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Storahtelling - Collaborating Artists
Administration || Storahtellers
|| Collaborating Artists
Advisory Board || Board
of Directors || Supporters & Partners
AARON DAVIDMAN is the Artistic Director
of A Traveling
Jewish Theatre in San Francisco. An actor, writer
and director, Aaron has worked with ATJT since 1997. Additional
acting credits include work with the California and Utah
Shakespeare Festivals, and he has directed various projects
at theatres in the Bay Area and in New York. He is a recent
recipient of the New Generations Fellowship from Theatre
Communications Group.
 YOEL
BEN-SIMHON (COMPOSER, TENOR, OUD, PIANO,
GUITAR & PERCUSSION) is Israeli-born of Moroccan parentage,
and has committed himself to researching the relationship
between Jewish and Arabic music. Ben-Simhon pursued
his academic studies at the Mannes School of Music and
received his BA and MA in music composition from Hunter
College in 1998, studying with mentors Mr. Paul Moravec
(Pulitzer prize winner) and Mr. Simon Shaheen (internationally
acclaimed oud and violin virtuoso). Ben-Simhon is the
founder and composer of the "Sultana Ensemble,"
a group comprised of musicians and dancers from Arab,
American and Israeli descent. Recently, Ben Simhon was
an oud soloist, playing with the Pittsburgh Symphony
Orchestra. Currently he is a music adjunct-professor
at City College NY. Through his work, he has performed
at venues throughout the US, Europe and Israel. He has
performed with various internationally known artists
such as Yossi Fine, George Mgrdichian, Howard Levi,
Yair Dalal, and Frank London, to name just a few.
 MARGE EISEMAN (MAVEN) travels the Jewish world as a Presence-in-Residence, teaching, performing original music and peddling her own brand of Joyful Judaism to audiences of all ages. She was chosen as Milwaukee's Jewish Educator of the Year in 2005, and has presented at the past ten CAJE (Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education) Conferences, is well-loved at LIMMUD-NY (and the UK and Scotland, too!). She serves as part-time spiritual leader of Temple Sholom in Sterling, IL, a semi-rural congregation of 40 households in Western Illinois. Marge's four sons have been the inspiration for many songs, stories and experiments. Just five weeks after Storahtelling Maven training, Marge led an amazing exploration of Parashat Shoftim at her youngest son's bar mitzvah.
 AARON FREEMAN (ACTOR) is the funniest black Jew on National Public Radio. Along with his wife, artist Sharon Rosenzweig, Aaron creates the satirical web comic, The Comic Torah, hailed as "genius work" by writer/philosopher Douglas Rushkoff. Aaron is also a founding member of the internationally acclaimed, "Israeli/Palestinian Comedy Tour." He also co-wrote and directed outrageous, "Arab/Israeli Comedy Hour." As a solo stand up comic Aaron performs regularly for audiences, circumcised and not, across the United States and Canada and has performed in Israel, The UK, France and the Tambopata Wildlife Preserve near Puerto Maldonado, Peru. He has performed comedy in English, Spanish, Hebrew and has entertained deaf audiences in sign language.
Aaron's most recent books, "Baby Boomers, from Acid Rock to Acid Reflux" and "How to Say, 'Love You' in 30 Languages," are published by Rat Riding Press Press. A screenwriter, commentator, actor, auctioneer and science journalist Aaron's 30-year television career includes five Emmy nominations, one win and he was the first African-American essayist on PBS's storied NewsHour. Aaron also regularly performs with Chicago's famed Second City improv troupe and his work as a political satirist is a part of that city's political vocabulary.
Aaron blogs on the Huffington Post, JewSchool, JVoices as well as on his own, INCISITY, It's News 'Cause I Show It To You.
 GLENN GROSSMAN has launched a long and successful career as a drummer and music producer. Glenn's drumming roster includes: Tall Stories, Gordon Gaines, Dave Kikowski, Bo Diddley, Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry, The Drifters, Blacksheep, Niki Jean, Jaime Benjamin, and rock band MAHAVATAR. Glenn's recent recording work includes co-producing and giging with Kobina; drum tracks for Artodogs, Joss Stone, Danny Pierre, and Fred Shehadi; and co-writing/producing/programming and playing for the new album by Naomi Less. As a producer, Glenn writes, records and produces music for commercial and artist use. He serves as the consultant, writer and producer for Play Music Group, NYC.
 RABBI JILL HAMMER, PHD, is an author, educator,
midrashist, and ritualist. She is the director of Tel
Shemesh, a website and community celebrating and creating
Jewish traditions connected with the earth (www.telshemesh.org).
