Special opportunity for Jewish creatives – but deadline is approaching
Jew-ish Cabaret is looking for submissions for a showcase of musical theatre pieces
Creatives have until 31 August for the chance to be chosen to have their work featured in a showcase of new musical theatre pieces being hosted later this year by theatre company the Jew-ish Cabaret.
The Jew-ish Cabaret is looking for new work, either written by, or about, Jewish people and themes. At least six people will have the chance to showcase a ten-minute excerpt of their work and the call out is worldwide- if someone outside of the UK, has work to be featured, the Cabaret will arrange for performers to create it.
The Jew-ish Cabaret was set up in 2017 by three friends, all Israelis living in the UK, and is run now Ashley Racov and Shar Shamai.
“Our aim, when we started, was to provide a space where new work could be created, not just by us, but also by other people, on Jewish themes. We like to show work that speaks to us and speaks to its audiences,” says Ashley.
“When October 7 happened, we took a step back,” says Shar. “We were in shock. And it was a very difficult time. People were looking for any excuse to cancel us. We felt we had to be so careful, because it seemed that no matter what you said or did, someone would find fault with it.”
Shar’s career became split between the UK and Israel. He worked with another Israeli, Guy Frati, and together they wrote the acclaimed show Sonia, about the wife of Shimon Peres, and it was performed in Haifa. Shar and Guy were then chosen to create a new oratorio, based on the music of the composer Bach, with arrangement, and words in Hebrew, added to create a new 15-minute performance.
Nonetheless the Jew-ish Cabaret in the UK is growing bigger with more and more people joining the core team.
“Now we are really expanding, and it is an exciting time for us,” says Shar. “We want to encourage more people to use the Cabaret as a platform for work that is in line with our mission. We create innovative, socially aware, and entertaining music and theatre productions that challenge perceptions and stereotypes through humour and satire, while drawing from our Jewish and LGBTQ+ identity and culture.
“In 2018 we created an original new musical called Café Named Desire tackling modern issues of love, religion and sexuality. It has been very success and staged in both London and Israel.
“When theatres closed in the Covid pandemic we created an anti-racism music video You’ve Got a Friend in 22 different languages raising money for racial equality. In this latest callout we want to spotlight new work in preparation for a performance of between six and eight works in November.”
If you would like your work to be considered apply via email thejewishcabaret@gmail.com
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
