Northlight Theatre | Prayer for the French Republic
Northlight Theatre | Prayer for the French Republic
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NOW EXTENDED!
April 10 – May 18, 2025

Prayer for the French Republic

by Joshua Harmon
Directed by Jeremy Wechsler

In 1944, a Jewish couple in Paris awaits news of their missing family. Seventy years later, their descendants face the same question: “Are we safe?” Spanning five generations, Prayer for the French Republic is a sweeping, darkly funny exploration of history, identity, and survival. Don’t miss the Chicago premiere of this powerful play, blending sharp humor and profound drama in a story as timely as it is timeless.

Run time: 2:55

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Gallery

CAST

Rom Barkhordar Headshot

Rom Barkhordar

CHARLES BENHAMOU

Nathan Becker

YOUNG PIERRE SALOMON

Janet Ulrich Brooks

MARCELLE SALOMON

Rae Gray's Headshot, a blonde woman against a beige background

Rae Gray

ELODIE BENHAMOU

Lawrence Grimm Headshot; a man in a blue suit in front of a white background

Lawrence Grimm

PATRICK SALOMON

Torry Hanson's headshot, posed in front of a dark blue backdrop

Torrey Hanson

ADOLPHE SALOMON

Henson Keys

PIERRE SALOMON

Max Stewart

DANIEL BENHAMOU

Alex Weisman

LUCIEN SALOMON

PRODUCTION

Joshua Harmon

PLAYWRIGHT

Joe Schermoly

SET DESIGN

Mara Blumenfeld

COSTUME DESIGN

JR Lederle

LIGHT DESIGN

Joseph Cerqua

SOUND DESIGN

Nicolas Bartleson

PROPERTIES DESIGN

Katie Klemme

STAGE MANAGER

Lauren Peters

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

SPONSORS

Paul and Janet Gans Epner

Al Zunamon

Tiffany and Tobi Laczkowski

Dining Partners

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Rom Barkhordar Headshot
Charles Benhamou

Rom Barkhordar

is making his Northlight/Theater Wit debut with Prayer for the French Republic. Previous Chicago area credits: A Lie of the Mind, (Raven Theatre), White Christmas, (Marriott Theatre), The Band’s Visit, A Distinct Society, Wife of a Salesman, (Writer’s Theatre), Mosque4Mosque (About Face Theatre), Acts of God, Around the World in 80 Days (Lookingglass Theatre), Yasmina’s Necklace, Ruined (u/s) (Goodman Theatre), The Elephant Man, Homebody/Kabul (u/s) (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), The Who and the What (Victory Gardens Theatre), Mosque Alert, Night over Erzinga (Silk Road Rising), Pravda, Halcyon Days, Not About Nightingales (Timeline Theatre). Regional credits: The Band’s Visit (TheatreSquared), The Art of Burning (Huntington theatre) (Hartford Stage), Proof (Kitchen Theatre); Disgraced (Virginia Stage Co.); The Who and the What (HuntingtonTheatre) Around the World in 80 Days (Kansas City Rep.) (Centerstage Theatre). Rom is represented by Gray Talent Group. Thanks to Maren and the kitties!

Young Pierre Salomon

Nate Becker

is thrilled to be making his Northlight and Theatre Wit debut. He’s had the opportunity to perform at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Provision Theatre, Porchlight Music Theatre, and Theatre at the Center amongst others. A native Chicagoan, Nate spent the last four years living in NYC attending NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He is beyond excited to be returning to Chicago and kicking off his post-grad life with such a special show. Shoutout to his mentors and especially his parents for their unwavering support.

Marcelle Salomon

JANET ULRICH BROOKS

 was last seen at Northlight Theatre in 2017’s By The Water. Select credits include: The Audience, Fiddler On The Roof, Murder On The Orient Express, Steel Magnolias (Drury Lane Theatre). Beautiful, The Music Man (Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre). The Cherry Orchard, 2666, Vanya Sonya Masha & Spike, Seagull (Goodman Theatre). The Children (Steppenwolf). Plantation (Lookingglass). 16 productions with TimeLine Theatre Company (Company Member) including Bakersfield Mist with the late Mike Nussbaum, and Master Class (Jeff Award Principal Actor). Tiny Beautiful Things, Pipeline, Native Gardens (Victory Gardens). Women Laughing Alone With Salad (Helen Hayes Nomination – Woolly Mammoth DC) and work with Milwaukee Rep, Theatre Squared in AR., and Peninsula Players in Door County, WI. Films: Divergent, Conviction, One Small Hitch, M.O.M.. T.V.: Work In Progress, Fargo, Sense8, Proven Innocent, Boss, Chicago Med, Fire & Justice. Representation: Gray Talent Group.

