Makers of Memories: Holocaust Remembrance and the Creative Process

Interviews with Lynne Meadow and Tovah Feldshuh in recognition of International Holocaust Remembrance Day

In recognition of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Arnold Mittelman, President of the National Jewish Theater Foundation (NJTF), will speak with the artistic leader of the Manhattan Theatre Club, director Lynne Meadow, and Broadway star, actress and author Tovah Feldshuh on the role of theatre in Holocaust Remembrance. Both of these esteemed artists are recipients of the 2021 NJTF Lifetime Achievement Award. Together with Mr. Mittelman, they will discuss how their creative process and Jewish heritage has informed their remarkable body of work. Renowned Broadway and off-Broadway award winning producer Daryl Roth will provide introductory remarks.

From Arnold Mittelman, NJTF President and Director of NJTF Holocaust Theater International Initiative at University of Miami Miller Center; “we are living in times when studies indicate that the memory and knowledge of the Holocaust is lessening. Unfortunately, this coincides with the passing of living survivors and the rise of antisemitism. Civilization will be profoundly and negatively affected if the causes of this man-made tragedy are not understood in the context of today’s world. By researching, educating and performing Holocaust-related theater we utilize our talents to inform and alter the course of these events.”

This event is online only. A link to the Zoom webinar will be emailed to registrants two days before the event, with reminder emails on the day of the event. Register here.

Arnold Mittelman is a Producer, Director, Educator and Author with a nationally recognized career of artistic and educational achievement. He helped found and/or lead five major not-for-profit theaters including the acclaimed New York Free Theater, The Whole Theater Company and The Coconut Grove Playhouse. He has launched numerous world premieres and commercial theatrical productions for Broadway, Off Broadway, National Tours and the West End. His distinguished teaching, educational and innovative training programs have accompanied his body of work. In 2007 he created and was named President and Producing Artistic Director of the National Jewish Theater Foundation. Mr. Mittelman is founding director of the NJTF/HTII Holocaust Theater International Initiative, at the University of Miami Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies, overseeing its work in research, education and production. The NJTF produced and Mr. Mittelman directed the critically acclaimed NYC production of the stage and film version of Holocaust play The Soap Myth by Jeff Cohen. Most recently NJTF and Mr. Mittelman produced the NYC and London productions of the newly reimagined musical Rothschild & Sons by Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, Sherman Yellen. He is co- author of “Enacting History: A Practical Guide to Teaching the Holocaust through Theater” published by UK Routledge Press.

Lynne Meadow (Artistic Director, Manhattan Theatre Club) has been the artistic visionary and leader of MTC since 1972, creating hundreds of new productions on and off Broadway that have put the company at the forefront of the American theatre. Lynne has directed dozens of U.S., New York and Broadway premieres including Richard Greenberg’s The Assembled Parties; Margaret Edson’s Wit; Charles Busch’s The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife; David Rudkin’s Ashes; Leslie Ayvazian’s Nine Armenians; Donald Margulies’ Collected Stories; and Alan Ayckbourn’s Woman in Mind. She has accepted four Tony Awards for Best Play and Best Revival on behalf of MTC, as well as numerous Drama Desk, Lortel, Obie and Outer Critics Circle Awards, among others. Education: Bryn Mawr College, Yale School of Drama. Teaching: Yale, NYU, SUNY, Fordham. Awards: Mr. Abbott Award, Lucille Lortel and Lilly Awards for Lifetime Achievement, Margo Jones Award, Louis Auchincloss Prize, Theatre Hall of Fame inductee.

Tovah Feldshuh, a six-time Emmy & Tony nominee, has been awarded three honorary Doctorates of Humane Letters. For her theatre work, she has won four Drama Desks, four Outer Critics Circle, three Dramalogues, the Obie, the Theatre World, the Helen Hayes and Lucille Lortel Awards for Best Actress. She is a playwright, concert artist, and author. Her first memoir, LILYVILLE: Mother, Daughter, and Other Roles I’ve Played, has been chosen as a “Must Read” by Good Morning America and was ranked the Number One New Release in Parent and Adult Child Relationships on Amazon. TV credits include: Holocaust, Law & Order, The Walking Dead, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend where Feldshuh can be seen singing the dignified showstopper: "Where's the Bathroom!" Films include: Kissing Jessica Stein, A Walk on the Moon, The Idolmaker, Golda’s Balcony the film, Paramount Pictures’ Clifford, and the just completed Armageddon Time opposite Sir Anthony Hopkins and Anne Hathaway. Broadway: Yentl, Golda’s Balcony, Irena’s Vow, Saravá!, Lend me a Tenor, Pippin etc. Off-Broadway: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Dr. Ruth Westheimer in Mark St. Germain’s one woman tour-de-force Becoming Dr. Ruth. March 5-11, she will be in concert as Tovah is LEONA! in Florida playing the infamous Queen of Mean, Leona Helmsley. Tovah is the recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanities Award, Hadassah's Myrtle Wreath & Mother of the Year Award and the Israel Peace Medal. Instagram: @tovahfeld. Website: www.tovahfeldshuh.com.

Daryl Roth holds the singular distinction of producing 7 Pulitzer Prize-winning plays: Anna in the Tropics; August: Osage County (2008 Tony); Clybourne Park (2012 Tony); How I Learned to Drive (the original Off-Broadway production and the upcoming Broadway debut); Proof (2001 Tony); Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women; and Wit. The proud recipient of 12 Tony Awards and London’s Olivier Award, her over 120 award winning productions include: the 2013 Tony winner for Best Musical, Kinky Boots, 6 years on Broadway and around the globe; Absolute Brightness; Angels in America (2018 Tony); Buyer & Cellar; Caroline, or Change; Company; Curtains; Gloria: A Life; Edward Albee’s The Goat or Who is Sylvia (2002 Tony); Indecent; It Shoulda Been You; Love, Loss, and What I Wore; The Normal Heart (2011 Tony); The Tale of the Allergist's Wife; Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992; War Horse (2011 Tony); and The Year of Magical Thinking. Upcoming: the new musical Between the Lines based on Jodi Picoult's bestselling book; How I Learned to Drive starring the original cast, Mary-Louise Parker and David Morse; the revival of Funny Girl starring Beanie Feldstein; and Paul Grellong’s The Power of Sail, which will premiere this winter at the Geffen Playhouse in LA starring Bryan Cranston. Ms. Roth is a Trustee of Lincoln Center Theater and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Honored to have been inducted into the 2017 Theatre Hall of Fame.