This summer, the Northwoods Ramah Theater Company explored the relationship between memory and history in Judaism. What gets passed down as memory, and what as history, as we move l’dor v’dor (from generation to generation)? And how do our stories change over time? These are just some of the questions the resident theater company of Camp Ramah in Wisconsin wrestled with this summer. Excitingly, there were more people in the room this summer than ever before! In addition to past company members Jessica Osber, Emily Warshaw, Geoff Rice, Shawn Shafner, and Jon Adam Ross, there were three Machon campers: Ranaan V., Meka G., and Elissa F. along for the ride, along with Penina S. from Shoafim and David Kersnar, a founding company member of the Lookingglass Theater Company in Chicago who came up to camp to collaborate with the company on this new endeavor. At the end of the week, the NRTC had devised a short piece that was workshopped in open rehearsals for much of the camper population of camp and they also came up with a mission statement for the play, which will hopefully continue to be developed in coming summers:
We craft our memory in the fire of myth to transform our audience by bestowing a current history.