Cody Nickell (L) and Michael Russotto (R) in “Tuesdays with Morrie” at Theater J. Photo by Teresa Castracane.
Dear Friends of Theater J,
After the end of six illustrious seasons Adam Immerwahr will be departing Theater J and the JCC this summer for an exciting artistic leadership opportunity (we can’t yet announce where, but those details will become public as soon as his new artistic home is ready to share that news, hopefully in the month ahead). I am hugely grateful to Adam for the strength of his character, his outstanding artistry and his unrelenting impact on the growth and development of Theater J. Adam has been a wonderful partner to me since my arrival here as CEO just under two years ago. Both personally and professionally, Adam will be deeply missed in our community.
During Adam’s tenure, Theater J has thrived in every way. He has led an incredible team in creating signature programs like the Yiddish Theater Lab, Classes for Theater Lovers, the creation of two Jewish Play Prizes, and the Expanding the Canon initiative which will be commissioning seven new plays by racially and ethnically diverse Jews. Adam steered Theater J through the pandemic and leaves us in a position of incredible strength. Adam has solidified the JCC’s reputation for best-in-class Jewish theater. I’m thrilled that many recent Theater J productions will be launching from Theater J to theaters across the country, including our production of Becoming Dr Ruth which will be remounted by Cleveland Play House, our production of Tuesdays with Morrie which will be touring Michigan, and the play The Wanderers which was developed and produced at Theater J and will be produced at the Roundabout Theater in NYC.
Theater J is an incredible jewel in the crown of this JCC. We have built an outstanding reputation for creating and presenting the highest quality in Jewish arts and we will not waiver from that as we find the path to move forward from strength to strength. I know that Theater J will only continue to grow to new heights in the coming years, and I hope you will join us for the journey.
Adam will be here through July 1, and I hope to see you at Fires in the Mirror—Adam’s last show as Artistic Director (and a show that he will be co-directing!)—running June 9th-July 3rd. There is much to celebrate together in what he has built with/for us over these past seven years.
We have engaged Management Consultants for the Arts (a leading Arts management search firm) to partner with us to conduct an international search for our next Artistic Director.
Our search committee will be chaired by Howard Menaker and include Aaron Posner, Sabrina Sojourner, Bob Schlossberg, Rae Grad, Michele Berman, Saul Pilchen, Mara Bralove, Bob Tracy and Meredith Margolis. We expect this process to begin in early June and take six to eight months to complete. During that time, Theater J will continue to move forward with our exciting 32nd season of plays which Adam has programmed and the wonderful Theater J staff will be producing, and I am delighted to share that Adam will be coming back to direct Two Jews Walk Into a War for Theater J in January 2023.
Thank you for your continued belief in and support of Theater J.
I look forward to celebrating many opening nights with you in the year(s) to come.
Dava Schub, Edlavitch DCJCC CEO
