Provenance

by Jennifer Maisel

Canvas. Pencil. Paint. How can one piece of art tear at the hearts of generations?
Provenance is a suspenseful uplifting play about the life of a sensual, unusual portrait from its beginnings in early 1900s German society, through its theft by the Nazis and its subsequent travels around the world. The play is La Ronde-esque, with actors playing multiple roles.

Winner, 2025 Jewish Plays Project, Ojai Writer in...

Canvas. Pencil. Paint. How can one piece of art tear at the hearts of generations?
Provenance is a suspenseful uplifting play about the life of a sensual, unusual portrait from its beginnings in early 1900s German society, through its theft by the Nazis and its subsequent travels around the world. The play is La Ronde-esque, with actors playing multiple roles.

Winner, 2025 Jewish Plays Project, Ojai Writer in Residence
Finalist: 2025 O'Neill, Semifinalist: BAPF, Seven Devils

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Provenance

Recommended by

  • Jenny Connell Davis: Provenance by Jennifer Maisel
    “

    With all of the accolades this gorgeous script is racking up, it hardly needs another recommendation from me. But I've rarely known, so quickly, that a play needs to get produced ASAP. This is such a beautifully crafted journey of a play...thrilled to see more of it soon!

    With all of the accolades this gorgeous script is racking up, it hardly needs another recommendation from me. But I've rarely known, so quickly, that a play needs to get produced ASAP. This is such a beautifully crafted journey of a play...thrilled to see more of it soon!

    ”
  • Playwrights Foundation: Provenance by Jennifer Maisel
    “

    The community of National Committee readers for the 47th Bay Area Playwrights Festival advanced PROVENANCE as a Semi-Finalist at Playwrights Foundation. We leaned in to the dramatic structure of this piece, and ethical and aesthetic questions this playwright raises. We hope this play is considered for further development and investigation, and finds dedicated collaborators in this play’s journey towards production.

    The community of National Committee readers for the 47th Bay Area Playwrights Festival advanced PROVENANCE as a Semi-Finalist at Playwrights Foundation. We leaned in to the dramatic structure of this piece, and ethical and aesthetic questions this playwright raises. We hope this play is considered for further development and investigation, and finds dedicated collaborators in this play’s journey towards production.

    ”
  • Nick Malakhow: Provenance by Jennifer Maisel
    “

    An excellent use of the "La Ronde" structure here. The scenes propulsively move from one to the next and the characters (which we spend maybe two scenes with max) are all beautifully drawn/realized. In tracing the story of this one piece of art and selecting a varied and complex cast of characters attached to it, Jennifer Maisel also explores huge themes and ideas related to art, the Holocaust, survival, forgiveness, perspective, and much more! I'd love to see this play realized onstage.

    An excellent use of the "La Ronde" structure here. The scenes propulsively move from one to the next and the characters (which we spend maybe two scenes with max) are all beautifully drawn/realized. In tracing the story of this one piece of art and selecting a varied and complex cast of characters attached to it, Jennifer Maisel also explores huge themes and ideas related to art, the Holocaust, survival, forgiveness, perspective, and much more! I'd love to see this play realized onstage.

    ”
View all 13 recommendations
The play is a La Ronde and works great with 4(2M/2F) actors -- yet can also be cast with 14 if you are looking for a large cast piece.

There's flexibility in casting.