Company Bios
Stephanie Liss, Artistic Director
Stephanie Liss is the award winning writer of such television movies, as SECOND SERVE – THE RENEE RICHARDS STORY, starring Vanessa Redgrave, for CBS. SECOND SERVE was the first movie produced about transsexuals, and was nominated for a Golden Globe, Emmy, and received worldwide attention. Stephanie has also written the award winning movies, DAVID for ABC, HIDDEN IN SILENCE for Lifetime, and her ABC movie, GOING UNDERGROUND, was screened before Congress as a testimony, in order to change laws in custody cases, where domestic violence was an issue. She created and Executive Produced the documentary, ONE SURVIVOR REMEMBERS, which won the Academy Award for Documentary Short.
Representing television writers, Stephanie was chosen by the WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA, WEST, and the UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSION ON REFUGEES, to travel to Somalia and Bosnia, during the wars. Stephanie was one of six writers asked, and together they brought the stories and horrors back to the world. One of the participants, Phil Alden Robinson (FIELD OF DREAMS), filmed a documentary of the trip, for a two part NIGHTLINE.
As a playwright, Stephanie’s plays have been produced all over the country, and her research has taken her from inside the PLO, to Arafat’s compound, in Tripoli Lebanon, to HAMAS in Gaza, to the inner circles of the KKK, and Aryan Nations. Her play, SISTER AFRICA, about the work of JEWISH WORLD WATCH on the ground in the Congo, had a highly successful run in Chicago, at the Athenaeum Theatre, with a powerful original score, by RebbeSoul. In order to research SISTER AFRICA, Stephanie traveled to the Congo and Rwanda, with Jewish World Watch, visiting rape wards, child soldier camps, and had the honor of spending time with Nobel prize winner, Dr. Denis Muskwege.
Because all of Stephanie’s plays are Jewish, her vision for a theatre company began during the height of the pandemic, when the world went dark. Stephanie approached ALEPH, the JEWISH RENEWAL umbrella organization, to give her a platform with their zoom, for readings of her new Jewish plays, so her work would not stop. They agreed, and THE AMERICAN JEWISH THEATRE, was unofficially born… Along with her plays, Stephanie invited RebbeSoul, to create scores for each piece, and they began their journey…
Together they have created a new form of theatre. Among Stephanie’s plays, and RebbeSoul’s music, are ESCAPE FROM TEHRAN – THE STORY OF SORAYA AND ISAAC NAZARIAN, DAUGHTER OF MY PEOPLE – THE STORY OF HENRIETTA SZOLD, and their first for ALEPH, MY ANCESTORS DREAMED ME HERE. Currently, they are creating a series of five plays, of which ESCAPE FROM TEHRAN is the first. The series is called REVOLUTION FOR A JEWISH LIFE, and deals with the personal stories of Jews, forced to flee Arab countries, from Yemen, to the FARHUD, of Iraq. The second of the series, A DESERT WIND, the story of a family forced to flee Yemen, zooms on ALEPH, on Sunday, June 2, 2024. In addition, JEWISH LIFE TELEVISION (JLTV.tv) is currently airing ESCAPE FROM TEHRAN, and is scheduled to air the rest of the series, in early 2025, all under the banner of THE AMERICAN JEWISH THEATRE, which became official, in February, 2024, when PLAYGROUND chose them to be a part of the 2024 Incubator, for new theatre development, and invited them into the cohort. In addition, Stephanie is expanding ESCAPE FROM TEHRAN, into a full length play, from its current One Act format, and it will be showcased as part of the PLAYGROUND SHOWCASE, in November, 2024, in preparation for a full run, in the Bay Area, in June, 2025. Visit her website for more information.
RebbeSoul, Music Director
RebbeSoul/Bruce Burger, created the contemporary Jewish music movement, from which the world of Jewish music, reached a new dimension. His version of AVINU MALKEINU, was the first Jewish composition, to hit the charts. With six albums to his credit, RebbeSoul has been featured on CNN INTERNATIONAL, and was on the cover of BILLBOARD MAGAZINE, as the quintiessential and original producer of Jewish Roots and World Music. His CHANGE THE WORLD WITH A SOUND, album, was #1 on college radio’s CMJ WORLD MUSIC charts, and his groundbreaking 1995 album, FRINGE OF BLUE, has become one of the most famous Jewish music albums, of all time. Since 2016, RebbeSoul has been working as composer, with playwright, Stephanie Liss, scoring all of her plays, and together, they experienced a highly successful, sold out, Chicago Run, of SISTER AFRICA, with RebbeSoul’s powerful score, garnering great attention.
Currently, RebbeSoul is preparing to release his newest song – NOW IS THE TIME TO COME TOGETHER, and on April 4, 2024, he, along with JEWISH LIFE TELEVISION, was the recipient of THE RELIGION COMMUNICATORS COUNCIL SHORTS AND FEATURES PRESENTATIONS, for SINGLE WORK IN VIDEO/ENTERTAINMENT/INSPIRATION, for his episode – THE STAFF OF ELIJAH, REBBETALES.
For the American Jewish Theatre, RebbeSoul is creating the score for the upcoming reading, of STEPHANIE LISS’, DESERT WIND. For a complete bio, visit Rebbesoul’s website.
Elisheva Herrera, Executive Director
Elisheva Herrera was one of the founders of Arts Unity Movement (AUM) in the San Francisco Bay area, a non profit, she took from start up, through to becoming a successful, thriving, recognized, organization. Currently, Elisheva resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she is recognized both for her work in the Jewish community, and the Santa Fe arts world, at times merging the two for the benefit of both. Raised, steeped in her Sephardic heritage, (Hispanic American Jew), Elisheva’s understanding of the world, as both a LatinX , and a Jewish woman, bridges cultural divides. Recently completing her term as acting Executive Director of Congregation Beit Tikva in Santa Fe, she was appointed to the steering committee of the Jewish Community Relations Coalition (JCRC) of New Mexico, working with state and local leaders, to advocate for, and ensure, the safety of the Jewish community.