It’s “Chai Time” to revive Calgary Jewish Theatre

by Holly Shifrah

(AJNews) – On a beautiful afternoon on June 29 at Temple B’nai Tikvah in Calgary, a large crowd gathered for a “Chai Tea” Fundraiser to benefit the recently established Chai Life Productions (CLP). The event decor was appropriately colourful in consideration of the first show CLP is producing: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. CLP Co-Chairs Ari Cohen and Laura Shuler and Artistic Director Tracy Smith went above and beyond in hosting the fundraiser. In addition to tea sandwiches and desserts, they ensured the crowd enjoyed entertainment in the form of musical parodies of songs from both Joseph and Fiddler on the Roof; sharing the history of the Beth Israel Players (of which CLP serves as a form of revival or spiritual descendent); an explanation of CLP’s mission and visions for what this new Jewish theatre company hopes to provide for the community in the future; and a well-organized breakdown of the company’s budget and revenue sources. The presentation was filled with infectious optimism and humour. It demonstrated that the trio heading this venture has their heads and hearts in exactly the right place to create something really special with the support of their community. As Co-Chair Laura Shuler said at the event, it “takes the entire Jewish community to make a theatre rise again.”

Members of the community who were present certainly answered that call, nearly doubling the donations received prior to the event and almost fulfilling the total fundraising goal. Anyone who missed out on the Chai Tea event who would still like to donate in support of this blossoming Jewish theatre company can do so through Temple B’nai Tikvah, who has adopted CLP as an arm of their adult education programming. Instructions on how to direct donations are available at https://www.chailifeyyc.ca/copy-of-get-involved

The company’s inaugural show is scheduled for November 29 through December 7. Joseph and The Technicolor Dreamcoat, with its Torah content, was chosen not only to meet the company’s goal, as Smith put it “to share Jewish cultural experiences” but also because the cast and content is structured well to provide opportunities for a wide variety of ages to both participate in the show itself, and enjoy it as an audience. One of the iconic components of the show is the “Dream Choir” comprised of children. CLP is looking for kids ages 8-14 to fill the choir. Auditions for both the children’s choir and adult roles take place in early August at the Paperny Family JCC. Character and ensemble auditions will be August 5, 6, and 7 from 5:30-8:30 pm. Children’s auditions will be August 9, 2-5 pm. And any necessary callbacks will take place August 10 from 1-5 pm. Further audition details are available on the CLP website: chailifeyyc.ca/auditions.

People of all ethnicities, genders, and levels of experience are encouraged to audition for the show, which makes this a wonderful opportunity for anyone who would like to experience the many benefits of participating in community theatre. In a 2022 article on parents.com titled “9 Benefits of Introducing Your Child to Theater” the writer and executive editor for Playbill Inc., Ruthie Fierberg, lists a host of research-backed benefits to participating in theatre including better academic performance, improved self-esteem, mental health benefits, and more.
Laura Shuler and Tracy Smith had previous connections via work they’ve done with the Jewish Historical Society as well as both acting in a recent Calgary production of Fiddler on the Roof. It was while participating in Fiddler that Smith asked Shuler (who’d been a part of the Beth Israel Players) “what do you think if we start a Jewish theatre again?” With Shuler’s encouragement Smith proceeded to recruit as many people from Fiddler as possible as well as bringing the idea to long-time family friend and fellow performer, Ari Cohen. And it’s exactly that kind of connecting and inspiring that CLP will make possible for even more people. Community theatre has a way of forging memories, building new skills, and forming connections in everyone it touches whether they participate on stage, backstage, or in the audience.

Chai Life Productions may be new on the scene, but if their Chai Tea Fundraiser serves as accurate foreshadowing, it’s well on its way to becoming a deeply impactful fixture of the Calgary Jewish Community, starting with their first show. Cohen explained the importance of enthusiastically beginnning: “It’s one of those things where you jump in, you act, that’s the most important thing.” Referencing the plot and character growth in Joseph, he added that it was by making a start, beginning to act, that Joseph “begins his emancipatory journey and rises and ascends through the political echelon, to the point where he’s prime minister. And so it is quite poignant and coincidental that this is our first, because this is our first act. And hopefully we ascend, like Joseph did.”

Holly Shifrah is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter