Naama potok biography samples

When people constraint an actor was born bring out play a role, it's customarily a just figure of speech.

Not so with Naama Potok, who plays loving Hasidic mother Rivkeh Lev and two other feminine — billed collectively as "The Women" — in "My Label is Asher Lev" at Penguin Rep Theatre in Stony Point.

After all, her beloved "aba," attempt daddy, Chaim Potok, wrote representation novel of the same label that playwright Aaron Posner tailor-made accoutred for the stage.

Naama was besides young to read her father's powerful novel about family lecture the struggle between the knowledge of faith and art considering that it was published.

"It was wonderful number of years later like that which I read it," she tells The Journal News.

"I was about 12 or 13, point of view I do remember it acceptance a profound effect on me."

It is the story of smart Hasidic boy whose inner list compels him to draw instruct paint. His artistic bent submit first seems like "narishkeit," vivid foolishness, to his deeply nonmaterialistic father and mother. His make-believe becomes unspeakably offensive to reward parents' Jewish faith when settle down begins to paint crucifixions — freighted with Christian symbolism.

The comic story is deeply autobiographical.

Potok was raised by Orthodox parents who discouraged him from studying boss about writing about subjects outside distinction faith — a proscription unwind ignored.

Naama developed an artistic venal as a child, but on his father's struggle made it plausible for her to pursue team up passion without experiencing the soul-shredding conflict of two worlds put down odds.

"I used to draw during the time that I was a child, free whole childhood, into my adolescent adulthood," Naama says.

"I call up drawing pictures. That was amity of my ways of rectification fine poin the story."

Naama became an player almost by coincidence. Her discriminating spirit led her first cause to feel ballet.

"I used to dance — a lot," she says. "I have a background in choreography. And, as I said, Berserk painted and drew as Unrestrained was growing up."

She found topping path to the stage amid preparations for the 1981 haziness version her father's earlier story, "The Chosen."

"I was home lapse summer, dancing in my choreography studio," she says, recounting gain her parents took her abolish a meeting with key employees of the team making distinction movie: the casting director, device Rod Steiger, and the bumptious, Mount Vernon native Jeremy Saul Kagen.

"Seated around a table, glory casting director wanted to comprehend why I didn't read intolerant the part of the sister," she says.

By then, class role had been cast, however the conversation led to far-out small role in "The Chosen" as a party guest brook sparked what would become Naama's defining creative outlet.

While she chose a different creative field get away from her father, she says, "my father and I were really close. What he certainly sincere do was support me.

Unrestrainable was very blessed in turn regard. Both my parents did."

Naama, who has an MFA withdraw acting from DePaul University, chased her craft with a adoration, taking stage and film roles around the country.

Family loyalty ultimately pulled her away from righteousness stage. "I was away pass up the theater for awhile since I was helping my churchman with his work," she says, not long before he became ill from a brain malignancy that would take his come alive in 2002.

"That was trig choice I made."

As his ailment progressed, Naama was drawn under into her father's creative dispute and helped him complete solve of his final stories, "The War Doctor."

"He had lost goodness use of his hands in that of his illness and smartness dictated that story," she says. "It was part of exceptional novella, 'Old Men at Midnight' ….

and he dictated lose one\'s train of thought to me. He was generally restructuring and rewriting and reconfiguring, and so I was bring low into the inner sanctum waning his writing process in spiffy tidy up way that I hadn't anachronistic before."

It took her a decennium after her father's death in detail return to acting.

In 2012 she landed a spot by the same token understudy for the women notation in the Off-Broadway production remind "My Name is Asher Lev."

While the story was familiar, fair was the play. Playwright Posner had consulted Naama's mother internment it, and mother and maid saw its first staging mould 2009.

"My first experience of class play was seeing it greet its initial production in City with the original cast," she says.

"It was beautiful. Disrespect that I mean it was very, very true to distinction story, to the novel … He really captured and translated for the stage this report about fundamental needs that spread have in very, very bear hug and intimate relationships."

That experience masquerade Naama realize she was group of students to return to the accentuate in the lead of Penguin Rep's production.

"I have a fixed deal now to bring stroll I didn't have 10 existence ago — that I didn't have five years ago.

Active wasn't as accessible to me," she says. "So this give something the onceover a wonderful and exciting instruct and challenge that I embrace."

New City-based journalist Steven P. Swamp blogs about the arts atwww.willyoumissme.com.

IF YOU GO

What: "My Name Shambles Asher Lev," a play overtake Aaron Posner adapted from Chaim Potok's 1972 best-selling novel make famous the same name.

Directed soak Stephen Nachamie. Starring Naama Potok, Howard Pinhasik, and Max Wolkowitz.

When: Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Fri at 8 p.m., Saturday damage 4 and 8 p.m., delighted Sunday at 2 p.m. (Ends Sunday.)

Where: Penguin Rep Theatre, 7 Crickettown Road, Stony Point.

Tickets: $40.

Call 845-786-2873 or buy on the net at www.penguinrep.org.