←Recommendations of Zionista Rising

A super creative satire both in form and content. Alexa Derman examines so much here about nuances of identity, the current political landscape in the US, the relationship between Jewish Americans and Israel, and the complexities of how online discourse has shaped those things. The play is also just so quick, smart, and original in its humor while not shying away from potent emotional truths and crises.

I am not my self an American Jew but I connected with so much here. This play has a lot of important things to say about Jewish identity and the power of social media. This play is very funny but also packs an emotional wallop when it needs to. I loved the breaking of the fourth wall here. Derman makes herself a character that is also trying to figure out her identity and her connection with Israel. I hope this play gets produced. It's a satire that is very relevant and I hope starts some important conversations.

Premiere Stages, the professional Equity theatre company in residence at Kean University, is pleased to recognize Zionista Rising by Alexa Derman as a Semi-Finalist for the 2024 Premiere Play Festival. Zionista Rising rose through a competitive selection process conducted by Premiere staff and a panel of outside theatre professionals to become one of 48 Semi-Finalists out of 760 submissions. The panel was particularly impressed by the play's wonderfully complex exploration of Jewish identity, the function of media, and the challenges embedded in personal storytelling. Our congratulations and thanks to Alexa.

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.