SUNY Fredonia’s Student Association and Performing Arts Company present a series of performances of the acclaimed, “Dov and Ali,” by Jewish-American playwright, novelist and poet Anna Ziegler. It is being directed by SUNY Fredonia’s Michael Smith, a senior majoring in history and theatre.
The play will be performed in Bartlett Theatre on Friday, April 29 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, April 30 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, May 1 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 for the general public or $3 for students (with student ID).
This play examines the artistic differences between religion, identity and culture in a tasteful way that is intended to spark discussion.
A 2009 New York Times review by Ken Jaworowski said of the original production, “In some ways ‘Dov and Ali’ could be called a flawless play; the characters speak in precise sentences, their arguments are soundly constructed, their entrances and exits are impeccably timed. In the story, Dov, a high school teacher and Orthodox Jew, begins feeling pressured under the relentless questioning of Ali, a 17-year-old student and strict Muslim. Soon their after-school discussions move from the novel they are studying to quarrels over religion and self-doubt. Outside the classroom, their lives neatly parallel each other; both are dealing with imposing fathers and, in one way or another, with romantic relationships forbidden by their faiths.”
The Fredonia performance stars Matt Nersinger as Dov, Daniel Astacio as Ali, Charlotte Foster as Sameh, and Rebecca Davidson as Sonya. The set is designed by Thomas Raynor, and props have been created by Delia Halpern-Graser and Rachel Elizabeth Fischer. Julie Shelton will serve as stage manager, while sound design is being performed by Amine Hechehouche.
“This is a play to show that all of us, deep down, are the same, with all the same difficulties as everyone else,” said Mr. Smith. “We all have self doubts, we all are trying to get approval of someone — anyone — who means something to us, and we all question what we are doing and the choices we make. That’s what this play is going to explore, that these four characters, who are philosophically different from each other, end up needing each other to find out who they really are and what they stand for.”
“My hope is that audiences will come away wanting to talk about religion’s role in contemporary society,” Ziegler has said of her work. “But also about what religion means to them and whether they feel the characters made the right choices — or if ‘right choices’ even exist.”
To learn more, contact Amine Hechehouche, business manager of the Department of Theatre and Dance at (518) 588-0599 or hech5713@fredonia.edu.
