TRAYF

SYNOPSIS
Zalmy lives a double life: by day, he drives a Chabad “Mitzvah Tank” through 1990s NYC, performing good deeds with his best friend Shmuel.  By night, he sneaks out of his orthodox community to roller-skate and listen to rock and roll.  But when a curious outsider offers him unfettered access to the secular world, is it worth jeopardizing everything he's ever known?  This road-trip bromance is a funny and heartwarming ode to the turbulence of youth, the universal suspicion that we don't quite fit in, and the faith and friends that see us through.

TIME & PLACE
Manhattan and Brooklyn, 1991.

CHARACTERS
ZALMY: m, 19.  Chasidic Jew. Intelligent, curious, hungry for life.
SHMUEL: m, 19. Chasidic Jew. Loyal, earnest, hungry for love.
JONATHAN: m, late 20s. Prospective convert. Charismatic, impulsive, hungry for purpose.
LEAH: f, late 20s. Secular Jew living in Manhattan. All of the above.
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REVIEWS

"Joelle’s writing is so light and graceful, and the pals are so endearing,
that you quickly settle into the swing of their self-contained world" - Washington Post

"...Able to dive into issues such as faith, identity, friendship, and purpose with a clarity and introspection
​rarely seen onstage." - BroadwayWorld 

"A tidy, consistently smart story...Joelle's comedy is easygoing and confident, and her people have soul." - Washington Post

"A satisfyingly resonant examination of faith and friendship — or, more precisely, faith in friendship." - Boston Globe

PRODUCTION HISTORY

SELECTED ACCOLADES
  • 2022 The Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles, CA
  • 2019  New Repertory Theatre, Boston, MA
  • 2018  Theater J, Washington D.C. (World Premiere)
  • 2017  Penguin Repertory Theatre, Stony Point, NY
  • Rita Goldberg Award for Graduate Playwriting
  • Finalist: Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference
  • Finalist: Jewish Plays Project Top Ten
  • Finalist: American Blues Theater's Blue Ink Award
  • Finalist: Portland Center Stage's JAW festival
  • Finalist: Nashville Repertory Theatre's Ingram Lab
  • Kilroys List Honorable Mention
  • Best of Boston 2019, Boston Stage Notes

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