←Recommendations of Provenance

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!

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.

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.

A lovely and powerful play. One technical aspect I really admire is how carefully Maisel structures the story and dialogue so that we remain intrigued but are never lost as the complex tale plays out through generations. The ending is surprising, deeply moving, and effortlessly executed. It all rests on rich characters expertly rendered.

I love how Maisel gives us a unique perspective on a Holocaust story by following a painting's journey across time and space. Like its subject, the play itself is a beautiful portrait, rendered with Maisel's evocative language, imagery, and structure. This play will put a spell on you.

Art - it can be a financial investment, a moment in time, or a memory. Maisel explores all these definitions as we follow a painting through time. Just as a work of art can leave an imprint on our soul, we find that art can also heal scars and evoke new beginnings. A lyrical and poignant history of a work of art and how it evokes our humanity.

An emotionally resonant journey spanning a century, following the legacy of a portrait as it intertwines with the lives of multiple generations, from its creation to its purchase by a young Jewish art collector, through World War II, and beyond. Descendants of Holocaust survivors and perpetrators grapple with their inherited legacies over time, and those histories (and their emotional tolls) are explored with nuance. I loved this play, I found it very moving, and I’d love to see it produced.

This play about family and a living work of art is suffused with the beat, rhythm, and propulsion of a living work of art.

A beautiful play with a fascinating and innovative structure. I love the way that the flexibility of cast size is built. I love the lyrical language. The way Maisel takes you through time in her plays is always interesting. I treasure her work.

There's a magical realism woven throughout this carefully crafted La Rhonde that's apparently still in development. The guidance for scene transitions is especially compelling. Definitely worth a read.