Rae Gray's Headshot, a blonde woman against a beige background
Elodie Benhamou

Rae Gray

 Broadway: The Real Thing (Roundabout). National Tour: To Kill a Mockingbird. International: The Beacon (Druid/Gate Theatre, Ireland). Chicago: Graveyard Shift, The Little Foxes, A Christmas Carol (Goodman); Domesticated, Slowgirl, The Book Thief, Wedding Band (Steppenwolf); King Charles III (Chicago Shakespeare); The North China Lover (Lookingglass); The Real Thing (Writers); Inherit the Wind (Northlight); Spay, Crooked (Rivendell), The Whistleblower, Completeness (Theater Wit) and, most recently, Uncle Vanya (The New Theatre Project). Regional: Queens (La Jolla Playhouse); Slowgirl (Geffen Playhouse). TV: A League of Their Own, Power Book IV: Force, Justified: City Primeval, American Rust, Fear the Walking Dead, Grace and Frankie, For the People, Sea Oak, Boardwalk Empire, Shameless, The Resident, Bull, Adventure Time, Chicago Fire, PD and Med, Bossy Bear. Film: Slice, I Do…Until I Don’t, Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, The Robbery (Sundance Selection), Dismissed, and Invitation to a Murder. Rae is a Rivendell Theatre Ensemble member and a graduate of the University of Chicago. @HeyRaeGray

Lawrence Grimm Headshot; a man in a blue suit in front of a white background
Patrick Salomon

Lawrence Grimm

Founding ensemble member of Red Orchid Theatre, Turret (Jeff Award – Play). Theatre: Uncle Vanya (New Theatre Project), Hannah and Martin (Shattered Globe, Jeff Nomination-
Actor), King Charles III, The Tempest (Chicago Shakespeare) 2666, Inherit The Wind (Goodman), My Name is Asher Lev (Timeline) In the Next Room (Victory Gardens), Orlando (Court), The Glass Menagerie (Raven, Jeff Award – Actor), The Brothers Karamazov, 1984, (Lookingglass), I Never Sang for My Father, Wolf Lullaby (Steppenwolf). Film: Eric Larue, Night’s End, Captive State, Welcome to Me. Television: Monsters, The Red Line, Chicago PD/Med/Fire. More at www.grimmactor.com. Special thanks Sam Cantor.

Adolphe Salomon

Torrey Hanson

Torrey Hanson has performed in over 160 theater productions, regionally at Milwaukee Rep (seventeen seasons), Oregon Shakespeare Festival (five seasons), Alley Theater, Seattle Rep, Cleveland Play House, Indiana Rep, Intiman Theatre, A Contemporary Theatre, Empty Space Theatre, and Utah Shakespeare Festival; in Chicago at Steppenwolf, Goodman, Chicago Shakespeare, Writer’s, Drury Lane, Profiles, Silk Road, The House, and Provision. He’s had guest, recurring, and co-star roles in Emperor Of Ocean Park, Somebody Somewhere, Fargo, The Exorcist, Shining Girls, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, South Side, Empire, Crisis, Cheers, and Wings. He played Jack Hyde in Jordan Peele’s remake of Candyman. Upcoming: Monsters: The Ed Gien Story on Netflix.

Molly

Maya Hlaya

Maya Lou Hlava is thrilled to be making her debut at Northlight Theatre! Additional Chicago credits include Little Mermaid, Christmas Carol, Shrek, White Christmas and Bye Bye Birdie  (Drury Lane Theatre); The Penelopiad (Goodman Theatre); Happy Days Are Here (Again) and Zurich (Steep Theatre); The Best Damn Thing (The Understudy Cafe); Dory Fantasmagory and Last Stop On Marketplace (YPPT/Greenhouse Theater); Spring Awakening (Porchlight Theater); Act 5, The Killing Game and The Nether (A Red Orchid Theatre); Oklahoma (Marriott Theatre); Violet (Griffin Theater); Trevor (Writers Theatre); The Secret Garden (Court Theatre); Jane Eyre (Lifeline Theatre); The Wheel (Steppenwolf Theatre); Film and Television Credits include Will Trent, The Perpetrator, Chicago Med, The Chi, and The Big Leap. Maya is represented by Stewart Talent.

Pierre Salomon

Henson Keys

is delighted to work at Northlight! Keys is credited with some 125 roles in NYC, Chicago, and such regional theatres as Yale Rep, McCarter, Asolo, and MeadowBrook, including 45 roles in Shakespeare. For 27 years he led Acting Programs at Ohio University, Alabama Shakespeare, and finally 16 years at the U. of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. In Chicago, he’s worked with Chicago Shakes and Steppenwolf.

