JET's board of directors: (clockwise from

arts & entertainment >> on the cover

top left) Treasurer Lewis Tann, President
Gail Mayer, Immediate Past President
Tom August, Vice President Elizabeth
"Betty" Pernick, Recording Secretary
Suzanne Curtis, Vice President Elaine
Sturman and Vice President Mary Lou

Zieve. Not pictured: Executive Member
at Large Dr. Phoebe Mainster.

tions as well as non-Jewish organiza-
tions," says Gail Mayer, the new president
of JET'S board of directors.
"I think that JET is a unique cultural
jewel, and I want to help it grow and
thrive," says Mayer, raised in a Canadian
family filled with performance careerists,
including writer-director-actress Marcia
Kash, who has appeared at the Stratford
Festival and on Broadway.

JET perseveres,
offering thought-
provoking
productions that
inspire, educate
and entertain.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

"We really had a pretty good season
for 2012-2013, ending about $10,000 in
the black, but we're always looking for
ways to enlarge our base says David
Magidson, JET's artistic director.
"Whether we end in the black or in
the red varies from year to year, but it's
always close. We've been able to break
even over all the time we've been in pro-
duction.
"Our budget for the upcoming season
is expected to be about $675,000. Ticket
sales pay for about 50 percent of what it
costs to run the theater. The rest comes
from gifts and grants!"
During 2012-2013, individual dona-
tions ranged from $10 to $50,000.
Contributing organizations include
the Henry S. & Mala Dorfman Family
Foundation; Max M. Fisher Jewish
Community Foundation; Stephen, Nancy
& Sam Grand Philanthropic Fund;
Kresge Foundation; Masco Corporation

Suzanne Chessler

Foundation; MCACA-Michigan Council
for Arts & Cultural Affairs; National
Endowment for the Arts; Shubert
Foundation; and the Ben N. Teitel
Charitable Trust.
"As we seek finances, we have found
that the money comes in spurts,"
Magidson explains. "We get an influx
of dollars with subscription sales at the
beginning of each season, and there's
usually a bit of a crunch toward the end.
"We are able to maintain a small line
of bank credit until the fundraising
resources come through!"

An Equity Theater
JET, which complies with standards set
by the Actors' Equity Association, has
begun selling tickets for the 2013-2014
year.
Among the featured productions will
be The Sisters Rosensweig by Wendy
Wasserstein (Sept. 25-Oct. 20), 4000
Miles by Amy Herzog (Nov. 6-Dec. 1),
The Scullery Maid by Joseph Zettelmaier
(Dec. 18-Jan. 12), Mr. Rickey Calls a
Meeting by Ed Schmidt (Jan. 29-Feb.
23) and Other Desert Cities by Jon Robin
Baitz (April 23-May 18).
"The benefits of being an Equity
theater have to do with getting the best
people to work for us," Magidson says
Besides JET, members of the Michigan
Equity Theatre Alliance (META) include
Meadow Brook Theatre in Rochester
Hills, Performance Network Theatre

2013 Wilde Awards

T

he Jewish Ensemble Theatre has
been nominated for a number of
2013 Wilde Awards, presented by
EncoreMichigan.com , a comprehensive
resource for news and information
about the state's professional theater
industry.
The awards will be presented
Monday, Aug.19, during a program at
the Berman Center for the Performing

I Contributing Writer

in Ann Arbor, Plowshares Theatre
Company in Detroit, Tipping Point
Theatre in Northville and Williamston
Theatre in Williamston, located in mid-
Michigan's Ingham County.
Christopher Bremer, JET managing
director, is treasurer of the META board.
"While serving as treasurer requires a
great deal of effort, I believe it is impor-
tant to be part of an organization vital to
the professional, nonprofit theater indus-
try," Bremer says.
"META exists to build awareness,
appreciation and support for members
while unifying and strengthening the
nonprofit theater sector through col-
laborative marketing, development,
resource sharing and advocacy."
Two plays will be joint ventures for
the upcoming season. Mr. Rickey Calls
a Meeting is being co-produced with
Plowshares, and Other Desert Cities is
being done with Performance Network.
This means that each play will have two
runs with the same cast and crew, one at
each venue.
Although JET seeks to include plays
with Jewish content or by Jewish writ-
ers, the company also wants to present
productions exploring general issues of
special interest to the Jewish community.
"As a professional theater that looks at
the world through a Jewish lens, we want
to reach out to a broader community,
and we hope to do that by connecting
with people from other Jewish organiza-

Reaching Out

Last year, Temple Israel booked a perfor-
mance of My Name Is Asher Lev strictly
for congregation members. During the
upcoming season, the theater will be
reaching out to Hillel organizations at
Michigan universities to have special
showings of 4000 Miles, which spotlights
a young man returned from a cycling
trip.
"We hope to do more productions for
children and find more sponsors, corpo-
rate and individual;' says Mayer of West
Bloomfield. "I hope we can install some
younger people to participate with our
board of directors (whose ages tend to be
above the middle-50s):'
Serving as vice presidents on the
board of directors for the upcoming
season will be Elizabeth "Betty" Pernick
of West Bloomfield, and Elaine Sturman
and Mary Lou Zieve, both of Bloomfield
Hills. Other members are Suzanne Curtis
of West Bloomfield, recording secretary;
Lewis Tann of Bingham Farms, treasurer;
Dr. Phoebe Mainster of Bloomfield Hills,
executive member at large; and Tom
August of Bloomfield Hills, immediate
past president.
JET is a completely independent entity
and not part of the organizational frame-
work of the Detroit Jewish community.
The theater pays rent for the space it
uses at the Jewish Community Center in
West Bloomfield.
"The last few years have been trying
ones for nonprofits, but we've been suc-

Community Jewel on page 48

JET garners nominations for excellence in theater.

Arts in West Bloomfield.
JET's nominations include Best
Comedy (Moonlight and Magnolias),
Best Drama (My Name Is Asher Lev),
Best Design: Props (Laughter on the
23rd Floor) and Best Design: Sound or
Video (End Days).
Acting nominations include Best
Performance, Actor-Comedy (John
Manfredi, End Days; and Rob Pantano,

Laughter on the 23rd Floor), and Best
Ensemble (Moonlight and Magnolias
and My Name Is Asher Lev).

The Wilde Awards were established
by Pride Source Media Group in 2002
to honor excellent work produced
by Michigan's professional theaters.
Nominations are based on reviews
written by EncoreMichigan.com's team
of professional critics.

The Michigan Equity Theatre Alliance
will present the awards.
Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with a
reception featuring cocktails and hors
d'oeuvres before the 8 p.m. program
and a dessert afterglow. $21-$46.
(248) 661-1900; theberman.org . ❑

- Suzanne Chessler

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