Theatre
The Jewish Arts Theatre Program currently focuses on the creation of the new musical “One of a Kind”, inspired by a true story of Jewish refugees expelled from Egypt in 1956.
The new work and its development support the mission of Jewish Arts by:
- Creating a Jewish-themed, multi-disciplined artwork with wide relevance
- Contributing to the rich multiculturalism of Australia
- Fostering involvement of professional artists and learning opportunities for volunteers who are passionate about musical theatre
- Presenting high-quality Jewish art to the Jewish and wider community
- Educating audiences and participants about …
- a little known social injustice
- an Australian refugee experience
- Jewish refugees from the Middle East
- an ancient facet of Egyptian society that was lost in the mid-20th century
- the emotional challenges of migration
The project began in 2011, with Stage 1 culminating in a launch event in November 2012, presenting a short excerpt from the proposed show. Members of the theatre team provided background, and Dr Racheline Barda, author of “Egyptian-Jewish Émigrés in Australia”, spoke of the importance of telling this story, never before dramatised.
Stage 2 took place during 2013. It resulted in a 45-minute showcase of work in progress, with music and lyrics by Judy Campbell and Aaron Robuck, and additional orchestrations by well-known composer Dr Kim Cunio, who specialises in Middle Eastern styles.
After a hiatus in 2014, Stage 3 is scheduled to move forward in 2015 and aims to complete the music and book for the show. The team had hoped for faster progress, but musicals are famous for taking years to develop, and we can see why!
Contact us for more information.