You're Going Where for Spring Break? The Student's Perspective!

by Sarah Mayhan and Lila Miller

"You're going where for spring break?" This is the question we were asked very often before we departed, and we were happy to answer it. The destination? Vienna, Austria form the Association for Jewish Theatre Conference (thanks to generous grants from the Israel Initiatives at JCRC). This conference, March 20-23, was held in conjunction with the Jewish Theatre of Austria and their Tikun Olam Festival for International Jewish Theatre. The event drew participants from 6 continents and 17 countries - including significant contingents from the United States and Israel, but also including theatre artists from such locations as Russia, Australia, and Brazil. One of the most exciting parts of the conference was simply being able to sit down and exchange ideas with playwrights, performers, directors, and board members from all over the world, with varied approaches, but all sharing a similar passion.

We attended the conference to represent the Jewish Theatre Ensemble of Northwestern University, an entirely student-run theatre group (see jewsonstage.com for more information). As the youngest members of the conference, we were given the opportunity to connect our organization to the larger world of Jewish theatre. As we discovered, there is such a wide variety of material that falls under the auspices of "Jewish Theatre." An example of this would be the first performance we attended, a movement based adaptation of The Dybbuk. But the conference also extended to include the revitalization of Yiddish theatre in France, dramas based on Biblical text in Russia, and musings on politics and popular culture in Israel.

The considerable Israeli presence was an important part of what we took away from the conference. This happened in a wide range of ways: from hearing Hebrew conversations on the streets of Austria to the opportunity to participate in a staged reading by an Israeli playwright to events such as Shimon Levy's lecture "Is the Israeli Theatre Jewish?'" Another event showcased the work of the Acco Theatre Festival, project that fosters artistic creation involving both Israeli and Arab artists, as well as paying attention to the issues of Israel's immigrant population. Since we are always looking for ways to create dialogue, this particular event really inspired us. As young Jews, we have the opportunity to go on Birthright trips - how does Israeli life and culture relate to us? The clash in the Middle East fills the headlines every day - how will this affect our lives? Through our work in the theatre, we are lucky enough to have the opportunity to explore these issues with our peers - Jewish and non-Jewish.

Now we're back in Evanston, already hard at work getting ready for our next season, and hoping to keep the dialogue going. We are in contact with other artists from the conference who have been generous enough to share their work and experiences, and we hope to maintain these vital connections as well. We see ourselves inter-connected to this wider world of Jewish theatre, not just an isolated college-campus group. As the next generation of Jewish artists, this is quite an exciting time.

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