Northwoods Ramah Arts Festival

(excerpts from the Festival Program)

The Northwoods Ramah Theatre Company (NRTC) is an ensemble group dedicated to creating new work that reflects the Jewish experience and is developed through an open-rehearsal process aimed at a wide audience of children and adults. By opening up the creative process, not just the performance, to our audience, we inspire the potential for a deeper connection to the work; not only does the community serve the process, the process serves the community. Culling material from folklore, poetry, contemporary literature and ancient texts, all sources are treated as sacred, and by working them into the script, we aim to magnify the connection between the story and Jewish teaching.

The 2009 Company
Annie Levy (Director, Actor) is a director, collaborative performer and educator. Annie is the resident director of the NRTC where her past credits include The Jewish Wife by Bertolt Brecht; The Hero of Kabul; and company-created plays The Underwater Palace, The Jewbird, and Garden. Walk. Wonder. She is also a company member of Storahtelling where she has directed more than 10 traveling shows, including Becoming Israel, which continues to tour nationally. New York directing credits include Vital Theatre, HERE Arts Center, 78th Street Theatre Lab, JCC Manhattan, Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater and The José Quintero Theatre. Her devised work includes Voices of Africa at the Estrogenius Festival, Six Seeds: the persephone project at the Old Stone House and The Creation of Comfort and Chance at the Makor Visionaries Festival. International credits include The Assembly Rooms (Edinburgh, Scotland), Discoteca di Storia (Rome, Italy) and Acadia University (Nova Scotia, Canada). She is the recipient of a Spielberg Fellowship in Jewish Theater and an Oregon Shakespeare Festival directing assistantship. Annie is an adjunct professor of theatre at SUNY-WCC and a teaching artist with the Manhattan New Music Project.

Franny Silverman (Actor) has been with the NRTC since its inception. She recently reprised her role as Edie in The Jewbird for the NYC run. Recent projects include The Shalimar's premiere of Nastaran Ahmadi's Strangers at the Ontological-Hysteric Theater and an ongoing collaboration with Annie Levy - Six Seeds: The Persephone Project. Franny's acting credits include HB Playwrights, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Estrogenius Festival, The Shalimar, Electric Pear and Storahtelling's Becoming Israel. From 2002-07 Franny was Associate Artistic Director of Storahtelling, collaborating on and performing in over 40 original works for the stage and site-specific ritual settings presented in venues from NY to Alaska. She is also the director of Mayim Rabim/Great Waters, a song-cycle by Ayelet Rose Gottlieb based on the Song of Songs. Franny received her BFA in Acting from The College Conservatory of Music (CCM) at The University of Cincinnati.

Shawn Shafner (Actor) was most recently seen in the role of Maury in the New York production of NRTC's The Jewbird. Shawn spent much of 2008 touring the country as Pablo in Nickelodeon's The Backyardigans Live! His New York credits include The Club at La Mama, Classic Stage Company, Stone Soup Theatre Arts, and three years with Long Island Theatre Classics on Tour. He was a 2005 Spielberg Fellow in Jewish Theatre, and is a company member of Storahtelling, with whom he has collaborated on countless original, ritual theatre pieces over the past few years. Shawn is a teaching artist in New York City schools with Arts for All, and is currently assisting on the creation of a self-empowerment curriculum. He holds a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, and has trained in Russia at the St. Petersburg Theatre Arts Academy, the Moscow Art Theatre, and the Institute for Contemporary Art in London.

Jon Adam Ross (Actor) holds a BFA in Acting from NYU's Tisch School and has performed his one-man show, Walking in Memphis: The Life of a Southern Jew, Off-Broadway and around the globe. A founding company member of the NRTC and Storahtelling, he most recently revived his role as Schwartz in the NY production of NRTC's The Jewbird. Jon is currently touring his new solo show, God of Our Fathers, about a Jewish family living through a generation of assimilation. For more visit www.jonadamross.com

Lynda Bachman (Assistant Director) is a rising senior at Brandeis University. Lynda is advancing towards her degrees in Theater Education and Sociology. At Brandeis, she is the Vice President of the Hillel Theater Group, with whom she most recently directed Anything Goes. Selected theater credits include: Inherit the Wind (Producer), Eurydice (Eurydice), and Little Shop of Horrors (Director). At camp, Lynda is Rosh Drama in addition to her role as assistant director of the NRTC.

