Peter Van Norden, Adam Korson, Corryn Cummins and Jason Weiss in "The God of Isaac"

So I was asked to direct The God of Isaac by James Sherman for the West Coast Jewish Theatre.  It’s a fun play about a young man trying to find out what it means to be a Jew. A simple premise, probably, for a Jew.  I am not a Jew. I am a Catholic, who has never set foot in a synagogue. Isaac and I would have to go on this journey of Jewish discovery together.

I approached The God of Isaac just as I would approach working on a new play.  I started the process, as Isaac does, with a meeting. But unlike Isaac, I went straight to the source, the playwright. James Sherman is a charming Chicago playwright who has his suspicions about theater in Los Angeles. He mistakenly believes that bad rumor that we don’t do real theater here in LA.  So after some reassurance of my credentials and my Chicago theater roots, Jim felt good about this partnership.

Darin Anthony

Of course we discussed the themes of the play, then we talked about how it came to pass that James originated the role of Isaac for Victory Gardens. The story goes: There was a chance reading of the play quickly thrown together for some producers. Since Isaac is the largest role and Jim fancied himself a bit of an actor at the time, he felt, in the interest of time, he should just read Isaac for this one reading. As it would turn out, this is the reading that Dennis Začek saw. He was the artistic director of Victory Gardens. He loved it and wanted to produce and direct it for Victory Gardens. This was great news for Jim, but one more thing, Dennis wanted Jim to play Isaac.  The show was a huge hit and ran more than a year in Chicago. This story inspired me to allow art to imitate life, so I shared this story with my cast and designers and we used it for the back story for Isaac as well as for design concept.

Next thing I needed to do was to find the right cast.  I was able to marshal a wonderful group of actors, some of whom I had worked with before (the superlative Peter Van Norden and Corryn Cummins) and some who were new to me (the versatile and charming Adam Korson, Jennifer Flaks, Karen Kalensky and Jason Weiss).  Jason was so new that he was cast four days after moving to Los Angeles.

Peter Van Norden and Adam Korso

With my cast set,the next thing we needed was an education. Howard Teichman, the artistic director of the West Coast Jewish Theatre, was a wonderful guide for all things Jewish. He came to the first read and regaled the cast with stories, definitions, pronunciations and authenticity. It was like having our own personal rabbi in the company.  I’m here to tell you, Yiddish pronunciations are not easy and it was a mitzvah to have Howard for our guide.

Now feeling that my inner Jew was engaged, we started rehearsal.  This play has all sort of tricks in its pockets, so much so that it borrows some famous words from The Glass Menagerie to start it off.  One of the key challenges is finding the right tone.  It’s all over the map from broad comedy to parody, drama, political statement, and religious primer. And did I mention that we are breaking the fourth wall left and right?  The most important scene takes place with the house lights up and two people being people.  I know it’s very meta to have actors playing themselves, and that’s cool, it’s just a bit harder to pull off when you have to do that with your most intimate scene.

Corryn Cummins, Jason Weiss, Jennifer Flaks, Peter Van Norden and Adam Korson

Well, I should not have feared anything.  Through the rehearsal process, we have been able to find some wonderfully funny bits, touching connections, witty repartée and — most important –  the heart that is beating in these real live people.

As for my journey, I learned a lot. I feel like an honorary Jew, but for those of you who are truly of the tribe, you be the judge.  The rabbi in the play says the “Torah is our gift to the world,” and I say that this play is my gift to you.

The God of Isaac, presented by West Coast Jewish Theatre. Open Oct. 1. Thurs.- Sat. at 8 pm; Sun. at 3 pm. Dark on Oct. 7, 8 and Nov. 24. Through Nov. 27. Tickets: $30. Seniors $28. Students with I.D., $20. Pico Playhouse, 10508 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. 323-860-6620. www.westcoastjewishtheatre.org

Darin Anthony, a graduate of DePaul University in Chicago, is currently a resident director and literary manager for Syzygy Theatre Group. He has directed at numerous venues in the L.A. area, among them the Blank Theatre, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Odyssey Theatre, Road Theatre Company, Open Fist, Furious Theatre Company, Boston Court, Moving Arts, Interact Theatre Company, and more. He is a native Angeleno and has recently completed directing his first feature film, Hitting the Cycle.

***All The God of Isaac production photos by Michael Lamont