Creative Connections

Theater J is excited to announce Creative Connections – the expansion of its supplemental artistic programming into a more robust, independent series, aiming to more closely connect audiences with artists, the artistic process, the broader DC community, and themselves. These conversations are free and open to the public.

Pre-Show Conversation with Theater J’s Education Programs Manager, Hester Kamin

Dates

An Enemy of the People – Sunday November 9, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Stories from the Brink – Sunday January 25, 2026 at 1:15 PM
Eureka Day – Sunday March 22, 2026 at 1:15 PM
Avaaz – Sunday June 14, 2026 at 1:15 PM

Hester Kamin’s pre-show conversations are a Theater J favorite! Join us to discuss the themes of our plays and how they relate to our own experiences and the issues of our times. Pre-show conversations are a great way to meet other theater fans and thinkers and to be ready to engage with the play more deeply.

Past Creative Connections

A Pre-Show Discussion with Theater J Education Programs Manager Hester Kamin
Sunday, January 12, 2025, 1:15 PM

Pre-show conversations are a highly participatory event! Before you head to your theater seat, stop by the Polinger Meeting Room for an introduction to the play from Theater J’s Education Programs Manager Hester Kamin. This will be a lively discussion around themes from the play, including mental illness, feelings of otherness, and what it means to hold space for multiple cultures and identities.

A Post-Show Conversation with Ari’el Stachel and Josh Maxey
Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Josh Maxey, Executive Director of Bet Mishpachah, DC’s LGBTQ+ Synagogue, will join Ari’el Stachel for a lively discussion after the show.

A Post-Show Conversation with Ari’el Stachel and Hester Kamin, Theater J Education Programs Manager
Thursday, January 16, 2025

Join us after the play for a discussion with Hester Kamin, Theater J Education Programs Manager, who will join Ari’el Stachel after the show for a conversation focused on the play’s themes.

A Post-Show Conversation with Ari’el Stachel, Sophia Early, and Alina Collins Maldonado
Sunday, January 19, 2025

A Post-Show Conversation with Ari’el Stachel and Rabbi Healy Shir Slakman
Saturday, January 25, 2025

Join Ari’el Stachel and special guest Rabbi Healy Shir Slakman for a lively discussion about Jewish identity & culture!

A Pre-Matinee Conversation with Theater J Education Programs Manager Hester Kamin
Sunday, January 26, 2025, 1:15 PM

Pre-show conversations are a highly participatory event! Before you head to your theater seat, stop by the Polinger Meeting Room for an introduction to the play from Theater J’s Education Programs Manager Hester Kamin.

A Pre-Show Preview with Theater J Education Programs Manager Hester Kamin
Sunday, November 3, 12:15 PM
Sunday, November 17, 12:15 PM

Pre-show conversations are a highly participatory event! Before you head to your theater seat, stop by the 16th Street Lobby for an introduction to the play from Theater J’s Education Programs Manager Hester Kamin. This will be a lively discussion about the issues, themes, and questions raised in Harmon’s play.

A Post-Show Conversation with Dr. Lauren B. Strauss
Sunday, November 10, 4:15 PM

Join us after the play for an interview with Dr. Lauren B. Strauss to unpack the events and themes of Prayer for the French Republic. Drawing from her extensive research on Jewish history and Politics at home and abroad, Dr. Strauss will contextualize what we glean about the Jewish experience in democratic society from Harmon’s play. This conversation with take place in the Goldman Theater immediately following the performance.

A Pre-Show Briefing on the State of Antisemitism
Wednesday, November 20, 11:15 AM

Join Allison Kahn-Pauli, Associate Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League in Polinger Meeting Room, for a briefing on antisemitism from a national and global perspective.

Post- Show Cast Talkback with Artistic Director Hayley Finn
Wednesday, November 20, 3:15 PM

Artistic Director Hayley Finn will lead a post-show conversation in the theater with the cast around themes from the show.

DC Adoptee Voices: Post-show conversations with Sun Mee Chomet and special guests

Friday, September 13, after the matinee: A Conversation with Sun Mee Chomet and Tricia Anderson
Saturday, September 14, after the performance: A Conversation with Sun Mee Chomet and A.D. Herzel
Sunday, September 15, after the matinee: A Conversation with Sun Mee Chomet, Melissa Corkum, and Alice Stephens
Thursday, September 19, after the performance: A Conversation with Sun Mee Chomet and Chana Bilek
Saturday, September 21, after the performance: A Conversation with Sun Mee Chomet and Liz Kleinrock

Adoptee Voices: Post-Show Conversations with Sun Mee Chomet

Wednesday, September 18, after the performance: A Conversation with Sun Mee Chomet
Sunday, September 22, after the performance: A Conversation with Sun Mee Chomet

Conversation Spaces

Thursday, September 12: 6:00 PM reception, 7:30 PM performance
Adoptee Night: Join us for a pre-show reception at 6:00 PM with fellow adoptees and former foster youth.
In partnership with the Inclusion Initiative

Sunday, September 15, 2:00 PM
Constellation Matinee: After the performance, adoptees invite the adoption constellation to join in a sacred space where we will honor one adoptee’s story and explore better ways to love and support adoptees in our lives.
In partnership with Adoption Wise