Some of the programs occurring during the Arts Festival:

"Renaissance Village" is a documentary film made by Gabe Chasnoff (Nivo '97) and Lou Karsen. This stark, beautifully honest film takes a comprehensive look at the largest FEMA trailer park established to provide temporary housing for displaced persons after Hurrican Katrina. The screening was followed by a talkback with the filmmakers.

Machon NEWSRADIO Program was the result of a two week master class in reporting, radio, and production. Including fascinating interviews and a great musical playlist, this show is a great way to spend rest hour at camp!

Nivonim Songwriting Project features two Nivonim/נבונים campers, Shira Lavintman and Ari Bressman performing original Jewish songs created while working with Yehezkel Mizrahi, and other musicians in camp. The development work with their original songs will continue with the upcoming residencies of Brian Gelfand, Naomi Less, and the band The Northwoods.

Flooded is the seventh annual English play conceived and written by the cast of actors from the Nivonim/נבונים (11th graders). This year's play with be a workshop performance that explores the ideas of living in the now, rebuilding for the future, and surviving floods. Directed by Lynda Bachman.

Knight Of Onions, Knight of Garlic (PLANT) is a fractured fairy tale, adapted from the short story by HN Bialik. Translated in verse from the original Hebrew into English, the piece is a playful and fun examination of the value of curiosity and the notion of a fair reward. Starring the Northwoods Ramah Theatre Company. Directed by Annie Levy.

But First, Finish Planting (NURTURE) is a site-specific theatrical tour created from over 300 complied answers by campers and staff to the following four questions: What is the story of the nicest gift that you have ever received? When have you had a rival? What do you plant, nurture and harvest? What place in camp makes you feel the most like you are "in camp" and why? Exploring the idea of reaping what you sow, the piece leads us though a very familiar environment with a new pair of eyes. Starring the Northwoods Ramah Theatre Company and special Ramah Wisconsin guests. Directed by Annie Levy

Blowin' in the Wind (HARVEST) is a prelude to an artist's origins, inspired by the journey of Robert Zimmerman and the mythology of Bob Dylan. Using Dylan's words and Zimmerman's inexperience, the piece recreates a young man's decision to leave the safety of his own bedroom (and the characters who inhabit it) to begin his search for answers. For the times, they are a changin'. Starring the Northwoods Ramah Theatre Company. Directed by Annie Levy.

Storahtelling features Bogrim/בוגרים campers taking the special Storahtelling daily text class in order to revive the ancient tradition of meturgeman in the style of the professional theatre company Storahtelling, based in NYC. Taught by Shulie Hoffman and Donna Elyashar.

Stay Tuned features Shoafim/שואפים (8th graders) campers performing a sneak preview of the coming week's Torah portion for their unit before discussion groups. The performance is created and performed under the direction of Drama and Text staff.

Owning My Soul is a play by Ramah counselor Yael Zinkow about identity, diversity, and the importance of living in harmony with one's self in the world. Based on the phrase, הני מה טוב ומנאים....

Garinim Text Presentations are the culminations of a month of text study and artistic engagement. Working with staff from the Drama department, the Garinim / גרעינים (5th grade) campers explore stories of friendship in the Tanach.

Painting Gallery is a glimpse of the creative inspirations made by the campers of the Bogrim and Machon. These works of art were created in Painting and Pastels classes over the last four weeks.

Ramahkeilah is Camp Ramah in Wisconsin's resident a cappella choir. The choir is comprised of many campers and staff members from all over camp. Hinda Eisen is the Choir Director.

Solelim Hip-Hop is a dance performance starring 10 Sollelim campers who have devoted many hours to not only mastering a hip hop dance number but also building a strong foundation of dancing technique and skills under the direction/choreography of Natalie Eisen.

Featured Gallery: Garinim / גרעינים - Garinim had its first taste of art /אומנות through exploring 3 main media: watercolor, paint, and tissue paper. This exhibit presents the highlights of Garinim's fruitful experimentation.

Rethinking the Alphabet / האלף בת: חשיבה מחדש - Machon's journey through graffiti art will show you that the a,b,c's aren't as simple as they used to seem.

Eyedentity: An Exploration Through Tote Design - In "Eyedentity," Nivonot present their autobiographical voices realized on tote bags. This exercise in tote design provides the Nivonot the opportunity not only to carry innovative new totes with them around camp, but also their identities.

Generous funding for the 2009 Northwoods Ramah Arts Festival provided by the following supporters of Camp Ramah in Wisconsin:

The Rebecca Benson Cultural Arts Endowment
The Nathan Cummings Foundation Endowment for the Arts
The Michael and Charlotte Newberger Endowment for the Arts