Rich and James Peterson, Theater J Subscribers
What first brought you to Theater J?
We first came to Theater J in 1997 when the DCJCC re-opened. What attracts us to Theater J are the first rate, thought-provoking plays that explore topics germane to contemporary issues, such as social justice and its relevance to Jewish culture.
What makes Theater J a special place to come see theater?
For Rich, it was an opportunity to introduce James to legitimate theater and Jewish culture and watch him evolve as a theater patron with an appreciation of the work. Theatre J does an exceptional job taking the material and molding the story and characters into a compelling play.
We enjoy the meet-the-artist and creative team programs and thoroughly enjoy participating in the talk-backs. Talkbacks are very educational. It’s useful when we’re confused about the subject matter or angry or happy about what we witnessed and it’s nice to have the outlet to share. They often provide us additional interpretation and insight into the work.
Additionally, Theater J provides an intimate theatre experience. Theater J productions comes darn close to Broadway without the need to refinance our mortgage!
Why does Theater J matter to you?
We find lessons to be learned by the plays we see at Theater J. Theater J provides us the opportunity to abandon the drama and trauma of any given day and brings us together with other people to share and discuss what’s important in our community. Theater J provides us the opportunity to hear opposing viewpoints and better understand the conflicts. Theater J inspires us to see ourselves and other people differently.
Theater J provides plays that explore the Jewish experience. We feel it’s broadened our horizons and provided James insight into Jewish culture, Jewish law and Yiddish. That said, the themes are frequently universal and therefore relatable to the general human condition.
What do you love about Theater J?
Incredible content that is well-produced and acted, which has resulted in our walking out of a play changed. Theater J makes us think!