Lights, Camera…Torah!: Putting The Thrill of Live Theater Back in Torah

Torah reading may be the stuff of b’nai mitzvah kids’ aspirations (or nightmares), or the thing adults snooze through in shul, but our weekly Torah reading began as a radical public performance. What can actors (and audiences) teach us about how to bring awe to the experience of retelling our Torah stories in its public reading (and hearing)? In this session, we’ll explore the innovative history of the weekly public Torah reading that’s a cornerstone (ahem) of our services. We’ll experience the tools actors use to make a deceptively simple story crackle with possibility and personal connection. You’ll never read (or hear) Torah the same way again. (Experience reading or hearing Torah not necessary.)