I finally caught a show by the JCC Theaterworks troupe which operates out of the Jewish Community Center in Amity. And just in time.

It was a reading of a new play, I’m Not Like You by Itta-Chana Englander, and I’ve covered it for the New Haven Independent here.

JCC Theaterworks has been staging new works about major contemporary social issues regularly for the past year or so. Some of these have been readings, others full production. Some have been held at the JCC, but a few—like Thursday’s reading—were brought to downtown New Haven.

The company’s rapid growth may be stalled by the departure of its founder, DeDe Jacobs-Komisar, who’s moving soon to Massachusetts. Here’s hoping that JCC Theaterworks will continue. It’s an excellent model for developing new works: finding audiences which respond to the main themes in the material (this one was about AIDS; the executive director of AIDS Project New Haven led the post-show discussion) and bringing the plays to them.

This one was a bit preachy, but its heart was in the right place, and some of the cast were working mightily to make the story seem human and realistic. The talkback was as enlightening as the drama. A worthwhile evening on many counts. We need more readings downtown.