SPF 14: The Birthday Game
Set during the summer of 2000, against the backdrop of the presidential race between Bush and Gore, at the dawn of reality television, when the Twin Towers stood proudly over Manhattan, and when there was real hope for Palestinian-Israeli peace, THE BIRTHDAY GAME is a love story about two people, and a nation, on the knife’s-edge of a new century.
Judah Skoff graduated from Brown University with a degree in literature. He was named one of the Jewish Week’s top “36 under 36” rising stars in the American Jewish Community due to his writing. His play The Artist Electric was published in The Best American Short Plays 2018-2019, from Applause Books. His play The Sinless is published by Next Stage Press. The Sinless was first produced at the 14Y Theater in a production featured in Time Out New York. Among the venues where his plays have been produced is Theatre503 in London, which The Guardian has called “arguably the most important theatre in Britain today.” He was named a finalist in the 2020 Orison Books Chapbook Prize for fiction. His plays can be found on the New Play Exchange and he can be reached at judahskoff@gmail.com.
SPF 14 marks the 9th time Andre has directed for our festival.
Andre Barron is an award winning director who recently received Broadway World’s 2016 Best Direction Award for Edward Albee’s “The Play About The Baby” (Critic’s Choice, LA Times) at The Road Theatre Company. Other Acclaimed productions there include: West Coast Premiere “A Delicate Ship” by Anna Ziegler (LA Times Critic’s Choice), West Coast Premiere “Broken Fences” (NAACP Winner) by Steven Simoncic, LA Premiere “The Other Place” by Sharr White (LA Times Critic’s Choice), West Coast Premiere “Little Children Dream Of God” (13 Broadway World 2017 Nominations) by Jeff Augustin and LA Premiere “Things Being What They Are” by Wendy MacLeod (Stage Raw Top 10) as resident director at The Road Theatre Company. Barron has directed extensively in Los Angeles theatre and abroad. The live stage show “The Chocolate Diet” he directed for comedian David Strassman is currently on tour in Australia. Other LA credits include: “Fernando Richardson’s Treacherous Brain” by Monica Trasandes at The Open Fist, “The Ice-Breaker” by David Rambo, “Dreams Of The Washer King” (LA Weekly Go!) by Christopher Wall & “Some Of My Parts” by Dari Mackenzie, “Rosen’s Son” by Joe Pintauro (Critic’s Choice LA Times), “A Death In Bethany” by Garry Williams & “Bedside Companion” by Mary Steelsmith at Theatre 40.
“The Birthday Game”
Richard Weiss – Steven B. Green*
Henry Jacobson – Clay Hollander*
Ellen Weiss – Christina Carlisi*
Chelsa Weiss – Lilli Passero*
Sylvia Farid Katz – Krishna Smitha*
Stage Directions – Marcelo Tubert*
*Road Company Member