She has written two books: “Sisters at Sinai: New
Tales of Biblical Women” (Jewish Publication Society,2001)
and “The Jewish Book of Days” (Jewish Publication
Society, 2006). She is also a poet and essayist whose
work has been published in many journals and anthologies,
and a celebrated adult educator who has taught in venues
around the country on ancient and contemporary midrash,
bibliodrama, creative ritual, and Jewish cycles of time.
Rabbi Hammer lives in Manhattan, and makes sure to connect
to nature by walking in Central Park almost every day.
VICTORIA HANNA has performed internationally
as an actress and vocal artist at various venues in Israel
and New York, including Ha'bima National Theater, the
Israel Festival, BAM, La Mama, Tonic, and Joe's Pub Public
Theater. She has been featured at festivals in Mumbai,
Berlin, Soa Paolo, Boston, and Kiev, and will be performing
in the Czech Republic, Poland, India, and Japan this year.
NOAH HOFFELD is a graduate
of the Julliard School, playing classical, rock, jazz,
and world music on the cell.
JDUB RECORDS, founded by Aaron Bisman and Benjamin
Hesse, works to redefine Jewish music, helps connect Jews
to a deeper understanding of their Judaism, and spreads
new visions of Jewish culture. Based in New York City,
JDub is a 2003 recipient of the Joshua Venture Fellkowship,
and has produced and performed at various venues in the
United States and Israel.
 FRANK
LONDON is perhaps best known for his work with
the internationally acclaimed avant-garde klezmer band
The Klezmatics. Mr. London has scored many film and theater
pieces, among them the documentary The Schvitz,
John Sayles' The Brother from Another Planet,
and Tony Kushner's A Dybbuk. Apart from his work
with The Klezmatics, Mr. London writes and records with
Hasidic New Wave and Frank London's Oriental Sextet.
DANNY
MASENG is a playwright, actor, singer, composer,
Jewish educator and spiritual leader. He is currently
the Director of the Spielberg Fellowships for The
Foundation for Jewish Camping and was most recently
named Artistic Director of The Brandeis-Bardin Institute
in California. Danny is the creator of the critically
acclaimed off-Broadway musical, Wasting Time With
Harry Davidowitz ? The Musical Journey
of A Jewish Soul. As composer and singer, he has
recorded over 10 albums.
BASYA SCHECHTER
is an instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. She is the
founder and leader of Pharaoh's Daughter, an eclectic
groove ensemble.
 TRACEY
ERIN SMITH is an award-winning playwright and actor and a columnist for The Jewish Magazine ('Notes from The Burning Bush'). She made her debut with Storahtelling in 2003 performing her "rabbinic strip act" as The Burning Bush in Jewvenile: An Adult Variety Show. Since then she has performed her hit one-woman shows; THE BURNING BUSH! and TWO IN THE BUSH! across Canada and in New York City. Tracey is also the founder of Soul-O Theatre®, where she teaches the art of creating one-person shows and has appeared in Vancouver's Chutzpah! Festival, Toronto's Ashkenaz Festival, LimmudNY and was nominated for the Jessie Richardson Award
(Vancouver's Tony's) for her performance in the World Premiere of, 'The One That Got Away'. As an instructor and Artist in Residence Tracey teaches across North America. ''The Burning Bush' is currently being adapted as a feature film.
 RENA
STROBER (ACTOR), a native New Yorker, is
an actor/singer in NYC. She received her BS in drama from
Skidmore College. Rena made her Broadway debut in Les
Miserables as well as touring the country with the
show. She has also been seen off-bway at Playwrights Horizons,
The NYMF festival and with Musicals Tonight. Rena has
performed regionally as Shelley in Bat Boy, Jenny Lind
in Barnum, Louise in Gypsy and was a member of the Original
LA cast of Reefer Madness and can be heard on the cast
Album. She has worked on TV in Law & Order and in
the upcoming HBO documentary House Arrest. Rena has also
performed on stage at Lincoln Center, Town Hall and Westbury
Music Faire. Rena is most proud of her 1-woman show ‘Spaghetti
& Matzo balls!’ which was performed here in
NY last fall.
AMY TOBIN
(composer/performer/co-creator) has been performing her
blend of cabaret, theatre and live music since 1996. Original
full-length projects include Lilith and Esther's
Mission. The founder and most recent Artistic Director
of The Hub at the JCCSF, Amy has just released her first
record, 4 Choices.
Administration ||
Storahtellers || Collaborating
Artists
Advisory Board || Board
of Directors || Supporters & Partners
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