Hanukkah Lights in the Big Sky

By Buffy Sedlachek
Directed by Scott Rubsam

When a young boy puts a  menorah in his bedroom window, a racist throws a cinder block at it, shattering the glass and splintering a community.  Leaders of all faiths rally the city residents to unite against racism, and 10,000 Christians respond by displaying menorahs in their windows on Christmas.  This uplifting story is based on actual events that took place in Billings, Montana in 1993. 

Originally Commissioned and Produced by MJTC in 2004

Meet the Artists

Actors

Kirby Bennett was last seen at Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company in Women’s Minyan, and the first show she did at MJTC was the original production of Hanukkah Lights in the Big Sky.   Other stage credits include The Jungle Theater, Park Square Theatre, and History Theatre. Kirby is the artistic director of Girl Friday Productions for which she produced and performed in their productions of The Skin of Our Teeth and Our Town.

Elizabeth McCormick appears for the first time with MJTC.  Audience members may know Elizabeth as Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird at Park Square Theater.  Other stage credits include Guthrie Theater, The Play’s the Thing Productions, Applause Community Theater, and Dakota City Heritage Village.  Elizabeth has also appeared in commercials and film. 

Ryan McCormick appeared last holiday season in MJTC’s production of The Magic Dreidels.  Other acting credits include the Guthrie Theater and The Play's the Thing Productions.  Offstage, Ryan has been a stagehand on productions at Children's Theatre Company, and has appeared in TV commercials as well.  

Julie Ann Nevill has appeared previously on the MJTC stage in Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins and Women's Minyan. Other Twin Cities credits include Park Square Theatre, Jungle Theater, Theatre Pro Rata, Workhouse Theatre, Theatre Unbound, and Gremlin Theatre.  She has spent the last five summer seasons doing multiple shows at Acadia Repertory Theatre in Maine.  Julie Ann is also a local commercial and film talent.

Skyler Nowinski was previously seen at MJTC in The Last Word… Other acting credits include Mixed Blood Theatre, Walking Shadow, The Strange Capers, Workhaus Collective, The Showboat, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival and Step In Time Theater in Why We Laugh at the Nine Gates Jewish Culture Festival in the Czech Republic.

Production Team

Scott Rubsam (Director) previously directed Moonlight and Magnolias and The Magic Dreidels at MJTC.  NY credits include Off-Broadway productions of A Night with Doris with Lily Taylor (Playwright’s Horizons), Cherry Soda Water with Ben Stiller and Blues with Frances Sternhagen (New Dramatists), Eleemosynary with Michael Learned (The Writer’s Theater) and Mean with Ellen Burstyn.  Other Twin Cities credits: Guthrie Theater, Illusion Theatre, Playwrights’ Center, and Park Square Theatre.  He is on the faculty at Metropolitan State University.

Kelli Tucker (Stage Manager) previously stage managed  My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding, The Last Word…, Our Class, Goats and others at MJTC. She has also stage managed for Theatre in the Round and Alexandria Area Arts Association.  Kelli is a director as well, and has directed many shows at The Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson, WI.  

Kirby Moore (Scenic Design) is a freelance designer whose work has been seen many times at MJTC.  His sets here include My Name is Asher Lev, The King of the Kosher Grocers, and The Magic Dreidels. Other designs include productions at Park Square Theatre, Off-Leash Area, History Theatre, Flying Foot Forum, and Cricket Theater.

Paul Epton (Lighting Design) has been designing lighting at MJTC regularly for 18 years. The over 40 shows to his credit include  Photograph 51, My Name is Asher Lev, Women's Minyan, The Triangle Factory Fire Project, Woman Before a Glass, Rose, Old Wicked Songs, and The Chosen.  His work has also been seen at Mixed Blood Theatre, Off-Leash Area, and Torch Theater.

Annie Cady (Costume Design) returns to MJTC after previously designing many shows including The Triangle Factory Fire Project, Cherry Docs, Miklat and The Action Against Sol Schumann. Other Twin Cities credits include Park Square Theatre, the University of Minnesota, Black Label Movement, Normandale Community College, Gremlin Theatre and Yellowtree Theatre.

Anita Kelling (Sound Design) previously designed The Magic Dreidels at MJTC.  Other credits include the Minnesota Fringe Festival, Theatre in the Round, Theatre Unbound, and University of Minnesota.