Rivka plays Rebecca, a Holocaust survivor, in the decades following liberation as she finds where faith in humanity still exists after witnessing the worst of humanity. As the play progresses, Rivka also plays Rebecca’s daughter and grandaughter.
Eight Nights is by Jennifer Maisel and directed by Marya Mazor. The production runs from September 27-November 5 at Detroit Public Theatre.
Rivka joined brand new play development company STROLLER SCENE (Artistic Director: Chris Diercksen) for their semi-annual Development Retreat. She played new-odd-girl-in-town Dot in Jen Diamond‘s Pageant Play.
Synopsis: Each year, Derby, Nevada (population 3,529) hosts the Derby Dolls Pageant to commemorate the sacrifices the town’s foremothers made when they resorted to cannibalism in order to survive a snowstorm. In this laugh out loud, break your heart comedy about teetering on the brink of womanhood, four pageant girls compete to win the Derby Dolls crown, only to discover that there are more ways to be a woman than they ever realized.
Rivka read excerpts from Jewish Plays Project finalists in front of a packed Silicon Valley crowd. Zionista Rising by Alexa Derman won the crowd vote that night! David Winitsky directed and Bay Area acting legend Joy Carlin was among the featured artists.
Rivka returned to the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center for her ninth Young Playwrights Festival. Every May, National Theater Institute alums flock back to the O’Neill for one magical weekend to stage middle and high schoolers one act plays selected from a highly competitive national competition. This year, she played the title role in You Are Cordially Invited to Elika Strauss’ Birthday Celebration.
SF Playhouse’s Indecent took home many awards from the San Francisco Bay Area Critic Circle, including:
Best Production in the Bay Area
Best Production in San Francisco
Best Ensemble
Excellence in Music Direction
Excellence in Choreography
Excellence in Direction
It was an absolutely stunning production that meant so much to the entire creative team, so I am incredibly proud of our work together.
Rivka played Halina in INDECENT at San Francisco Playhouse. The play was the best-reviewed and highest rated production in San Francisco Playhouse history.
“Indecent is based on the real-life events surrounding the scandalous Broadway debut of Sholem Asch’s ‘The God of Vengeance,’ considered to be a seminal work of Yiddish theatre by some, and a piece of traitorous libel by others. With a klezmer-infused score and filled with joyous songs and dances, this play charts the history of that incendiary work, the artists who risked their careers and lives to perform it, and the evolving identity of the culturally rich community that inspired its creation.”
Indecent by Paula Vogel | Trailer from San Francisco Playhouse on Vimeo.
Rivka played Ravit, the fast-talking, ever-nosy best friend in the hilarious premiere of Stephanie Swirsky’s Don’t Do This To Us!, directed by Tasha Gordon-Solomon at the Tank. The play ran August 12-28.
“In Don’t Do This To Us! it’s 2022 and Rachel is worried about the growing anti-Semitism in the US and around the world. She blames Jared Kushner for making the world more dangerous for Jews because his public image embodies the worst of Jewish stereotypes: he’s wealthy, avaricious, and ominously wields world power behind the scenes. She devises a plan to go back in time to 1999, hook up with teenager-Jared, and break his penis, preventing him from marrying Ivanka – saving the lives and reputation of Jews around the world.”
Rivka joined playwright Adam Kraar and director Tasha Gordon-Solomon to play Julia in the premiere of Adam’s play, The Karpovsky Variations. The play was produced by Boomerang Theater Company and ran May 13-May 29 at The Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre at A.R.T./NY.
“Julia Karpovsky’s father is brilliant, talented-and lives half a world away. Growing up among her eccentric and disparate relatives, Julia navigates her way through a family with a missing piece, searching for the elusive notes of her father’s clarinet. This musical story traces the Karpovskys’ encounters at airport lounges over two decades as they improvise what it means to be a family.”
Rivka teamed up with Ashley Bell again to perform an afternoon of opera inspired by Shakespeare interwoven among his text for the Rites of Spring Music Festival. They performed at the Landcraft Garden Foundation in Mattituck.
Rivka played the title character in Savannah, a radio play by Dylan Waite. The radio play was the first project put up by Lanes Coven Theater Co, a company co-founded by her ACT classmates, Lily Narbonne and Justin Genna.
Savannah is an elusive lady fueled by copious amounts of alcohol and the play was a joy to rehearse and record.
