Theatre, Film & Broadcast

From the Holocaust to Santa Barbara: Stories of ‘Thrival’

By Eva Trieger SANTA BARBARA, California — As we celebrate Passover, the Festival of Freedom, it feels appropriate to write about a Holocaust documentary to which I was recently introduced. In 2008 filmmaker, podcast host and comedian, Louise Palanker teamed up with Jennie Reinish to bring us “We Played Marbles: Remembering a Stolen Childhood.” The […]

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California, Eva Trieger, Holocaust, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food

‘The First Step’ Tells How Prison and Sentencing Reform Were Won

I’ve watched CNN commentator Van Jones many times on television. Now I’ve learned more about him from watching The First Step, a 90-minute documentary about the role he played in lobbying for prison reform. He suffered severe criticism from the right and from the left, but he stuck to it, engaged his critics in dialogue, and in 2018 helped to cobble together a coalition that passed HR 5682 by a vote of 355-58 in the U.S. House of Representatives and 87-12 in the U.S. Senate.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Jewish Life Television’s Brad Pomerance Headlines Jewish Heritage Journey to Poland

LOS ANGELES (Press Release) — Over the last several years, Jewish Life Television’s Brad Pomerance has hosted and produced JLTV’s global travel series Air Land & Sea, where the JLTV team voyages around the world to uncover the trials and tribulations of the Jewish people near and far.  After each trip, JLTV viewers have the unique opportunity to watch

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Holocaust, International, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak Discusses Mideast Assassinations and Diplomacy in Candid Documentary

Israeli Filmmaker Ran Tal has put together a fascinating documentary in which former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak contemplates whether Middle Eastern history would have changed if plans to assassinate Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat had been approved during the 1970s by his superiors. At that time, Barak was an up and coming officer in the IDF, not important enough to make policy, but sufficiently well placed to carry it out. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

The Story Behind a San Diego Couple’s Historic Gift to Israel

Documentary filmmaker Matthew Mishory has done a deep dive into the background of a San Diego couple who lived quietly, scrimped to such a point that they even reused their paper towels, and through their daughter made the largest philanthropic donation to Israel in the history of the Jewish state: $500 million. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Israel, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

‘Shushan on the Farm:’ A Festive Retelling of the Purim Story 

By Eva Trieger ENCINITAS, California — In recognition of the upcoming Purim celebration, the Hive at the Leichtag Commons, Coastal Roots Farm, and the Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival melded their strengths to bring us a spirited retelling of the Purim Story. “Shushan on the Farm” was performed twice on February 26 by

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Eva Trieger, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘Hereville’ a New Jewish Musical, Well on Track

Produced and directed by Becky Cherlin Baird, the musical is still in its developmental stage: scenes are being rewritten, songs are being tested, audience reaction is being gauged.  You might say that as a full-fledged stage production, Hereville is not thereville yet. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Fiction, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘Mean Girls’ at the Civic Can Prompt Meaningful Discussions with Teens

“On Wednesdays we wear pink.”  Anyone who has seen the 2004 teen movie Mean Girls will recognize this iconic line.  Following the trend to take popular movies and turn them into Broadway musicals, Mean Girls is playing at the Civic Theatre now through March 5. [Sandi Masori]

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San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘My Own Directions’ Speaks to the Triumph of Taking a Leap of Faith

“My Own Directions,” by Sheldon Epps; McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers, 2022. ISBN 978-1-1-4766-8858-9; 183 pages. By Eva Trieger   SAN DIEGO — Artistic director, actor, and author, Sheldon Epps, has become a leader in the theater world, renowned for his work on both coasts of America and across the pond in London. Most recently,

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eva Trieger, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

ADL Condemns Neo-Nazi Protests of Broadway Play About Antisemitic Lynching

(JNS) With a book by Alfred Uhry, and lyrics and music by Jason Robert Brown, the 1998 musical “Parade” tells the tragic story of Jewish factory manager Leo Frank, who was tried, convicted and sentenced to death for the rumored rape and the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan in Atlanta in 1913. Two years later,

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Holocaust, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA