Zionista Rising by Alexa Derman

At a Jewish American media organization, two Gen Z interns compete to rebrand Israel as a #girlboss #progressive #diversity-win via an AI-generated Instagram influencer. Somewhere, a Jewish American playwright is slowly losing her shit as her play is falling apart.
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Zionista Rising

Recommended by

  • Lisa Buch:
    8 May. 2023
    “ This play is fire and extremely relevant!! A must-produce!!! ”
  • Dani Stoller:
    5 May. 2023
    “ This play is friggin' brilliant! I was fortunate enough to read the role of Ella for a Jewish Play Project reading in VA and it's just...so good. So smart. So timely. So funny. It's such a great piece of satire with whip-smart dialogue and great roles for a diverse group of actors. Love it. ”

Character Information

  • Liz
    40s,
    White, Jewish
    ,
    a woman
    The president of JewToo.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Rhonda
    40s,
    White, Jewish
    ,
    a woman
    The co-president of JewToo.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • David
    college-aged,
    Black, Jewish
    ,
    a man
    An intern at JewToo. Wears a yarmulke.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Ella
    college-aged,
    White, Jewish
    ,
    a woman
    An intern at JewToo.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Ava
    20s,
    Sephardic or Mizrahi, Jewish
    ,
    a woman
    Also plays A YOUNG WOMAN, STAFF REPORTER, and FLIGHT ATTENDANT. A fiction.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic, Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Max
    40s,
    Any
    ,
    Any
    Also plays A COMMENTER, SOMEONE, EIC, ANNOUNCER, and MEGHAN MCCAIN. A gentile.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender

Development History

  • Workshop
    ,
    Playwrights Center
    ,
    2023
  • Workshop
    ,
    Jewish Plays Project
    ,
    2023
  • Reading
    ,
    Brown University
    ,
    2021

Awards

Semi-Finalist
,
Irons in the Fire
,
Fault Line
,
2023