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Tuvia Tenenbom

TUVIA TENENBOM  (1957 - )

 Nationality:    USA and Israeli
email:    Click here to contact     Website:    Click here

Literary Agent:    n/a


Tuvia Tenenbom is the founder of The Jewish Theater of New York. Tuvia studied for his Doctorate in English Literature at St. John's University, earned his MFA in Playwriting at CUNY-Brooklyn, BS in Mathematics and Computer Science at Touro, and finished his Rabbinical Studies in Jerusalem. He also studied Christianity and Islam in Israel and NY, as well as Journalism, Acting, Theater and Finance (at NYU). Tuvia was named "Founder of a new form of Jewish theater" by the French Le Monde, "Founder of The Theater of Catastrophe" by the German Die Zeit, and "The New Jew" by the Israeli Maariv. Tuvia joined Prof. Harold Bloom for the title "Best minds in America" by Die Zeit, and was named "Free artist who fights for truth & tolerance" by the Belgian Le Vif L'Express and "One of the most iconoclastic and innovative of contemporary Dramatists" by the Italian Corriere Della SerA. Critic D.J.R. Bruckner. reviewing for The New York Times, described Tuvia's theatrical work "irresistibly fascinating, seductive and engaging," and Alisa Solomon, writing for the Village Voice, called it "theater of integrity, inquiry and chutzpah."

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below is a list of Tuvia Tenenbom's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

 Last Jew in Europe         Love In Great Neck         Mountain Jews         One Hundred Gates - A Love Story in a World of Mysticism and Desire         Press 93 for Kosher Jewish Girls in Krakow         Saida, a Tunisian Love Story

Last Jew in Europe

Synopsis:
The play, which uses documentary materials, tells the story of love between a young Polish Jew and his Christian fiancee. Fearing that she would walk out on him if she knew he's Jewish, he refuses to divulge his Jewish identity to her. But two days before their wedding, a young Mormon from Utah on a mission to uncover Jewish families in Poland, arrives in Lodz and meets with the girl.
nytheatre.com

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Triad, NY    2007

Organisations:
Jewish Theater of New York

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Love In Great Neck

Synopsis:
Told through the eyes of a black nanny, this Absurdist musical comedy pries open the guarded gates protecting the upper class to take a look into the intimate habits of the rich and their poor servants. On the eve of her 40th birthday, Jill picks up the phone and dreadfully listens to her father's final words: "Lose your virginity, or lose your inheritance." Jill appoints her black nanny, Janice, to the position of "Chairwoman of the Selecting Committee" and orders her to choose the 'right mate' from the guests attending the birthday party. After 40 years of servitude, Janice gleefully rises to the task. . .Despite its laughter, Love deals with serious issues. By choosing to make a no-holds-barred comedy on the sexual mores of America's multi-layered sub-cultures, Love finds ample time to deal with our many social ills: From racial and religious stereotypes afflicting relations between blacks, gays and Jews, to the under-researched phenomenon of sexual frigidity in the upper class.Still, Love in Great Neck is not just an "American play." For even when it's centered on exploring the "American," it doesn't shy away from examining humanity's foibles anywhere else. Be it the strength of imageries in the world of the religionist or the cover of wealth in the world of the capitalist, Love in Great Neck incorporates them all--in word and song--be it with clothes, or without. Love in Great Neck employs total nudity and is not suited for children

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
The Triad Theater, New York    2004

Organisations:
Jewish Theater of New York

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Absurdist Musical Comedy Comedy

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Mountain Jews

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Triad, NY    2008

Organisations:
Jewish Theater of New York

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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One Hundred Gates - A Love Story in a World of Mysticism and Desire

Synopsis:
Set in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim, Jerusalem, this "rich, passionately written play" (The Jewish Week) tells the story of Moishe, the 18-year-old son of the late Grand Rabbi, who comes of age in a community where men dare not look at women and the dead are more powerful than the living. But Moishe's eyes wander between Heaven, where he senses the watchful eyes of his deceased father, and Earth, where he is enticed by the smiling face of a beautiful young girl at the bus stop. Who is she: Satan disguised as a creature of beauty? Or can she be the Holy Presence, God's Feminine Side, disguised for a purpose too incomprehensible to contemplate? One Hundred Gates incorporates authentic & secretive Jewish kabalistic texts, and is a "coming of age" story shrouded in ancient mystical Judaism.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Syncronicity Space, New York City    1995

Organisations:
Jewish Theater of New York

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Press 93 for Kosher Jewish Girls in Krakow

Synopsis:
Press 93 for Kosher Jewish Girls in Krakow tells the story of daily life in extreme religious sects at the very near future. Aided by newest applications of high-tech communication technology, followers will no longer be able to entertain Forbidden Thoughts of any kind. Forced to subscribe to, and carry, Kosher Phones, followers are under the watching eyes of Holy Rabbis 365/24. Intimate "doubts of faith," or "forbidden looks of desire" at another person entail stiff monetary fines or immediate expulsion-depending on the degree of "doubt" or "desire."
- nytheatre.com

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Kraine Theater, NY, USA >>>    17 Jan 2010

Organisations:
The Jewish Theater of New York

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Saida, a Tunisian Love Story

Synopsis:
Welcome to Tunisia, land of hotel servants turned revolution makers, and be greeted by Saida, Tunisia's most beautiful lady, who is heavily courted by two visiting guests: One Jew, one Arab. Saida, you must know, is in a little predicament these days. Before the week is over she must decide which of the two men will father her children - and she cannot zigzag. Which man would you advise her to marry, the Arab or the Jew? Come on in to offer your five cents. But do pay attention to this: Both men are Secret Service agents, and so it's up to you to find out if what they say is true, how much of it, or if any. . .
- nytheatre.com

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Kraine Theater
85 East 4th Street, New York, NY 10003    15 May 2011

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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