2007 Dorothy Silver Playwriting Winner
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Deborah Bobrow – (JCC Special Projects Coordinator)
26001 South Woodland
Beachwood, OH 44122
(216) 831-0700, ext. 1378
dbobrow@clevejcc.org
CLEVELAND NATIVE WINNER OF 2007 JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER DOROTHY SILVER PLAYWRITING COMPETITION
(Beachwood, Ohio- April 26, 2007) – The JCC proudly announces that former Cleveland resident Lisa Beth Allen is the 2007 winner of the Annual Dorothy Silver Playwriting Competition for her play Solomon’s Blade. Allen, who now resides in New Mexico, is involved in all aspects of theater. Her script was selected as the winner from nearly eighty plays from playwrights from the United States, Canada and Europe.
The Jewish Community Center of Cleveland (JCC) will present a staged reading of Solomon’s Blade at 7:30 PM on Thursday, May 10 in the Studio One Theatre at the Cleveland Play House, 8500 Euclid Avenue as part of FusionFest 2007. The reading will be directed by accomplished local director Fred Sternfeld. Funding for the playwriting competition is generously provided by the Zeilinger Family.
Solomon’s Blade is the story of Tamar Greenwold who is unexpectedly called to return from a long awaited vacation with her husband. Her sister-in-law, Claire, is lying in the hospital seven and a half months pregnant, brain-dead, on life-support. Arrangements have been made for an Israeli immigrant to adopt the child. Tamar, devoted to her Jewish faith, is thrilled…until she discovers that the mother to be is Arab-Israeli. As the characters wrestle with the conflict, the nature of identity, faith, and truth are called into question.
“We’re excited that this year’s winner has roots in Cleveland,” said Deborah Bobrow, who is the competition coordinator, held annually for over twenty years at the Jewish Community Center of Cleveland.
There is a $10 charge to attend the reading, and reservations can be made by calling the Cleveland Play House at 216-795-7000. Advance reservations are recommended.
About Lisa Beth Allen
Lisa Beth Allen has worked as actor, playwright, director, and educator at regional theatres and schools across the country. She is a member of the Actor’s Equity Association, the Screen Actor’s Guild, and the Dramatist Guild of America. Ms. Allen has served as Conservatory Director for the South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, California, and in 1997 began a relationship with the Sundance Institute for whom she has served as Special Project Director and Director of Educational Programming.
Ms. Allen’s plays have been produced at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, The Organic Theatre in Chicago, South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, CA and on the Sundance Resort King Stage. She has received commissions to write pieces for family audiences from South Coast Repertory, The Egyptian Theatre in Park City, UT and The Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota, FL.
About the Mandel Jewish Community Center of Cleveland
From its roots in the Council Educational Alliance founded in 1889 through its emergence as a Jewish Community Center in 1948, the Jewish Community Center of Cleveland has played a vital role in a strong Jewish Community. The goal of the JCC is to be a central gathering place where Jewish families and individuals can gather and connect for socialization, recreation, Jewish learning and enrichment and education through Jewish Arts and Culture for all age groups, in a dynamic and welcoming environment – one that reflects the multiplicity of the Cleveland Jewish community and encourages full participation in Jewish life. For more information on features and events at the JCC call 216-831-0700 or visit www.clevejcc.org.
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