Voices Festival Productions (VFP) announces full casting for its world premiere production of November 4, an urgent, timely musical play about a political assassination that changed the course of history. A work revealing the polarized heart of a country that once stood on the brink of a momentous peace treaty, the production anchors VFP’s internationally acclaimed Voices From a Changing Middle East Festival, now in its 25th year, this season devoted to exploring How We Got Here | Where We Go Next. November 4 runs November 12-December 7 in Spooky Action Theater’s performance space at the Universalist National Memorial Church, 1810 16th St NW, Washington, DC.
The 5-person November 4 ensemble is headed up by Broadway & TV veteran, Mitch Greenberg (Bartlett Sher’s production of Fiddler on The Roof, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, ThreePenny Opera starring Sting at DC’s National Theatre before coming to Broadway, along with episodes of Law & Order, Kate & Allie and others) who plays the 73-year-old Israeli prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin, felled by his countryman, 25-year-old Israeli law student and right-wing ideologue, Yigal Amir (played by Helen Hayes Award nominee, Noah Mutterperl (national tour of Tina – The Tina Turner Musical; and the Arena Stage production of Age of Innocence).
2024 Helen Hayes Award winner, Nicole Halmos (for her role in The Cake at Prologue Theatre and NextStop Theatre, and ensemble member at the OBIE Award winning Target Margin Theatre Company) plays Leah Rabin, the prime minister’s wife, as well as Shoshi, a close advisor who steps into the present to reflect on the traumatic changes that have befallen her country since Rabin’s assassination.
Chris Daileader (Paper Dolls at Mosaic; Treasure Island at Synetic) plays Haggai Amir, the assassin’s older brother, among other roles; and Emma Wallach (This Play Isn’t About Brian at the Kennedy Center, and Tiny Lights at Theater J)plays Prime Minister Rabin’s granddaughter, Noa Rabin as well as Yigal Amir’s love interest Shalhevet, who steps forward in time to reflect on the damage of the assassin’s actions – and her own complicity.
Director Alexandra Aron (Founding Artistic Director of Remote Theatre Project) returns to DC after staging Grey Rock at The Kennedy Center and Imagining Madoff at Theater J. Other new play directing credits for Aron include The Mulberry Tree at La MaMa Theatre and the OBIE winning King of the Jews at HERE.
Assiduously researched and told with an up-to-the-minute frame of reference, November 4 explores the personal and political landscape of 1995 for Rabin in 19 stylistically ambitious songs. The musical collision-course between the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Prime Minister and the Talmud-quoting law student takes us to the final month of Rabin’s life, ping-ponging between his office and family, and the world of his assassin.
Tensions build to the rousing peace rally in Kings of Israel Square, on November 4, 1995, when a crowd of over 100,000 sang “Shir L’Shalom” (Song of Peace) together with the often-gruff war-hero-turned-peace-making prime minister, only moments before he was gunned down. That murder derailed a peace process and changed history forever.
Musical co-creators Danny Paller (Jerusalem-based composer of The Geography Of Night and Eli The Fanatic) and Myra Noveck (25-year veteran of the NYTimes Jerusalem bureau and prolific screenwriter) are keen to have their work performed in the US as they reflect on the play’s message during dark times:
“Israel must reclaim its identity not just as a nation of military resilience, but as a people capable of moral imagination and political courage. We need to bring statesmanship back. The play November 4 reminds us of this imperative; how this can – and must – be done.”
The production boasts VFP’s top-flight, all union (United Scenic Artists) design team with OBIE Award winning set designer Lauren Helpern working with costume designer Deborah Caney, Helen Hayes Award (HHA) winning lighting designer Alberto Segarra, HHA nominee for sound design Justin Schmitz, properties designer Chelsea Dean, and choreographer Amber Mayberry.
As part of its overall Voices From a Changing Middle East Festival, VFP Founding Artistic Producing Partner, Ari Roth and Artistic Producing Partner A. Lorraine Robinson have programmed two additional workshop presentations.
Following the close of November 4, the festival continues with Palestinian actress/author Najla Said (daughter of Edward Said) and Jewish-American performance artist Judith Sloan performing their new work-in-progress, Imperfect Allies: Children Of Opposite Sides, running December 11-14 and directed by Suzanne Agins.
