Written by Naomi Ragen
Monday, May 9th at
The Westside Theatre
(407 West 43rd Street)
Presented by One Circle Productions
(Mira Tzur, Founder/Artistic Director)
New York: One Circle Productions (Mira Tzur, Founder/Artistic Director) is proud to present the NY premiere of Naomi Ragen’s Women’s Minyan, with a staged reading directed by Tovah Feldshuh. The reading will take place on Monday, May 9 at 3PM & 7PM at The Westside Theatre (407 West 43rd Street).
Based on a true story, Women’s Minyan is a spellbinding exploration of religious fundamentalism in a patriarchal society. In an effort to save her life, Chana leaves her abusive husband, only to suffer the powerful wrath of the rabbinical courts. Women’s Minyan explores the boundaries between religion and social convention, right and wrong, and a woman true place in a male-dominated religious world. Over the past 10 years this play has been performed over 500 times around the world including Israel, during this anniversary year, One Circle Productions finally brings this riveting work to New York.
One Circle Productions (Mira Tzur, Founder/Artistic Director) has partnered with Safe Horizon for this project. Safe Horizon is the largest victims’ services agency in the United States, with 57 locations serving more than 250,000 children, adults, and families affected by crime and abuse throughout New York City each year. Since 1978, Safe Horizon has provided victims of domestic violence, child abuse, human trafficking, rape and sexual assault, as well as homeless youth and families of homicide victims, with a wide range of comprehensive support. Safe Horizon also advocates for policies on a local, state, and national level on behalf of those affected by violence and abuse.
Women’s Minyan
Written by Naomi Ragen; directed by Tovah Feldshuh
Monday, May 9, 2011 at 3PM & 7PM
The Westside Theatre is located at 407 West 43rd Street
For more information please visit www.OneCircleProductions.com
WHO’S WHO:
NAOMI RAGEN (Playwright) was born in Brooklyn, New York and has lived in Jerusalem for the past 40 years. She graduated from Brooklyn College with a degree in English and a concentration in writing, and 1976 received her Master’s Degree in English from Hebrew University of Jerusalem. A successful freelance writer, she wrote numerous articles published in Hadassah Magazine, The Jewish Chronicle, The Jerusalem Post, and many other publications. In 1988 her first full-length novel, Japheth’s Daughter was published and became an international bestseller, which was listed as one of the 100 most important Jewish books of all time. Her subsequent novel, Sotah, spent 92 weeks on Israel’s bestseller list, and Ragen was voted one of the three most popular authors in Israel. Her novel The Sacrifice of has been selected by numerous libraries and university feminist reading lists as recommended reading and was recently optioned for a feature film. In 2010, she received the prestigious WIZO France award for best novel. In addition, Mrs. Ragen has received numerous awards honoring her tireless activism on behalf women’s rights. A pro-Israel activist with thousands of subscribers world wide to her popular e-mail list, she has become a trusted voice on all issues concerning the Jewish State. Women’s Minyan, her fist play, was commissioned by Israel’s National Theatre and ran for over 400 performances, becoming the first Israeli play to attract widely diverse audiences from both religious and secular backgrounds and sparking a national debate on women’s rights www.naomiragen.com
TOVAH FELDSHUH (Director) Starred on Broadway as Irena Gut Opdyke in Irena’s Vow, for which she received the BroadwayWorld.com Theatre Fans’ Choice Award for Best Leading Actress in a Play. Other work on the New York stage ranges from Yentl to Saravá! to Lend Me a Tenor, Tovah Feldshuh has earned four Tony nominations for Best Actress and won four Drama Desk Awards (including one for Golda’s Balcony), four Outer Critics Circle Awards, the Obie, the Theatre World Award and the 2003 Lucille Lortel Award for Best Actress (Golda’s Balcony). Some of her other New York credits include the title roles in the Roundabout Theatre’s She Stoops to Conquer and Mistress of the Inn; BAM’s Three Sisters with Rosemary Harris and Ellen Burstyn; the long-running hit The Vagina Monologues; and roles on Broadway in Cyrano (with Christopher Plummer), Rodgers and Hart and Dreyfus in Rehearsal. Off-Broadway she starred as Tallulah Bankhead in her own Tallulah Hallelujah!, which was chosen as one of