May 31, 2012 *  J-PLAY Performance  &  Leadership  Activities  for  Jewish  Youth  

Performing  Arts  Workshop  Thank  you  for  participating  in  the  first-­‐ever  J-­‐PLAY  Performing  Arts  Workshop!  The  goal  of  the  workshop  is  to  

expose  you,  “performers,”  to  professionals   in  the  field  who  are  living  up  to  their  artistic  aspirations  while  still  

maintaining  their   Jewish   identities.  Through  their  presentations  you  will  build  skills  and  be   inspired  to  pursue  

your  passions  and  interests.    Looking  forward  to  both  an  informative  and  motivational  learning  experience!  

Created  By:  Shani  Malitzky  

PROGRAM Exposition  

5:15pmIMAGINATION  Words  of  wisdom,  on  paper,  from  actress  and  neuroscientist  Mayim  Bialik    Discussion  facilitated  by  Shani  Malitzky,  J-­‐PLAY  creator  and  program  coordinator.      

Conflict  

5:30pmMAKING  PEACE  Beth  Selter,  an  expert  vocalist  and  devoted  Jewish  mother,  shares  her  passion  and  describes  her  delicate  balancing  act      

Journey  

6:15pmTOOLS  OF  THE  TRADE:  AN  INTERACTIVE  ACTING  WORKSHOP  Refine  your  acting  skills  in  a  hands-­‐on  workshop  with  Jon  Adam  Ross,  a  professional  actor      

Resolution  

7:15pmAVENUES  OF  EXPRESSION    Miriam  Droz,   the   founder   of   ATARA,   the  Arts   and   Torah  Association   for   Religious  Artists,  presents  opportunities  for  aspiring  performers  in  the  context  of  Jewish,  Orthodox  life    

7:45pmPRODUCTION  &  THE  THEATRICS  OF  JUDAISM  Yeeshai   Gross,   a   Tony-­‐Award   Winning   producer,   shares   his   experiences   on   and   off  Broadway.    

PRESENTER BIOS Mayim Bialik is best known for her lead role in the 1990s NBC sitcom Blossom, as well as for her portrayal of the young Bette Midler in "Beaches." Bialik was born to

first-generation American teachers and documentary filmmakers and was raised in Los Angeles, attending both public and religious school. Bialik has guest starred on

some of the most beloved TV shows of the 1980s and 1990s. She has appeared numerous times on The Tonight Show, on Conan O’Brien and other late-night

shows. Bialik received her B.S. in Neuroscience and Hebrew and Jewish Studies from

UCLA in 2000 and earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience in 2007 from UCLA. She is the celebrity spokesperson for the Holistic Moms Network, a national non-profit

organization dedicated to supporting holistic and green parenting and living. Bialik is the co-founder and chair of the youth branch of the Jewish Free Loan

Association (Genesis) and enjoys speaking on a variety of topics, including her journey to embracing traditional Jewish values. She studies Jewish texts weekly

with two study partners. Bialik appears regularly on CBS's "The Big Bang Theory" as Sheldon's friend who is not his girlfriend, Amy Farrah Fowler. She is currently writing a book on holistic

parenting, to be released by Simon & Schuster in early 2012.

Beth has been working in professional and amateur theater for over 30 years. Beth Began studying voice at the age of 16, learning not just vocal production but song interpretation as well. She graduated as a Theater Arts major from Queens

College. Beth continued her theater education at the New York Academy of Theatrical Arts, interned at the Williamstown Theater Festival, and performed for

years with an environmental theatre troupe called URA Star Productions. Beth also performed at the Golden Anchor Dinner Theater in West Dennis, Massachusetts. Beth’s passions reached beyond theater, though. Her dream of becoming a wife and mother and her commitment to Judaism always loomed large. Once married,

Beth redirected her talents to performing one-woman shows and directing. Beth has been directing Youth Theater in various New York/New Jersey schools

since 1996 and is approaching her 12th year as Drama Director for the NJY CAMPS at Camp Nesher. Most recently, Beth has opened her own studio coaching voice,

theater and public speaking from her home in Wesley Hills, and periodically performs with the Black Box Studios Professional Ensemble group in Teaneck, NJ.

