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Yeshivat 91Ӱ�� Welcomes Danny Hoffman as New Drama Club Artistic Director

This year, Yeshivat 91Ӱ�� welcomes Danny Hoffman as the new artistic director of the 91Ӱ�� Dramatic Society. Hoffman is widely acclaimed for his starring role in the webseries “Soon By You,” which he also co-writes and produces. Rabbi Dr. John Krug, who has been directing for the 91Ӱ�� Dramatic Society since 1983, continues to serve as production consultant and overall supervisor of the spring show. Krug has also been associated with the Yeshiva College Dramatic Society (YCDS) for 47 years, and served as a mentor to Hoffman during his own time with YCDS.

The 91Ӱ�� Dramatic Society produces its annual show in March, bringing together a cast of actors and behind-the-scenes producers, stage managers and tech hands from all different grades. This year, they are showcasing Rick Elice’s “Peter and the Starcatcher,” a 2004 play that brings to life the backstory of Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and other J. M. Barrie characters. The 91Ӱ�� Dramatic Society heads, juniors Kaylie Jacobs and Orly Hahn (also assistant directors), and senior Vered Kaplan (associate director) and freshman Dylan Speiser (stage manager) are torn about whether the play should be classified as pure comedy, but they are unanimous about their love for stage producing.

“Seeing all your ideas come to life—that moment makes you really proud,” said Kaplan.

The “show must go on mentality” has also inspired drama devotees to new heights of achievement. “Last year, one of our actors got sick,” said Hahn, “and the assistant director came to school the night before, practiced at five in the morning, and did the whole show!”

“It’s a real honor to be working with the 91Ӱ�� Dramatic Society. I was familiar with the work Rabbi Krug was doing with them previously, and had seen a few shows,” said Hoffman. “The dedication of both the 91Ӱ�� students and administration to the arts is unmatched, which makes for a great creative environment. The student members of the Dramatic Society are a diverse bunch, united by their love of the theater and their determination to put on a great show.”