A new play by Acting alumna Liba Vaynberg, The Gett, will have its world premiere at Rattlestick Theater. The show will be presented both in-person and virtually, and it runs November 9–December 11, 2022 at Rattlestick’s Waverly Place venue. Vaynberg will also star in the production, which is directed by Daniella Topol.
The Gett follows the story of a recently divorced woman, Ida, as she navigates her relationship to her community, her religion, and her understanding of herself. It is a story of the dirty and the divine, encompassing everything from the Torah to bad sex. Above all, it is a play about Ida recreating herself and all of the little pieces that go into that construction—the tacky menorah behind every lobby Christmas tree, the old lover whose phone number is still committed to memory, and the mother’s voicemails that have yet to be listened to. Vaynberg states that her inspiration for the play “started with the Torah [and] the boundaries between what’s sacred and profane as a woman and a Jew. But it’s also about…the seduction of the patriarchy and whatever it is we can’t forget…and how we keep creating ourselves."
Topol adds that Vaynberg “takes a deep dive into the complexities of what it means to be Jewish…while simultaneously creating a journey that anyone who has experienced love and loss will be able to understand.”The Gett was co-commissioned by Brooklyn Jews, Rattlestick Theater, and Congregation Beth Elohim.
Liba Vaynberg is a first-generation American writer and actor, bilingual in Russian and English. She received her B.A. in Molecular Biology and International Studies from Yale prior to attending Columbia. The Gett was the inaugural commission at Rattlestick Theater with Congregation Beth Elohim, as well as a semi-finalist for the 2021 Princess Grace Award. Vaynberg’s other plays include: Round Table, The Matriarchs, Mozart Play, Miriam, The Oxford Comma, and the one-woman shows Scheiss Book and Queen’s Quest. Scheiss Book won Best One-Woman Show at the United Solo Festival at Theatre Row, as well as the Backstage Magazine Audience Choice Award. She also co-authored the play The Russian & the Jew with Emily Louise Parker, which received a COJECO BluePrint Fellowship and was produced at the Tank. Vaynberg’s writing has been published by LABA Journal, Lilith Magazine, and CANVAS Compendium. As an actor, Vaynberg focuses on the development of new work, off-Broadway and regionally. She is a co-founder of Anna & Kitty, Inc, a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and engaging female leadership in and through the arts.
Tickets and additional information for The Gett at Rattlestick Theater can be found here.