Through performance, memories, dialogue, images, poetry, and humor, Sloan and Said explore how their Jewish-American and Palestinian-American histories have shaped them and compel them forward. They come together as colleagues and friends in this soul-breaking moment to find tangible ways to have increasingly difficult conversations while steadfastly denouncing Israel’s obliteration of Gaza. These two women take a journey — often a bumpy road — in a collaboration that challenges even the strongest relationship.
Performances will be followed with an opportunity for audience members to practice the art of listening to one another.
The Festival concludes with the English language workshop premiere adaptation of Colum McCann’s 2020 National Book Award winning “Apeirogon” about the inspiring relationship between Rami Elkhanan and Bassam Aramin who each lost daughters to terror, then remade their lives to be at the center of Arab-Israeli peace building efforts. Running January 8-11, 2026, Israeli creatives work with American actors on Avner Ben-Amos’ adaptation. They will be directed by Sinai Peter, who first staged the world premiere at the Jaffa Theatre in Israel this September, and returns to DC to direct his seventh production for the Middle East Festival.
Like November 4, Imperfect Allies: Children Of Opposite Sides and Apeirogon: Rami & Bassam will both be presented at Universalist National Memorial Church, 1810 16th Street NW, Washington, DC.
As with all VFP productions, curated discussions will follow most performances. A full lineup of discussants and themes will be posted on VFP’s website and social media platforms this fall.
What: November 4
Concept and Story: Danny Paller and Myra Noveck
Music and Lyrics: Danny Paller
Book: Myra Noveck
Director: Alexandra Aron
When: November 12-December 7, 2025
Pay-What-You-Can Preview begins Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Discounted Previews continue November 13, 15 & 16 at 3:00 pm
Opening/Press Night: November 17, 2025 at 7:30 pm
Closing performance: December 7, 2025
General Performance Schedule:
Thursdays & Fridays at 7:30 pm
Saturdays at 3:00 pm & 8 pm
Sundays at 3:00 pm
Special Thanksgiving week performance: Monday, November 24 at 7:30 pm (Pay-What-You-Can)
Where: Universalist National Memorial Church • 1810 16th Street NW, Washington, DC
Tickets: VoicesFestivalProductions.com • $25 – $65 with three PWYC performances
Cast:
Mitch Greenberg (Yitzhak Rabin)
Nicole Halmos (Leah Rabin, Shoshi, and Others)
Noah Mutterperl (Yigal Amir)
Chris Daileader (Haggai Amir, Chich [retired mayor of Tel Aviv] and Others)
Emma Wallach (Noa Rabin, Shalhevet, and Others)
Creative Team:
Lauren Helpern (sets)
Alberto Segarra (lights)
Justin Schmitz (sound)
Deborah Caney (costumes)
Paige Austin Rammelkamp (music director)
Chelsea Dean (props)
Amber Mayberry (choreographer)
Maria Mills (production stage manager)
David M Smith (production manager/technical director/associate producer)
ADDITIONAL FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING
(also at Universalist National Memorial Church)
What: Imperfect Allies: Children Of Opposite Sides
By Najla Said and Judith Sloan
Directed by Suzanne Agins
When: December 11-14, 2025
Thursday & Friday at 7:30 pm
Saturday 8 pm
Sunday at 7:00 pm
What: Apeirogon: Rami And Bassam
Staged Reading adapted by Avner Ben-Amos
from the novel, Apeirogon, by Colum McCann
Directed by Sinai Peter
When: January 8 – 11, 2026
Thursday & Friday at 7:30 pm
Saturday 8 pm
Sunday at 3:00 pm
Tickets: www.voicesfestivalproductions.com • $15 – $25
ABOUT VFP AND VOICES FROM A CHANGING MIDDLE EAST FESTIVAL:
Voices Festival Productions (VFP) is an independent theatrical company producing new works for the stage that stimulate debate and discourse, introspection and awareness, informed by revelation of our underlying humanity in all its color and complexity. VFP produces new plays that find resonance between those living with conflict in the Middle East and closer to home, in our nation’s capital, along the seams of our country and its very real and perceived divides.
One of VFP’s core components is the long-running Voices From a Changing Middle East Festival, which has brought the souls and struggles of people living in and around Israel/Palestine to life for the past 25 years. For more information on the history of the festival, visit https://www.voicesfestivalproductions.com/middle-east-festival-history. To learn more about other VFP world premiere programming, visit VoicesFestivalProductions.com
SEE ALSO:
Voices Festival Productions announces three-play ‘Voices from a Changing Middle East Festival’ (news story, August 2, 2025)
