My Name is Asher Lev
Florida Studio Theatre
Director, 2016
Adapted by Aaron Posner from Chaim Potok’s best-selling novel, this new American play tells the powerful story of a boy prodigy.
Set in post-war Brooklyn, Asher Lev must be a painter at all costs, even against the will of his family, community, and tradition.
PREVIEWS & FEATURES
Get a sneak peek with this preview article in THE SARASOTA HERALD TRIBUNE!
ACCOLADES
- CREATIVE LOAFING 2016 “BEST OF THE BAY” AWARDS NOMINEE for BEST LOCAL STAGE DIRECTOR
REVIEWS
- The Observer: This is a smart, honest theater. It goes after your mind, but doesn’t spare your heart… Posner distills Potok’s complicated source material into a taut memory play. We get the big picture, the broad strokes—and zero distractions. Director Jason Cannon honors that intention. He basically locks you in a room with a single-minded genius who gives you a piece of his mind with relentless focus… white-hot performance…. Soul portrayals, never one-note…
- TotalTheater.com: Jason Cannon as director wisely avoids tipping the audience off to Asher’s ultimate achievement or raising maudlin emotions about family. Yet those of Asher and his family come to the audience sympathetically even when they conflict. Cannon has the courage to steer his actors to appeal to intellect as well as emotions. The choice of a minimalist set, basic costumes, and wide ranging lighting are also commendable… A powerful conclusion to an intense drama.
- Sarasota Magazine: It’s an intriguing topic, and the cast, under the direction of Jason Cannon, feels personally as well as professionally committed to their roles here. Their dialogue (taking place on an appropriately simple set by Bruce Price using just a table, chairs, a bookcase, an easel and a large window) convinces and their beliefs seem real… My Name Is Asher Lev has reverberations that reach a much wider circle of readers and viewers.