Fuse Productions’ play series returns with ‘Bad Jews’

Fuse Productions’ popular Contemporary Play Reading Series is back, with no sets, costumes or props — just actors with scripts who focus on texts that deal with issues that are part of the cultural conversation. Following each reading, the audience is invited to stay and discuss the relevance of the issues raised by the play.

The January reading, “Bad Jews,” centers on which grandchild will receive Poppy’s Chai: the “good Jew” Daphna, or her cousin Liam, the “bad Jew.” “Bad Jews” will be read at Singing Onstage Studios in State College on Jan. 31.

The night after their grandfather’s funeral, three cousins engage in a verbal (and sometimes physical) battle. In one corner is Daphna Feygenbam, a “Real Jew” who is volatile, self-assured and unbending. In the other is her equally stubborn cousin Liam, a secular and entitled young man, who has his shiksa girlfriend, Melody, in tow. Stuck in the middle is Liam’s brother, Jonah, who tries to stay out of the fray. When Liam stakes claim to their grandfather’s Chai necklace, a vicious and hilarious brawl over family, faith and legacy ensues.

Written by Joshua Harmon, “Bad Jews” features four actors from the Penn State School of Theater who will read the play from scripts. “Bad Jews” stars Emily Akers, Chris Waggoner, Brendan Berndt and Haley White.“Bad Jews” is sponsored by the Penn State Jewish Studies Program.

Playing the role of Daphna is Emily Akers. Akers grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and at a young age, fell in love with performing by watching her parents’ box set of classic musicals.

“Daphna is a strong, independent woman who is very religiously connected,” Akers said. “I believe her role in the show is to highlight the dichotomy between the different extremes of Jewish faith.”

“Bad Jews” emphasizes the themes of religion and its impact on family by going to extremes, giving audience members a new perspective on their own families and reflection on their individual role.

“When we look at Daphna, we see how religiously involved her life is and we see how Liam is the exact opposite,” Akers said. “As a result, this drives a wedge between the two of them.”

At first, Akers was hesitant to take part in a play reading as the majority of her experiences revolve around full productions.

“Now, I find that I actually prefer it,” she said. “A play reading is tapered toward the dialogue and meaning rather the staging and memorization of an actual performance.”

“ ‘Bad Jews,’ on the surface, is a battle about who is a better Jew and therefore who is a better person,” said Richard Biever, producing artistic director of Fuse Productions. “But if you dig deeper, the play is about identity. Humans need ways to claim their personhood. That can happen through a person’s family, their job, what school they attend, or through a religion or spiritual belief.”

Akers believe the message of the show is the importance of religion and how it can affect familial bonds, especially in light of death and grief; and how the Chai also represents the posterity of tangible items and the theme of sentimentality.

“The irony is in the alacrity of the characters to quickly forget the meaning of the item and merely focus on material gains,” she said. “I feel the show goes to extremes in the hopes to highlight the importance of family.”

“Fuse is very pleased to be the first company to produce the show in this area,” Biever said. “ ‘Bad Jews’ has characters who are searching for ways to identify themselves and criticizing each other’s ways to achieve that. I think any audience member can sympathize with that search.”

This story was originally published January 28, 2016 at 2:57 PM with the headline "Fuse Productions’ play series returns with ‘Bad Jews’."