– Fueled by a six-figure grant from the Edmond J. Safra Foundation, Museum enhances theater to rent for virtual staged readings, performances and other events-
(New York, NY)—Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, theaters throughout New York City remain dark – but the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in Battery Park City has found a new way to help the cultural and arts community still reach audiences.
Starting in November, the Museum is making its Edmond J. Safra Hall available to theater companies, authors, and artists who wish to perform and present live – or to prerecord events – on its stage. The theatre can host performances, lectures, readings, concerts, and other events.
Equipped with a six-figure grant from the Edmond J. Safra Foundation, the Museum has spent several months while closed to visitors significantly upgrading the technology in Edmond J. Safra Hall, installing multiple video cameras, an upgraded sound system and a TriCaster for flawless audio and video recording and livestreaming presentations.
“While we will not be able to welcome audiences back into our theater in-person for some time, we recognize the great need for arts and culture to carry us through this period,” said Jack Kliger, President & CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. “Thanks to the Edmond J. Safra Foundation, we have invested in upgrading our theater to meet the demand for more virtual programming. And while the Museum will present our events, including a series of concerts, we invite production companies, theatre companies and anyone seeking a place to showcase their work to our theater.”
Audienes got a taste of what’s in store on October 25, when the Museum posted the first of its Live from Edmond J. Safra Hall™ performances, featuring Frank London’s Klezmer Brass Allstars with actor and Yiddish-singer Eleanor Reissa and percussionist Deep Singh. The ticketed even streamed live to a virtual audience via the Museum’s website.
The Museum will charge very affordable rates for use of the space, and has instituted health and safety measures at the Museum amid COVID-19. The Museum recently reopened to visitors, but at a reduced attendance rate, to allow for social distancing while patrons tour its exhibitions.
For further details about the theater’s technology, requirements on attendance and other safety measures, and rental rates, visit https://mjhnyc.org/space-rental/edmond-j-safra-hall-production-rentals/.
About the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is New York’s contribution to the global responsibility to never forget. The Museum is committed to the crucial mission of educating diverse visitors about Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust. The third largest Holocaust museum in the world and the second largest in North America, the Museum of Jewish Heritage anchors the southernmost tip of Manhattan, completing the cultural and educational landscape it shares with the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
The Museum of Jewish Heritage maintains a collection of more than 40,000 artifacts, photographs, documentary films, and survivor testimonies and contains classrooms, a 375-seat theater (Edmond J. Safra Hall), special exhibition galleries, a resource center for educators, and a memorial art installation, Garden of Stones, designed by internationally acclaimed sculptor Andy Goldsworthy. The Museum is the home of National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene.
Currently on view is the acclaimed exhibition Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. This is the most comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the history of Auschwitz and its role in the Holocaust ever presented in North America, bringing together more than 700 original objects and 400 photographs from over 20 institutions and museums around the world.
Also on view are Ordinary Treasures: Highlights from the Museum of Jewish Heritage Collection and Rendering Witness: Holocaust-Era Art as Testimony.
The Museum receives general operating support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts.