishai Freedman Gavriel Lewin Brad Norris Mission Jewish Theatre Workshop's mission is to produce exciting theater that is accessible to the Jewish community of Baltimore. www.jewishtheatreworkshop.org contact@jewishtheatreworkshop.org 410-709-8589

Mission Statement: Jewish Theatre Workshop's mission is to produce exciting theater that is accessible to the Jewish community of Baltimore. Vision Statement: Jewish Theatre Workshop will be a premiere community / semi-professional theater that caters to a large subscription audience in its own space performing several productions throughout each year, holding workshops and classes and providing a cultural, social, educational, political and spiritual outlet for the Jewish community of Baltimore and the greater Baltimore community. Our History: The Jewish Theatre Workshop is an interdenominational and interfaith Jewish theatre company that observes ritual days of rest (Shabbat and holidays) providing a unique opportunity for participation from the religious Jewish community. Jewish Theatre Workshop is a theatre company dedicated to creating dynamic and vital commentary on Jewish identity, culture and tradition for the Jewish community through staged production of classical, contemporary and new plays. The diversity of participation in the Jewish Theatre Workshop project forges a distinctive perspective on the intersection of the Jewish and World communities. In Summer 2006, Jewish Theatre Workshop became artists in residence at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore. As a result of the Jewish Community Center's generous support, founders Itta Chana Englander and DeDe Jacobs Komisar invited New York theatre artist Yishai Freedman to assume artistic directorship of the company starting with the second season in August 2006. In the fall of 2006, Etan Weintraub was brought on as the resident Stage Manager for the Jewish Theatre Workshop and was named the Managing Director in July 2007. In May of 2009, Gavriel Lewin was named the new interim Artistic Director for the 2009-2010 season, and was re-elected in May of 2010 to be the Artistic Director for the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 seasons. In April of 2012, Gavriel Lewin announced he was stepping down as Artistic Director, and Brad Norris was elected as the new Artistic Director for the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 seasons.

Mission Statement:
Jewish Theatre Workshop's mission is to produce exciting theater that is accessible to the Jewish community of Baltimore.

Vision Statement:
Jewish Theatre Workshop will be a premiere community / semi-professional theater that caters to a large subscription audience in its own space performing several productions throughout each year, holding workshops and classes and providing a cultural, social, educational, political and spiritual outlet for the Jewish community of Baltimore and the greater Baltimore community.

Our History:
The Jewish Theatre Workshop is an interdenominational and interfaith Jewish theatre company that observes ritual days of rest (Shabbat and holidays) providing a unique opportunity for participation from the religious Jewish community. Jewish Theatre Workshop is a theatre company dedicated to creating dynamic and vital commentary on Jewish identity, culture and tradition for the Jewish community through staged production of classical, contemporary and new plays. The diversity of participation in the Jewish Theatre Workshop project forges a distinctive perspective on the intersection of the Jewish and World communities.

In Summer 2006, Jewish Theatre Workshop became artists in residence at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore. As a result of the Jewish Community Center's generous support, founders Itta Chana Englander and DeDe Jacobs Komisar invited New York theatre artist Yishai Freedman to assume artistic directorship of the company starting with the second season in August 2006.

In the fall of 2006, Etan Weintraub was brought on as the resident Stage Manager for the Jewish Theatre Workshop and was named the Managing Director in July 2007.

In May of 2009, Gavriel Lewin was named the new interim Artistic Director for the 2009-2010 season, and was re-elected in May of 2010 to be the Artistic Director for the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 seasons.

In April of 2012, Gavriel Lewin announced he was stepping down as Artistic Director, and Brad Norris was elected as the new Artistic Director for the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 seasons.

