About Us

... Bringing Great Jewish Stories to Life

Teatron Toronto Jewish Theatre brings great Jewish stories to life with a variety of contemporary, traditional and musically themed performances. Our goal is to create a total theatre experience where our audience members can immerse themselves in the magic of live stage productions. We encourage the development and presentation of new Canadian plays with Jewish themes and welcome artists and audiences from diverse backgrounds to be part of our productions.

Teatron Toronto Jewish Theatre Inc. is a registered not for profit organization founded in 2002. All of our performances are at The Meridian Arts Centre, 5040 Yonge Street.

Phyllis is a writer, producer and accomplished musician. She has been actively involved in the arts community as a Board member of the Ashkenaz Foundation and the Toronto Jewish Film Society and a journalist with Lifestyles Magazine. Phyllis is focused on keeping the legacy of Jewish culture alive through entertainment by presenting outstanding theatrical productions highlighting Jewish stories that will resonate with TEATRON audiences.

Phyllis is also involved in AGPI (Abraham Global Peace Initiative), an advocacy organization focused on countering antisemitism worldwide and a member of two community scholarship committees.

Theresa Tova is an award winning actor, writer and singer who is at home in film, television and theatre as well as headlining major International festivals as the Yiddish Diva. Described as a Towering, pan-cultural jazz-cabaret diva Tova starred as Emma Goldman in the First National Broadway tour of Ragtime and Yenta in Fiddler on the Roof at the Stratford Festival. Tova’s holocaust musical, Still the Night won four Dora Awards and was nominated for the Governor General Award for Excellence in dramatic literature.

Her latest musical Bella: The Colour of Love played to sold out houses in Philadelphia, Warsaw Poland, Halifax, Toronto and New York.

As an arts activist, Tova is President of ACTRA Toronto and serves on the boards of ACTRA National, the Creative Arts Savings and Credit Union and is a recipient of the Cliff Pilkey Labour Activist Award.

Jack Rotsztain’s first language is Yiddish (of a Polish variety). Jack grew up in Montreal and moved to Toronto in 1974. He is a Senior Partner in the law firm Kronis, Rotsztain, Margles, Cappel LLP.

Jack is an avid theatre goer and has annual subscriptions to several theatre companies. One of his favourites is the Stratford Festival where he attends one terrific play after another. Jack is pleased to be a Board member and integral part of the TEATRON Toronto Jewish Theatre where he can contribute to providing an excellent theatre experience within a Jewish context for our audiences.

Ari Weisberg founded TEATRON Toronto Jewish Theatre in 2002 and was the artistic director until 2015 when he moved to Israel. He produced and directed over thirty plays for TEATRON as well as desigining the sets for many of them. Other credits include: directing and design credits for Edmond, The Melville Boys, The Affections of May and Murder Amoung Friends for various theatres in Toronto. Ari is pleased to remain involved with TEATRON as a Board member.

Leon Kieselstein was brought up in Toronto where Yiddish was the language of his home. He still remembers fondly, the Yiddish lullabies his father sang to him. Leon is a graduate of the University of Toronto, B.A, and the University of Windsor Law School, J.D. After practicing law for several years, he spent the next 33 years in the financial services industry, retiring as a senior Vice President of TD Bank in their Wealth Management division. Leon also served as Chairman of the Reena Foundation, and presently sits on the Professional Advisory Committee of the Baycrest Foundation.

Leon is pleased to be on the Board of TEATRON Toronto Jewish Theatre, a bridge to his past and a continuation of preserving this vibrant and expressive language for future generations. He is married to Fran and has two sons, Michael and Matthew. He is also the proud zaidy of Grace and James.

Arnie has been involved in community theatre for the last four decades with Teatron Toronto Jewish Theatre as well as other groups. A litigation lawyer by trade, one of his passions is entertaining people on stage with stand up and acting in a wide range of roles. Arnie has played Otto Frank in The Diary of Ann Frank, Lieutenant Brannigan in Guys and Dolls. He has appeared in TEATRON productions including The Tenth Man and Broken Glass and most recently in the role of Ben Epstein in the 2022 production of Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound.

Arnie has participated on a variety of Boards, and, is pleased to bring his skills to TEATRON Toronto Theatre and continue its mandate of bringing great Jewish theatre to Toronto audiences.

Lynn is a seasoned actor, director and teacher, and a proud member of ACTRA and Canadian Actors’ Equity Association. Lynn studied acting at Leah Posluns Theatre, McGill University and the Banff Centre before earning her BFA in Acting Performance from the prestigious University of Alberta. For the past three decades, Lynn’s career has taken her across Canada with various roles on stage, TV, film and commercials. A highly sought after acting instructor, coach and director, her most recent project for TEATRON was directing the 2022 production of Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound, marking her successful return after directing Lost in Yonkers in 2018.

As an arts educator, Lynn has mentored emerging actors throughout the GTA including YPT, Theatre Aquarius, Tarragon, TDSB, Havergal College, UCC, The York School, and the Toronto Heschel School. She led the faculty of Seneca College’s Theatrical Performance Program for over 20 years and founded both the Attic Studio Theatre and The Players Theatre Company. Lynn is thrilled to continue her close association with TEATRON Toronto Jewish Theatre, bringing her professional life and personal identity together to support the future of Jewish Theatre in our community.

Debra has had an extensive career in publishing. Most recently, she held the position of Publisher of Canadian Art magazine, and previously as Associate Publisher at St. Joseph Media, managing the revenue of a variety of magazines including FASHION. Debra volunteers her time at CAMH’s, Suits Me Fine clothing boutique and as Co-chair of Canadian Haddash-Wizo’s Art Experiences Committee.

Debra is pleased to join the Board of Directors of Teatron Toronto Jewish Theatre.