By Becky Cherlin Baird in La Jolla, California
For years, families have been able to make live theatre part of their Christmas traditions. They go see The Grinch, A Christmas Carol, A Christmas Story, The Nutcracker and so many other wonderful holiday productions.
But where is the Hanukkah musical?
That is exactly why we created ei8ht the musical.
This holiday season, right here in San Diego, families will finally be able to go to the theatre and see a joyful, original musical that celebrates Hanukkah — our traditions, our music, our food, our families, our history and, most importantly, our community.
At a time when Jewish joy feels more important than ever, ei8ht isn’t about fear or tragedy. It is about celebrating who we are. It’s about lighting candles, eating latkes, playing dreidel, laughing with our families, telling our stories and remembering that sometimes the miracle is simply all of us coming together.
And this isn’t only a show for Jewish families. Our cast of nearly 40 young performers includes Jewish and non-Jewish kids from all over San Diego, coming together to tell this story. I love that. What a beautiful opportunity to invite families of every faith and background into the theatre to experience the Festival of Lights and learn about Hanukkah through music, laughter and storytelling.
This is also a world premiere created right here in San Diego. It isn’t a touring production coming through town for a week. It is a new musical being built from the ground up in our own community, with young San Diego performers having the extraordinary opportunity to originate these roles.
My hope is that ei8ht can become something families put on their holiday calendars year after year — the way families have traditions of seeing The Grinch or A Christmas Carol. I want a Jewish child to be able to walk into a theatre during the holidays, see a menorah glowing onstage and think, “That’s my holiday. That’s my family. That’s my story.”
And I want the family sitting next to them, who may never have celebrated Hanukkah, to leave understanding a little more about their neighbors and hopefully feeling the joy right along with us.
That is why I believe the story is worth telling before we open, rather than simply reviewing the production afterward. This is about the creation of a new holiday musical, the people behind it, the young performers bringing it to life, and why a Hanukkah story onstage matters right now.
ei8ht the musical will have six public performances in La Jolla, and tickets are on sale now. We are anticipating sold-out performances, and I would love for San Diego families to hear about the show early enough to actually make it part of their holiday plans.
For me, the message behind ei8ht has always been very simple: The miracle is us.
Our community coming together. Our children telling our stories. And perhaps, beginning this year, creating a brand-new holiday tradition.
Click here to purchase tickets and for more information.
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Becky Cherlin Baird is the director, producer and educator of Kids On Stage Productions.