Jewnique
Written and performed by David Silverberg, Originally premiered May 10, 2018 at Toronto’s Al Green Theatre In Jewnique, I share my story of the up-and-down relationship I’ve had with Judaism via a format I call “performance journalism.” The 60-minute show not only tells my story but also profiles seven trailblazers in the Jewish Ontario community and how they inspired me to return to a culture that I always wanted to get closer to in my own way. It’s a story of community, guilt, Jewish history and being comfortable in your own skin. Profilees in Jewnique include musician David Buchbinder, social activist Judy Feld Carr, Free Times Cafe owner Judy Perly, filmmaker Igal Hecht, author Alison Pick, and Holocaust survivor Cantor Moshe Kraus. Jewnique has been produced on stages such as Toronto’s Al Green Theatre, Canadian Stage’s We Are Story showcase at High Park in Toronto, Tikkun Leil Shavuout at Miles Nadal JCC, the Calgary Jewish Book Festival, the Ottawa Jewish Community Centre and Limmud FSU at Blue Mountain Resort. A portion of Jewnique will be published in the 2021 edition of Living Hyphen Magazine. Cast and Crew Written and performed by David Silverberg Artistic Consultant: Autumn Smith Performance Consultant: Mike McGee Sound and Light Design: Charlie Petch Trailer edited by Jacob Frenkel
Poetry Performances
I love to bring my poetry to the stage! I first performed my work at 16 in Port Colborne, Ontario, when I read a short story about a hole-in-one golf adventure. Since those early days, I’ve been immersed in spoke word poetry and have toured across North America and Europe. I’ve been honoured to be a feature performer at NYC’s Bowery Poetry Club, The Jazz Cafe in London (UK), Culture Rapide Bar in Paris, Vancouver Poetry Slam, Montreal’s Words and Music, the Calgary Poetry Slam, the Peterborough Poetry Slam, Toronto’s Art Bar Reading Series, Owen Sound’s Words Aloud Festival, San Jose Poetry Slam, TEDx IB York in Toronto, and many more. While I used to be known for my egg nog ode and cheeky haikus, my spoken word poetry now focuses on areas such as relationships, inspiration/creativity, Judaism’s influence on my life, childhood bullying, and, for some fun, my love of horror films. Recently retired, I was artistic director of Toronto Poetry Slam from 2005 to 2020, where I helped lead the series to four national championships. During my tenure, TPS partnered with a variety of respected arts organizations, such as the Toronto Festival of Authors, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Word on the Street, Meridian Theatre, and many more. In 2019 and 2020, I primarily performed in-person and online to support the launch of my new poetry collection As Close to the Edge Without Going Over, published by Kelp Queen Press. I’ve performed poetry and facilitated workshops at dozens of schools across Ontario, enlightening students to the vibrancy of spoken word and how it can give them a voice to share their stories and emotions. I’ve also led workshops at Ryerson University, the University of Toronto, and the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre. What teachers and event programmers are saying about me: “David Silverberg is fabulous poet and a generous teacher! In the classroom, I turned the floor over to him. Always attentive to the students’ own diverse backgrounds and learning needs, David fostered a safe and dynamic learning environment, sparking creativity even among the most reticent. I learned a lot too. I would encourage all teachers of contemporary poetry to invite this kind and thoughtful poet to their classrooms.”-Alan Ackerman, Professor, University of Toronto. “David Silverberg is a storyteller a heart. He approaches the stage with wit, whimsey, humor and humility. He is often irreverent, always insightful, and deeply compassionate. In his writing, he reaches across place and time, drawing on history, pop culture, his relationships, and his memories, as he searches for those things we share, which nevertheless feel deeply personal, and in this way connect us all. In this work he endeavours to cultivate an ever-greater sense of tolerance between us.”-Jon Hedderwick, Artistic Director, Peterborough Poetry Slam I’m open to performing online and in-person in 2025. Book me today for your next show!