Miriam Leah Droz studied music, dance and theater throughout high school,

attended the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts, and completed 2 years of a BFA in musical theater before becoming observant in 1997. It was not until

2006 that she began to produce events in the religious community, beginning with a women's musical in Manhattan in 2006, and the creation of ATARA in

2007. Since ATARA's first conference at Stern College, she has coordinated 5 annual weekends for women in the arts, serving a growing population of talented

female artists in music, dance, theater and film, and publishes a monthly newsletter for arts events and announcements in the religious community. In

2009, she directed a women-only feature film in Brooklyn, and in 2011 began to create small open mic night events to increase performance opportunities for

women in the NY area. She has completed two original scripts, and is currently producing a small musical performance on the Exodus narrative. She is enrolled at the Azrieli Graduate School for Jewish Education and Administration in pursuit of an EdD in school administration, and hopes to help increase opportunities for

creative expression in the religious community. She was most recently honored by the Jewish Week as one of the 2012 "36 Under 36" for her work.

PRESENTER BIOS Jon Adam Ross is a widely acclaimed Jewish theatre artist. He has created

original works in both the commercial and educational spheres. Holder of a BFA in Acting from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Jon is currently on tour with his new

solo show, God of Our Fathers, in which he plays all the members of a fictional Jewish family living through a generation of assimilation. And he has performed

his first solo show, Walking in Memphis: The Life of a Southern Jew, Off-Broadway and around the globe. Other credits include Grandpa/German in

Fourplay (Ripple Theater Company); Thomas Denny in Pyrates! (Theater for the New City); Kalman in The Underwater Palace, Schwartz in The Jewbird, and Ishai

in The Hero of Kabul (Northwoods Ramah Theater); and Atticus Finch in the Experimental Theatre Wing's Looking for Boo Radley: An Adaptation of To Kill a

Mockingbird.

Jon is also a founding company member of Storahtelling and the Northwoods Ramah Theater Company. Jon's acting roots stem from his long-term association

with Camp Ramah in Wisconsin, where he serves as Director of the Performing Arts. Aside from acting, Jon has served as faculty for the Cornerstone Fellowship

and the Spielberg Fellowship in Jewish Theater Education (Foundation for Jewish Camp). Directing credits include First Supper and Wrestlingod (Storahtelling),

Inthebeginning, This is a Test. and I am Jonah (Anshe Emet Synagogue, Chicago), Hardball, a play about a Jewish baseball player (Playwright’s Forum,

Memphis), the benefit reading of Neil Simon's Plaza Suite for Opening Act NYC, and Elvis Does Chanukah, for which he was interviewed for by MSNBC.

With more than 200 shows to his credit, Yeeshai Gross celebrates his 20th year as a veteran director and producer with experience in a diverse range of theatrical

genres and venues. Mr. Gross serves as the COO of Advantages, a purpose-based advertising and marketing agency that caters to purpose-based and socially

conscious clients.

Yeeshai is also the founder of Multipleoutlet Productions, a New York-based theatrical production company that has coordinated drama programs at

elementary schools and high schools throughout the tri-state area since 1990. As a director/producer for Multipleoutlet, Mr. Gross’ credits include musical

productions, comedies, and dramas.

Also an accomplished set and lighting designer, Mr. Gross has supervised the sets and lighting for all of his major productions, and has taught classes in the art of stagecraft and stage design. He has also served as a Design Associate for the

world’s longest running musical, The Fantasticks.

In recent years, Mr. Gross’ career has expanded to video direction and production, including acclaimed promotional films for a number of major organizations in the

tri-state area.

Yeeshai has run the Drama departments for many yeshivot and Jewish Day Schools in the tri-state area as well.