the Ten Best Plays of the Year by USA Today. Among other roles, Ms. Feldshuh has portrayed Diana Vreeland in Full Gallop, Jean Brodie in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Sarah Bernhardt, Stella Adler, Sophie Tucker, Katharine Hepburn, three queens of Henry VIII and nine Jews from birth to death in Off-Broadway’s Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh. On television, she received her first Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Czech freedom fighter Helena in “Holocaust.” She has starred opposite Tommy Lee Jones in “The Amazing Howard Hughes,” James Woods in “Citizen Cohn,” Bill Cosby on “The Cosby Mysteries” and “The Cosby Show” and Richard Dreyfuss in “The Education of Max Bickford,” to name a few. In September, she was nominated for her second Emmy for her work on “Law & Order” as defense attorney Danielle Melnick. Feature films include Fox Searchlight’s Kissing Jessica Stein, for which she won the Golden Satellite Award as Best Supporting Actress; A Walk on the Moon with Diane Lane; Happy Accidents with Marisa Tomei; The Corruptor with Mark Wahlberg; Daniel; The Idolmaker; Brewster’s Millions; Cheaper to Keep Her; The Blue Iguana; A Day in October; 3 Little Wolffs; Toll Booth; Friends and Family; Old Love; Nunzio; and The Believer. Last season, her one-woman show Tovah: Out of Her Mind! sold out in London’s West End at the Duke of York’s and culminated in a concert with Billy Crystal at Los Angeles’ Royce Hall. The Boston Globe selected Tovah: Out of Her Mind! as the best one-person show of 2000. Ms. Feldshuh, a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, has taught at Yale, Cornell and New York universities. She received an honorary doctorate from Yeshiva University and is a supporter of Seeds of Peace, a non-profit, non-political organization that helps teenagers from regions of conflict, and is the recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanities Award and the Israel Peace Medal. Ms. Feldshuh is married to New York attorney Andrew Harris Levy. They have two children, Garson Brandon and Amanda Claire. www.tovahfeldshuh.com.
MIRA TZUR (Founder/President, One Circle Productions) founded One Circle Productions to acquire, develop and produce full-length screen and theatrical works. She champions thought-provoking and reflective pieces of original drama, comedy and documentary that bring distinct and unique voices to the forefront. Born and raised in Herzeliya, Israel, she began her career as a dancer, having been accepted into the prestigious Talma Yalin Performing Arts School with sponsorship from the American Israel Culture Foundation (AICF). This led to engagements with the world-renowned Bat Sheva Dance Company and, while still continuing her arts education, she fulfilled obligations as a member of the Israeli Armed Forces, employed as an Intelligence Officer. Ms. Tzur received a professional dance scholarship to study at New York City’s famed Ballet Art’s School and moved to the United States to continue her training and further her professional career in dance and movement. In New York City, Ms. Tzur was cast in Broadway, Off-Broadway and national tour productions and transitioned quickly into television and film roles. She also continued her education with studies at New York University and the Atlantic Theater. Ms. Tzur became a series regular on Comedy Central’s long-running Viva Variety show and, as a licensed sports nutrition/fitness professional; she became a national spokesperson for Everlast and Converse Women’s Apparel Group. Ms. Tzur has appeared in such films as Stepford Wives, The Devil Wears Prada and The Last Dance. Television roles include Rescue Me, 30 Rock, Fringe and How To Make It In America. As a producer, Ms. Tzur formed Multi Ethnix Entertainment Group and produced cabaret dance performances, fashion shoots, and commercial/fitness infomercials. With the creation of One Circle Productions, Ms. Tzur continues to make waves in the entertainment industry. Moved by the subject matter and the message of Naomi Ragen’s Women’s Minyan, she attained the exclusive theatrical rights to perform the play in New York City. Currently in pre-production for Women’s Minyan, Ms. Tzur intends to bring this important dramatic piece to Broadway audiences. Other upcoming projects with One Circle Productions include a documentary on the Bali Children’s Project and a feature length comedy, Taking The Stand, with Priority Films. www.miratzur.com
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