Celebrating - Holy Blossom Temple

Stagecraft: 2011
Treasures
Now and Then:
T r e a s u r e s F r o m o u r A r c h i v e
Bulletin • December 2011
Temple Players: 1959
Stagecraft
Sick and tired of TV reality shows? If you’d rather
experience a charming and heartfelt play, plan to attend
Stagecraft’s upcoming production Pillars of Salt, written by
Michael Ross Albert of Thornhill and directed by Michael
Ryval. Set in a shiva house, it explores the dynamics of
family members - jealousies, anger and compassion. They
laugh and cry, as family ties are tested.
Stagecraft was founded in 1994 at Holy Blossom Temple
as a vehicle to bring together Temple members to work
together creatively and to share in the joys and frustrations
of mounting theatrical productions with Jewish themes to
the best of their amateur abilities. This dedicated group
hopes to attract Temple members and the wider Jewish
community.
Stagecraft’s first production, Sholem Asch’s God of
Vengeance, was originally produced in New York in the
1920s and closed down by the police after 8 performances.
Worried about the reaction of Temple members in 1994, as
it was set in a house of ill repute, Rabbi Marmur was asked
to lead a Q&A session after the play. The final consensus
was that prostitutes and brothels had existed amongst Jews
too – and still do today - and Temple members were still
talking about the play several weeks after the performance.
Since then, Stagecraft mounts two plays a year, striving for
a balance of comedy and drama. Temple members wishing
to become involved will be most welcome!
Pillars of Salt runs Thursday,
Dec. 8, Saturday Dec 10, 7:30
p.m. both evenings, and Sunday
Dec. 11, at 2 p.m. For tickets,
call the Stagecraft Hotline at
416.789.3291 ext 511.
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