Kaddish

Born and raised in Washington, DC and based in Queens, New York, Sam is an actor, director, writer, producer and the playwright-performer of “kaddish.” They are passionate about using art at the intersection of community organizing and spirituality…and just being silly. This piece has been in development for six years since finishing up their BFA at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in 2020. Recent acting credits include: BAD JEWS (Liam) by Joshua Harmon with Off The Lane and their Bobby Award-winning production of “kaddish” for the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe Festival with The SpaceUK. Sam is incredibly grateful to be working with his village on bringing this play (and his grandfather) to life!

Thomas Walter Booker is a multi-disciplinary artist born, and raised in Washington, D.C. He is ecstatic to lend his talents as a producer to “kaddish” via his multi-media production company Purp Door Productionz. Thomas is a proud recipient of the Panavision New Filmmaker Equipment Grant for his debut screenplay, “Absent”. He is in post-production for 4 films, the aforementioned “Absent”, “The Night I Met God”, and “girls (Noni’s Love)”, and a music video to accompany the debut single “Motion” by MALAj. As a writer, he is currently co-developing a pilot inspired by the independently produced web series, “Bruh & Slim”, as well as his sophomore screenplay, “BOGO”. As an actor, he has guest starred on episodes of “FBI”, and “Blue Bloods” (CBS). Off-Broadway credits include “On Sugarland” by Aleshea Harris; regional theatre credits include “Fat Ham” by James Ijames, and “One Night in Miami”  by Kemp Powers. His film acting credits include “Suppressed” (Newark LGBTQ+ Film Festival), “Becoming” (Pan- African Film Festival, Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival), and “TikTok Challenged” (American Black Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival). He is also a proud alum of Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and SUNY Purchase’s Acting Conservatory.

Tierra Mai Burke is a theater artist from Maryland and a graduate of Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Her recent credits include Nina in Sunset Baby at Anacostia Playhouse, which earned her a  Helen Hayes nomination, and Orlando and School for Lies with Constellation Theater Company. In addition to her work as an actress, Tierra cofounded Droom Theatre Company, which creates artistic programming shining light on unheard narratives, challenging social injustices, and generating dialogue within the community. She co-produced a docudrama “It Could Be You” about the opioid crisis in collaboration with community organizations focused on harm reduction in Washington, DC. She is so proud to be a part of kaddish (how to be a sanctuary)!

Noah Weitzner is an artist and organizer from Washington, DC. He’s a proud graduate of Occidental College in Los Angeles where he was a founding member of a historical student-worker union. He passionately conducts research on D.C. Statehood and affordable housing. He starred in a short film Longing for Self Destruction, which has been shown at film festivals internationally. He is in the final stages of building a cedar strip canoe, a yearslong process that has fostered a passion for balancing aesthetics and functionality. This experience, combined with his passion for building diaspora Jewish community inspired the space that kaddish comes to life in.

Lila Weitzner is a multidisciplinary theater-maker from Washington, DC based in New York City who is so thrilled to have spent the last year working on kaddish (how to be a sanctuary) with some of her favorite people in the world! She loves every facet of the storytelling process, whether it is directing, writing, producing, or performing. She stage managed and associate produced End of Incorporated Filth by Chloé Hayat at HotFest@Dixon Place. She script supervised the short film “Birthday Blues” screening at film festivals internationally. Lila performed in “Variations on a Blueprint” at Lincoln Center’s Clark Studio. Lila thanks her family and community for being such a source of love and inspiration.