'Oz is for Oznowicz': Hitler puppet by Frank Oz’s parents on display at CJM By Dan Pine Jul 28, 2022 Long before Frank Oz gained fame as the puppet master behind such iconic characters as Miss Piggy and Yoda, he was Frank Oznowicz, an Oakland kid who attended Tech High, ate burgers at Kwik Way and watched movies at the Grand Lake Theater. And from time to time, he’d rummage through the attic of his… Read More
Theater Elana Dykewomon's first play at Bay Area Playwrights Festival A “silence-shattering story of caregiving, community, and honoring the requests of the dying.” That’s how the 2022 Bay Area Playwrights Festival describes… By Lillian Ilsley-Greene Jul 26, 2022
Cultured Hot Jewish Summer: Yiddish album and ‘Hallelujah’ doc will strike a chord It’s shaping up to be a Hot Jewish Summer. Drake just dropped a dance album. A movie about a bar/bat mitzvah party motivator is playing in theaters around… By Andrew Esensten Jun 21, 2022
Comedy Married Jewish-Palestinian lesbian comedy duo's 'one-bed solution' There are mixed marriages. And then there’s Jess Salomon and Eman El-Husseini. Jess is an Ashkenazi Jew from Montreal, Eman a Palestinian Muslim from… By Dan Pine Jun 20, 2022
On Stage Is new version of German passion play less inflammatory? Updated June 23, 2022 In medieval times, passion plays educated an illiterate populace about the trial, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus while… By Miriam Zimmerman Jun 17, 2022
Theater Billy Crystal’s ‘Yiddish scat’ and other Jewish moments at the Tonys “Ella Fitzgerald, wherever you are, I apologize in advance.” Billy Crystal gave this year’s Tonys a jolt of Jewish shtick when he coaxed the audience into… By Andrew Lapin, JTA Jun 13, 2022
Talking With ... Q&A: A ‘little baby clown’ who loves to spread joy around the Bay Jack Weinstock prefers being behind the scenes. After getting interested in technical theater in high school, they majored in drama, with an emphasis in… By Andrew Esensten Jun 10, 2022
Theater ‘Ragtime’ in Mountain View puts spotlight on Jewish characters, actors Early in the musical “Ragtime,” actors playing Jewish, Italian and Haitian immigrants sing “A Shtetl Iz Amereke” upon arriving at Ellis Island. As the… By Andrew Esensten Jun 2, 2022
Dance Margaret Jenkins looks back on 50 years of pioneering modern dance Margaret Jenkins started dancing when she was just 4 years old. Now nearly 80 and a pioneer of West Coast dance, she has been both a witness to and leader… By Lillian Ilsley-Greene Jun 1, 2022