Sunny Productions L.A.

Synopsis

When “happily ever after” goes sideways you file for divorce. Simple, right? But what happens when you must abide by Jewish divorce law and your spouse refuses? Jewish law requires that the husband give his wife a formal release called a GET. Without it she cannot date or even marry again. In effect, she is chained to her spouse forever.

Chained, a new play by Sonia Levitin tackles this difficult subject. Divorce is emotional, but this divorce is even more traumatic as both partners have hidden agendas.

Writer & Director

Sonia Levitin, writer

Sonia Levitin is the acclaimed author of over 40 books for children and adults. Her classic, JOURNEY TO AMERICA, the story of her family ‘s escape from the Nazis, has remained in print for over 50 years. She teaches Creative Writing and speaks regularly at the Museum of Tolerance in the Steps To Tolerance program. She has written and produced the following stage plays:

RETURN
SURVIVING MAMA
THE KING’S RIVER PARTY (A BALLET)
STORY FOR A BLACK NIGHT

Her latest play, CHAINED, will be presented as a staged reading on May 19, with plans for a full production later in 2024.

Margy Horowitz, director

Margy Horowitz began her musical career at the age of five in Chicago, taking both piano and solfege lessons from Livia Ayal, a student of Zoltan Kodaly and Bela Bartok. In just a few years she was accompanying her friends in school plays and choirs. She began teaching piano at the age of 12 and continued throughout high school and college, where she majored in music. She also performed in her college’s theater department in several dramatic plays and musicals. Margy earned a Master’s Degree in Piano Pedagogy from Northeastern Illinois University and followed that by working as an editor for Clavier Magazine (a publication for piano teachers).

After relocating to Los Angeles in 1998, she worked as an editor of sheet music for Alfred Publishing and took on a few piano students as well. In just a year, she was instructing over 50 students a week. In 2005, feeling the urge to perform again, Margy founded the Jewish Women’s Repertory Company and has produced, directed, and accompanied a full-length musical each winter since then. Margie currently is the Performing Arts Director at YULA High School Girls Division. She lives in Beverly Hills with her husband, Jeremy, and her two children, Rowan and Nathan.

Testimonials

Chained is a story about a couple going through a Jewish divorce, where the husband refuses to give a Get until he receives full custody of their child. …A powerful performance, bringing the audience into the turmoil, when finally, the unexpected twist reveals the husband’s reasons…the wife does become unchained.

Jewish Home

Los Angeles

“Chained” explores the plight of an Orthodox Jewish woman who finds herself trapped in an impossible marriage. Her husband refuses to touch her but claims he is happy and refuses to grant her a “get” -—the Jewish divorce that would free her to marry again. The heroine’s worried mother and concerned sister, both secular Jews, cannot understand their beloved’s passionate commitment to a religious lifestyle. Playwright Sonia Levitin writes a provocative family drama about recognizable and relatable people who find it easy to love but hard to understand each other. The staged reading of “Chained” was masterfully presented and every character portrayed with depth, sensitivity and nuance. Hope to see a full production!

Irina E. Bragin, Ph.D.

English Department Chair, Touro College, Los Angeles

The story is compelling. The script is superb. CHAINED takes you into what appears to be a typical family on the surface. Still, it becomes a roller coaster ride of peaks and valleys, leaving you wondering: What will happen next? The climax of “Chained” is compelling and will leave you breathless and thought-provoking.

Lloyd F. Reese

Former producer, stage manager

Sonia Levitin’s play, Chained, is a cleareyed compassionate look at a difficult issue. She refuses to take sides and instead looks to the human core of her characters and their situation.

Eric Kaplan

Emmy-winning television writer, executive producer “Young Sheldon,” “The Big Bang theory”.

Sonia Levitin's play, CHAINED, is a new look at a persistent social problem in the Orthodox Jewish community. The protagonist needs a Get from the husband she’s leaving. He’ll give her one only if she hands over full custody of their 9-year-old son. It’s a fresh take on an old subject; at least I thought it was old but have since found out that many Jews know nothing about the document. It kept me, and the rest of the audience, on the edge of their seats, until the curtain went down.

Joan Alper

Former partner of Theatre Dreams in Chicago