To Paint the Earth
A performance preview and Q&A with Daniel Levin and Jonathan Portera
TCC invites you to a special Adult Perspectives on Sunday, April 16, featuring a behind-the-scenes preview of the musical To Paint the Earth, co-written by Jonathan Portera and TCC member Daniel Levin. To Paint the Earth tells the story of the Jewish Underground in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943 and its stunning decision to fight back. In the tradition of Fiddler on the Roof, and inspired by memoirs, video, and first-hand accounts from survivors, To Paint the Earth is an epic story about people refusing to lie down, as well as an intimate portrait about making do, getting by, telling jokes, studying, falling in love, and above all continuing to be human.
Jonathan (composer) and Daniel (lyricist) will share some of the story behind To Paint the Earth, and explain how they wrote the show, accompanied by a live performance of several numbers from the piece performed by Jonathan Portera and TCC members Jennifer Klein and Jordan Klein.
Daniel F. Levin (words), a former TCC KidSchool teacher and current KS parent, is a playwright, bookwriter/lyricist, and composer based in Brooklyn. His short film “My Body is My Temple” (lyrics) from Spandex the Musical, was selected in February for the NYC Indie Theatre Film Festival and won best original song at the Paris Film Awards. Along with Jonathan Portera, he is the recipient of the Richard Rodgers Development Award and the Jonathan Larson Memorial Fellowship at the Dramatists Guild. Levin’s works have been presented at many venues, and have been published in three editions of Applause Books’ Best American Short Plays.
Jonathan Portera (music) is a critically acclaimed composer and singer-songwriter. A recipient of the Richard Rodgers Development Award and the Jonathan Larson Memorial Fellowship at the Dramatists Guild, Portera holds degrees from NYU/Tisch and Carnegie Mellon University. To Paint the Earth was selected for the New York Musical Theatre Festival and was also performed in London. He has composed music for several other shows. Portera is an advocate for handicapped rights and neuro-diversity awareness and has spoken at discrimination seminars across the country.
A full concert version of To Paint the Earth will be performed at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Safra Hall on Thursday, May 4th, 2023 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. More information about the concert can be found here. A special 15% discount on tickets for the museum concert is available for TCC members. After selecting your tickets and adding to cart, enter “CCHJ” into the field for “promotional code.” Keep an eye out for further details about the concert at Safra Hall.
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