Miami New Drama is not one to shy away from controversial issues.
Last season, the Miami Beach-based company presented Dangerous Days , which tackled the media response to the 1980 Miami race riots.
This week, Miami New Drama will present the world premiere of Jonathan Spector's Birthright — billed as the first major stage production to grapple with the aftermath of October 7, 2023.
On that day, Hamas militants launched a deadly surprise attack on Israel, sparking the Gaza War.
READ MORE: Miami New Drama takes to the streets with 'Lincoln Road Hustle'
When Miami New Drama founder and Artistic Director Michel Hausmann first approached Spector with the idea, the playwright basically said, "Thanks, but no thanks."
After a few months, however, Spector had a change of heart.
"I realized that I was still kind of wary about that subject," he says. "But I was truly becoming aware of just what sort of strange and difficult moment this was as an American Jew."
After Spector conducted a series of interviews with a wide range of Jewish acquaintances, he says a common theme emerged.
"The thing that was almost universal in these conversations was how this was the most difficult time to be an American Jew that anybody had ever lived through," says Spector. "That their relationships with other people were becoming strained."
Spanning 18 years, Birthright follows a group of six American Jews as they navigate the kind of political tempests that can utterly destroy even the strongest friendships.
Hausmann, a Venezuelan Jew, calls this week's opening one of the most urgent and significant world premieres Miami New Drama has ever produced.
"We're living now in very complex times," says Hausmann. "It is a play that really is hungry for investigating the real relationship between 'What does it mean to be Jewish in America?' — and how has that shifted in the 18 years the play spans."
IF YOU GO
What: Birthright
When: April 3-27, 2025
Where: Miami New Drama, The Colony Theatre,1040 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, FL.
More Information: miaminewdrama.org
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