Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company On Tour
Taking the long view, the origins of Ontario's Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company extend back to the Bronze Age more than 5,000 years ago. From a slightly narrower perspective, however, the company was founded in 2006 by Toronto-born actors David Eisner and Avery Saltzman. The pair, who first met at William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute in the 1970s, serve as Harold Green Jewish Theatre's co-artistic directors.
The not-for-profit company was established by the Green family to honor the memory of the late real-estate developer, community leader, and philanthropist. Its mandate is to "illuminate humanity through a Jewish perspective" with work that reflects a diverse audience. The company launched in 2008 with a two-play season and a $1 million budget.
Its first productions were Martin Sherman's one-woman drama ‘Rose,' starring Lally Cadeau, and Wendy Wasserstein's comedy ‘The Sisters Rosensweig.' It introduced a Yiddish component the following year with ‘Sholom Aleichem: Laughter Through Tears,' Broadway legend Theodore Bikel's one-man look at a Yiddish writer's life.
In 2010, the company inaugurated its four-day In the Beginning festival with submissions from emerging Jewish playwrights across Canada. Through hard work and eclectic programming, the company was flourishing within its first decade by combining socially relevant intercultural and educational components.
The company broadened its appeal by regularly programming music-oriented events reflecting Jewish culture's important impact on the art form. Mandy Patinkin brought his critically acclaimed ode to Yiddish music, "Mamaloshen," in 2012. The 2017 musical ‘The Times They Are a-Changin' celebrated Jewish voices of the '60s whose music and lyrics echoed the thoughts of that generation. And Saltzman's 2019 production ‘Streisand X 9' celebrates Barbra Streisand's life and career with the help of nine of Canada's leading female musical-theater voices.
Other notable Harold Green productions have included Tovah Feldshuh channeling Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in ‘Golda's Balcony' (2016), ‘Joel Grey: Up Close and Personal' (2014), and ‘Stars of David' (2014), a musical adaptation of Abigail Pogrebin's book exploring Jewish identity through interviews with Gloria Steinem, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Joan Rivers, and others.
"We may be telling Jewish stories," Saltzman has said, "but their content is universal. Our theatre will welcome everyone."