Irma Salomon

Kathy Scambiatterra

 is thrilled to be making her Northlight Theatre debut. As artistic director and co-founder of The Artistic Home, she has helmed 25 seasons, is director of the AH Acting Studio and was most recently seen there in Dying for It for which she received a Jeff nomination. In Chicago, she has worked at Steppenwolf, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Chicago Shakespeare, Goodman Theatre, Rivendell, Raven among many others and was a longtime ensemble member at Center Theater. In LA, she was an ensemble member at Pacific Resident Theatre. TV/Film credits: recurring role on Chicago PD (NBC Dick Wolf Productions), Mr. Throwback (Peacock), Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams (Amazon), Good Guy with a Gun (One Shot Productions) Monuments (Zaxiefilms) Into the Wake (Diesel Brothers) among others. She is represented by ATG actorstalentgroup.com.

Daniel Benhamou

Max Stewart

Theatre: Noises Off (Steppenwolf and Geffen Playhouse); Fairview (Definition Theatre); Southern Gothic, Sons of Hollywood (Windy City Playhouse); Walk on the Wild Side (Pale Horse Playhouse); Romeo and Juliet (Kane Repertory Theatre); Letters Home (Griffin Theatre). Television: Chicago Fire (NBC), Soundtrack (Netflix). Awards: NFAA YoungArts. Education: The Theatre School at DePaul University (B.F.A. Acting), British American Dramatic Academy, The Groundlings. @maxflash4

Lucien Salomon

Alex weisman

Makes his Northlight debut and returns to Theatre Wit where he starred in the sold-out Chicago premiere of Josh Harmon’s Significant Other. Broadway: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (OBC) Chicago: Goodman, Lookingglass, Chicago Shakespeare, Court Theater, Victory Gardens, Paramount, AboutFace, TimeLine, among others. Two-time Joseph Jefferson Award Winner for The History Boys and Hand to God. Regional: Milwaukee Rep, Chautauqua, and Zoetic. Television: Currently “Frank” on Sesame Street (GLAAD New Media Award). Five years as “Chout” on NBC’s Chicago Fire/Med/P.D., New Amsterdam, Empire, Living With Yourself, Inventing Anna, Everything’s Trash, White House Plumber, and American Crime Story. Film: A Complete Unknown, An Acceptable Loss, Black Box, Your Monster, and Another Happy Day. Founding stakeholder with BackRoom Shakespeare and proud NU Grad!

Playwright

Joshua Harmon

is a Tony-nominated playwright and the winner of two Drama Desk Awards and two Outer Critics Circle Awards. He graduated from the School of Drama’s Dramatic Writing program in 2010. His plays include Bad Jews, Significant Other, Admissions, Skintight, and Prayer for the French Republic. He and Sarah Silverman co-wrote the libretto for The Bedwetter based on her memoir. His plays have been produced on Broadway and the West End; Off-Broadway at Roundabout Theatre Company, Lincoln Center Theater, Manhattan Theater Club and Atlantic Theater Company; across the country at Geffen Playhouse, Speakeasy, Studio Theatre, Theater Wit, About Face, Actor’s Express, and The Magic, among others; and internationally in a dozen countries. He is a two-time MacDowell fellow, a 2024 Guggenheim fellow, and an Associate Artist at Roundabout.

Director

Jeremy Wechsler

is the founding Artistic Director of Theater Wit, which has grown into an essential hub of the artistic community in Chicago. Under Jeremy’s leadership over the last twenty years, Theater Wit has emerged as the go-to destination for cutting-edge contemporary work, gaining national recognition for excellence. During his tenure, he has directed the Chicago premieres of Inanimate, The Whistleblower, Hurricane Diane, The Realistic Joneses, The Antelope Party, 10 Out of 12, Naperville (Jeff Award), This Way Out of Santaland, The New Sincerity, The (Curious Case of the) Watson Intelligence (Best of 2015 – Sun Times), Bad Jews, (Best of 2015 – New City), Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play (Time Out Peoples’s Choice Award for Best Direction, Best of 2015), Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England (Sun Times Best of Year 2014), Completeness, Tigers Be Still, This, The Four of Us, Feydeau-si-deau, Men of Steel, Thom Pain (Based on Nothing) (Jeff Award- Best Solo Performance), Two for the Show, and many many productions of The Santaland Diaries. He has directed over seventy shows in the last thirty years at various theaters, including Tragedy A Tragedy, The Flue Season, A Taste of Honey (“US Best of 2008” in The Wall Street Journal), Now Then Again (Jeff Award – Best New Work), The Play About The Squirrel, The White Devil, This is Not a Play About Cancer, Titus Andronicus, The Roaring Girl, Henry VI: Blood of a Nation, The Promise, Spin, Un Robot, Horror Academy, The Coarse Acting Show, Cabaret, and The Threepenny Opera. His productions have been nominated for and won multiple awards for design, performance, adaptation, and best new work. 

Scenic Designer

Joe Schermoly

Joe Schermoly (Scenic Design) is happy to be making his Northlight Theatre debut with long-time collaborator Jeremy Wechsler. Credits include: Hurricane Diane, Naperville, The Watson Intelligence, Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England, