THEATER and THEOLOGY

Mordechai has held leading acting and singing roles in many Jerusalem productions in the last few years. Selected credits include lead roles in In a Stranger's Grave, Free to Be You and Me, Ordinary Days, and The Man From Earth, and the title roles in The Sorcerer and Ruddigore. He is currently in rehearsals for Theater and Theology's production of Miracle on South Division Street.

Devorah has trained for most of her life as a dancer and singer. She later went on to train in acting at the Aspaklaria School of Performing Arts, where she studied for two years. In 2017, Devorah directed Hannah Senesh with J-Town Playhouse. Previous roles include Chana in Theater and Theology's In A  Stranger's Grave, Mary in Theater and Theology's Off the Derech Dolorosa, Mary in From Door to Door, Inga Johanson in Number the Stars and support roles in Raise Your Spirits' productions of Noah! Ride the Wave, Ruth and Naomi in the Fields of Bethlehem and In Search of Courage.  She is currently in rehearsals for Theater and Theology's production of Miracle on South Division Street.

Having struggled for many years with infertility herself, Elinor is honored to be performing this particular monologue. She has been involved in numerous past productions in Jerusalem, both on and off stage. Past roles include Mary Sunshine in Chicago, Christmas Eve in Avenue Q, Babette in Beauty and the Beast, Jan in Grease and Chiffon in Little Shop of Horrors. Elinor directed West Side Story and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and produced Rent and Singin’ in the Rain. Shout out to Aryeh, Zevi and Ash for their support.

Chaya Rus is a Hong Kong-qualified lawyer who moved to Israel a year and a half ago. She speaks five languages, which goes some way to explain her flair for cross-cultural communication. This is Chaya Rus' first foray into monologue writing and performance as a new forum for cross-cultural exchange. She lives in Jerusalem. 

Howard trained at Circle in the Square Theatre School in NY and has been acting for decades in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. His most recent credits include Rabbi Schmidt in Theater and Theology's production of In a Stranger's Grave, Joe in Theater and Theology's Off the Derech Dolorosa, and Pablo in Theater and Theology's Divine Right. Howard also recently appeared in Assassins, Avenue Q, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Miriam is a playwright, actress, and singer based in Jerusalem. She studied acting and playwrighting at HB Studio New York, and Classical Languages and Literature at Oxford University. Her first play, Lapse, was produced at Franklin College and Oxford University and was awarded a High Commendation rating at the Oxford Cuppers Theater Festival. Her second play, Low Ceiling, was produced at the Burton Taylor Theater in Oxford, U.K. and at Kenyon College. The Women of Lemonfield was given a staged reading at H.B. Studio New York. She also writes fiction; The Invisible Chassidishe Maidel was published in the Kenyon Review in 2014. Metzinger has written a book of essays, Halfway Down the Stairs, and The Law in Indiana, a biographical novella. She was awarded the John Crowe Ransom Award for Poetry at Kenyon College. Metzinger's latest play, In a Stranger's Grave, sold out every performance of its recent run at Jerusalem's Khan Theater. Theater and Theology is currently workshopping her play A Jerusalem Divorce.

Warda always dreamed of acting, but her father convinced her that acting would not provide a livelihood in this country. So she got a Masters in chemistry and a PhD in education instead. She was a newscaster and presenter on the program Masa Nashi for six years and she presents infomercials and public service films (lately about Corona) to the Arabic speaking public. Despite her father's warning, Warda has been able to express her dream of acting throughout her life, including at university where she wrote, directed and acted in a Perach program. She also brought her love of theater to her students when she was a high school teacher, when she wrote and directed. Warda was recently able to get two film credits under her belt, including the upcoming Comfort Zone. She is now in search of a production company for several of her plays. Nowadays, she acts in the simulation center at the college where she is a lecturer. (The students think she's pretty cool.)

Aviella, co-director of this production, is a seasoned performer and a classically trained singer as well as an International Vocal Arts Institute graduate. She has performed with the Israel Chamber Orchestra and Israel Symphony Orchestra with Maestro Paul Salter. She is also a producer and director of the J-Town Playhouse Theater Group. Her more classical credits include Yeoman of the Guard (Elsie), The Mikado (Yum Yum) and HMS Pinafore (Josephine). Her musical theater credits include Oklahoma (Laurey), Ordinary Days (Claire), Singin’ in the Rain (Kathy) and most recently The King and I (Anna). Her directorial credits include Cabaret, Company, A Little Night Music, Merrily We Roll Along, and Ordinary Days. For more information, check out her website at www.aviellatrapido.com.