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Arts & Entertainment

JET Harmony

New director, board planning new directions.

Bill Carroll
Special to the Jewish News

A

ll's Well That Ends Well might
be a fitting title to describe the
Jewish Ensemble Theatre in
West Bloomfield.
The Shakespeare play's sentiment fits
the transition from JET'S former to its
new artistic director and the outlook for
the future of the 21-year-old theater.
David Magidson of Bloomfield
Township, a theater veteran who has
directed almost 100 plays for 15 different
theater companies around the country
and written seven plays himself, has been
appointed JET artistic director, replac-
ing JET founder Evelyn Orbach of West
Bloomfield. She was dismissed by the
JET board of directors in June because,
according to Chairman Joel Dorfman of
Bloomfield Hills, "we wanted to take JET
in a new direction."
Speaking for the first time publicly
about the incident, Orbach said she was
surprised by the board's action at that
time, and "it took me three months to
recover my equilibrium."
She hired a lawyer and reached a
financial settlement with JET. She and the
board apparently have patched up their
differences because she has been named
artistic director emeritus.
Dorfman said, "I'm more optimistic
than ever about JET'S future and I'm con-
fident David will carry on the fine work
that Evelyn did over the years in develop-
ing a theater for our Jewish community.
The board selected David because we
felt he has a broader range of talents in
directing, fund-
raising, grant
writing, etc.,
than any of the
other candidates
for the job."
Orbach said
she would be
available for
consultation
and advice to
the JET staff
JET Artistic Director and may even
Emeritus Evelyn
do some acting
Orbach
and directing
in future shows. "I've contacted agents
about directing and acting work in gen-
eral: she said.

JET Artistic Director David Magidson

She was honored at a recent JET fund-
raiser and saw the theater's current pro-
duction, The Blank Page.
"I want everything to end well because
I want JET to survive she stressed. "After
all, I nurtured the theater like my own
child for more than 20 years, and I want
it to continue and be successful."
Praising Magidson as an "experienced
theater man and a known quantity in
this community;' JET Managing Director
Chris Bremer said he hopes "things will
now start to look up for the theater"
despite last season's substantial financial
loss and a dropoff in subscriptions so
far this year. "We've received some nice
donations from local philanthropists,
we're now conducting 50-50 drawings
at each performance, and David and I
already are examining new fundraising
ideas, including a spring fundraiser."
Magidson, in his 60s, a former standup
comedian and "tummler" at summer
resorts in his native Wisconsin — "the
Midwest version of the famous Jewish
Borsht Belt in the New York Catskills:'
he says — is now professor of theater
and director of the Center for Arts and
Public Policy at Wayne State University's
Department of Theatre in Detroit. He

A search committee of eight members
of the 15-person JET board interviewed
10 candidates before narrowing the
group down to two and hiring Magidson.
Bremer, who had been serving as acting
artistic director since June, said, "I'm
happy David was selected. He'll make a
fine partner with me as we move forward
with new plans for the theater."
Magidson, who served for six years on
the JET board when he came to Detroit,
said he wrote a letter to the current
board expressing interest in the position
when he heard the search was under way.
He returned for more interviews before
landing the job.
JET board member Rosalie Beer of
West Bloomfield, a search committee
member, said the board "felt David is
the one who can take JET in that new
direction. He topped all of the other can-
didates. We're positive he'll come up with
some fresh, innovative ideas and exciting
plays. We want to offer shows the public
can look forward to."
Magidson wants "to pep up JET with
some new plays for a younger audience.
The theater is always changing and we
must keep up with the modern trends
teaches directing, playwriting, dramatic
and new shows." He said JET plans to
theory and criticism, theater aesthetics
return to five plays next season after
and other graduate courses. He came to
cutting back to four this season due to
WSU in 1991 as dean of the College of
financial constraints.
Fine, Performing and Communications
"And I'd like to insert a few shows for
Arts and held the post for seven years.
two
or three performances over a week-
He also spent 11 years as director
end
to
add to the regular runs:' he said.
of the Jewish Community Center of
"Of
course,
we'll maintain our annual
Metropolitan Detroit's Lenore Marwil
productions
of The Diary of Anne Frank."
Jewish Film Festival. "In the arts, you just
Magidson
said he and Orbach met
don't do the same thing for too many
for
two
hours
recently in a "cordial" ses-
years:' he pointed out. "You have to keep
sion
to
discuss
JET's future. "I value her
moving on to new challenges and I've
advice;
after
all,
it was her determination
done that my whole career."
that
guided
JET
these
past 21 years:' he
The JET board told Magidson that
said.
fundraising would be a big part of his
Orbach said, "I'm sure David will do
new job. Through the years, Orbach was
fine
as artistic director. He has an excel-
adroit at raising large amounts of money
lent
background
and a great track record
from individuals and corporations. "We're
in
the
Detroit
area."
working on new approaches to fundrais-
Magidson and Bremer hope the new
Magidson said. "The financial situa-
400-seat
Mandell L. and Madeleine
tion is everyone's responsibility here; it's
a team effort.
JET HARMONY on page 44
"Our first priority is filling those seats.
I want to convince the public this isn't
For more information and to pur-
just your father's old JET anymore. I
chase tickets for JET performances,
want to reach out to the soul of the local
call (248) 788-2900 or go to
Jewish people and make the shows so
www.jettheatre.org .
exciting, they just can't 'not come' to the
theater."

November 5 • 2009

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