A Night in Jerusalem
Marc Aronoff
About Marc Aronoff
Marc Aronoff is a free-lance writer based in Lenox, Massachusetts. Marc has written two Self-Published books and published several articles for local papers and national journals. including Scholastic. Over the last few years Marc has focused on writing for stage and television. His play, THE LANTERN BEARERS won the 2017 Arts and Letters Competition in drama and received a production at Georgia College. Currently, the play is being translated into Italian with a scheduled performance for June, 2021 in Milan. In 2018, his dramatic play, A NIGHT IN JERUSALEM, was a semi-finalist in the Screen Craft Competition for Drama. In 2020, the same play was Finalist in the Broadway Bound Competition. As a playwright, Marc has written and produced several other dramatic works for the stage, including: THE POET, a compilation of eight literary masterpieces that premiered to critical acclaim at the Dublin Theatre Festival. (Players Theatre, Dublin, Ireland). DESERT FATHERS (Duffin Theatre, Lenox, MA.), based on the writings of Thomas Merton which tells the story of a Monk falsely accused of rape, and an original adaptation for the stage of the great masterpiece, GILAGMESH (Duffin Theatre, Lenox, MA.). A graduate of Northwestern University and Leslie University in Cambridge, MA, Marc has a Bachelors in The Interpretation of Literature and a Masters in Psychology, respectively. Marc performed as a professional dancer and actor for several years, working in stage, film, and television, primarily in Europe and New York City. In between his fingers dancing on the laptop, Marc’s current “day joy” is working as a Licensed therapist with adults and children.
About A Night in Jerusalem
I wrote “A Night in Jerusalem” after a trip to Jerusalem, which had a profound influence on me and months later attending a lecture in the US led by a leading Israeli Journalist, whom I asked at the end, “Does there exist an ‘Palestinian Gandhi?” To which he answered, Yes…During the course of this three-act drama, a modern-day Sabbath dinner is unfolding in Jerusalem. Yet, this is no ordinary Friday night gathering. At the table is a cast of characters weaving a web of political intrigue rooted in idealism and radical differences. Starting out with congenial yet fragile introductions, this character driven play moves quickly to reveal personal conflicts, hopes, and dreams that explode like a supernova.“A Night in Jerusalem” tells the story of a Harvard educated Palestinian named Salah who seeks peace with Israel and his interactions with a group of Americans. Upon his unexpected arrival at the dinner, the drama circles around him while he defends his unique point of view among allies and enemies alike. Known as a “Normalizer,” Salah distinguishes himself in leaps and bounds only to be “taken down” in the Second Act by a cagey Mossad agent, Aaron, who also serves as the Narrator of the play. With a tour-de-force Second and Third Act, Aaron serves as both agent of reflection and betrayal, revealing in the last moments of the Epilogue, his profound insecurity.I see the play as a Prayer or Homage for Peace in he Middle East.
