Beginning on June 4 and running through June 22, 2025, Theater J brings Andrea Stolowitz’s autobiographical play The Berlin Diaries to the stage. Coming off of a nationwide “rolling world premiere,” Stolowitz considers Theater J’s upcoming production to be the culmination of the play’s highly-acclaimed year-long premiere. Spooky Action Theatre Artistic Director Elizabeth Dinkova will be directing Theater J’s production, and beloved DC actors Dina Thomas and Lawrence Redmond have been cast to portray Stolowitz and over a dozen individuals past and present who weave in and out of the innovative and sophisticated narrative.
In The Berlin Diaries, Oregon Book Award-winning playwright Stolowitz opens the pages of her great-grandfather’s journal to discover a previously unknown genealogy. How do you find home when a family history is scattered like the torn pages of a journal entry released to the wind? Two performers become generations of characters in an attempt to stitch together clues and restore memories formerly lost to time. The play has an unusual structure as both actors play the same role in various scenes, examining the idea of fractured identities. Stolowitz searches for clues that propel her forward and backward in time, pursuing a family history formerly lost to war. In a breathtaking journey around the world, the play examines what will remain lost and what will be found at the intersection of national history and private lives.
“I first encountered Andrea Stolowitz’s thrilling autobiographical play when she was working on the first drafts at the Playwright’s Center in Minneapolis,” says Theater J Artistic Director Hayley Finn. “The form of the play is distinct, and Andrea beautifully weaves together a story that unfolds with sensitivity and theatrical expertise.”
While The Berlin Diaries has received three critically-acclaimed productions across the United States as part of a National New Play Network “rolling world premiere,” Oregon-based Stolowitz will be in Washington, DC in the lead-up to the Theater J production to work with the DC-based director, cast, and creative team on what the playwright considers the culmination of the play’s journey.
Director Elizabeth Dinkova is the Artistic Director of Spooky Action Theater in Washington, DC. A graduate of the MFA Directing program at the Yale School of Drama, recent projects include Richard Strauss’s opera Salome with Heartbeat Opera (NYC), Spooky Action’s Frontiéres Sans Frontiéres, Sonnets for an Old Century and Rage, a play with music inspired by Stephen King’s novel of the same name.
Dina Thomas returns to Theater J after starring in the 2023 world premiere of The Chameleon by Jenny Rachel Weiner. Thomas recently appeared in Studio Theatre’s At the Wedding by Bryna Turner in 2024. Thomas received her MFA from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and has appeared on stages across the country and Off-Broadway.
Lawrence Redmond is a lifelong Washingtonian and has been an actor for over 40 years. His recent work includes Sister Act at Ford’s Theatre earlier this year and Signature Theatre’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in 2024.
Throughout the run of the play, Theater J will host special pre-show and post-show events, including a Pride Night pre-show reception on Thursday, June 5 in partnership with CapitalPride and the World Pride Festival. On Thursday, June 12, Theater J will hold a post-show conversation with representatives from 3GDC, an educational organization founded by the grandchildren of Holocaust survivors that strives to preserve the legacies and lessons of their grandparents.
The Berlin Diaries runs June 4 – 22, 2025 at the Edlavitch DCJCC, 1529 16th St NW, Washington, DC. To purchase tickets for The Berlin Diaries, call the ticket office at 202-777-3210 or go online.
Single ticket prices for regular tickets start at $69. Discount tickets are available for groups of 8+, EDCJCC members, preview performances, students, educators, military personnel and U.S. Veterans. $5 Community Access Tickets are available to individuals who receive government assistance through state-issued EBT cards (EBT is not accepted as a form of payment, only as proof of status).
About Theater J
Theater J is a nationally-renowned, professional theater that celebrates, explores, and struggles with the complexities and nuances of both the Jewish experience and the universal human condition. As the nation’s largest and most prominent Jewish theater, Theater J aims to preserve and expand a rich Jewish theatrical tradition and to create community and commonality through theater-going experiences.
About the Edlavitch DCJCC
Theater J is a proud program of the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center (EDCJCC). Guided by Jewish values and heritage, the EDCJCC engages individuals and families through its cultural, recreational, educational, and social justice programs by welcoming people of all backgrounds to connect, learn, serve, and be entertained together in ways that reflect the unique role of the Center in the nation’s capital.