Etan Weintraub Managing and Technical Director etan@jewishtheatreworkshop.org In the fall of 2006, Etan Weintraub was brought on as the resident Stage Manager for Jewish Theatre Workshop and was named the Managing Director and Technical Director in July 2007. Etan has served with the company in those roles since then, being a constant, dependable resource, both on and off stage. Etan stepped down as Technical Director starting with the company's ninth season and turned the reigns over to Ariella McCown and Chana Zeller. Etan has directed, acted, stage managed, sound designed, light designed, set designed, prop designed, and run just about every other position a show would need, including writing the anchors of our Season Three festival of one page plays "A Bunch of Little Miracles", the trilogy "A Miracle on Skis", as well as the highly successful "Uncle Motti" series of children's plays, "Uncle Motti Tells a Story (or Three)", "Uncle Motti and the Seven Dwarfs" and the forthcoming "Uncle Motti of Oz". Outside of the theater, Etan works in Information Technology at Johns Hopkins University, and continues to strive to find ways to incorporate all aspects of his life together. Etan is very proud of the work he has done for the company, and looks forward to bringing this company further and further into the future.

Brad Norris Artistic Director brad@jewishtheatreworkshop.org Brad Norris joined the Jewish Theatre Workshop in 2010 as an actor and director after relocating to Baltimore from Chicago. In the Spring of 2012 he was elected by the company to the post of Artistic Director. In the Fall of 2012 Brad initiated the JTW's Monthly Play Reading Series in an effort to provide free and regular performances to the JCC's audiences, as well as expanding the regular presence of the JTW in the Jewish Community beyond our fully mounted productions. In conjunction with the Artistic Committee, Brad strives to balance the JTW's production schedule between meaningful engagement with our core orthodox audience, and appealing expansion to the larger community of Baltimore. It is a daunting task at times. Some of Brad's favorite directing credits include Cyrano de Bergerac (Summer 2013), The Tragedy of Macbeth, and Brooklyn Boy at JTW, The Elephant Man, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead in Chicago. Before coming to Baltimore Brad worked in Chicago with various theaters and dance companies as a performer, director, production manager, technician, and lighting designer. He holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Theatre from Columbia College Chicago, and is currently employed at CENTERSTAGE in Baltimore as the theater's Events Coordinator. When he's not neck deep in theatre work, he's spending every second he can with his beautiful son, amazing wife, and looking forward to his second child on the way.

Isaac Kotlicky Marketing Director isaac@jewishtheatreworkshop.org Isaac Kotlicky received his degree in Economics and Theatre from Yeshiva University in Manhattan. After college, he moved down to Baltimore and stumbled into JTW during a moment of serendipity: Artistic Director Emeritus Gabe Lewin recruited him during synagogue services to play Gratiano in The Merchant of Venice. Quickly settling into the Jewish Theatre Workshop family, his energy and enthusiasm is appreciated by all, and his quirkiness ... by some. Isaac's other roles include "You Can't Take it With You," "The Last Night of Ballyhoo," "Biloxi Blues," and "Macbeth." Isaac joined the board as the Marketing Director at the close of JTW's fifth season, and has been engaged in this labor of love ever since. He is keen to know what our supportive public thinks, and is always on the lookout for ways to spread the word within the Baltimore community.

Susan Vick Steering Committee Chair susan@jewishtheatreworkshop.org Susan had participated in JCC and other community theater many years ago, and over time had been contemplating a way, without being able to participate on Shabbat, to get involved with theater again. Enter the Jewish Theater Workshop! When Susan saw the inaugural JTW performance 8 years ago, she knew she wanted to get involved. Since auditioning for the first artistic director, Yishai Freedman, Susan has been a devoted member of the company and a company executive: she has assisted in many ways to make JTW a success, including roles in Last Night of Ballyhoo (Reba Freitag), You Can't Take it With You (Penny Sycamore), Spinning Into Butter (Catherine Kenny), Art (Sergine), The Merchant of Venice (Antonia), Wit (Vivian Bearing), Small Acts of Kindness, A Bunch of Little Miracles, and The Cherry Orchard (Charlotta). Susan's heart is full of admiration for this unique theater company and the many creative people who make it happen.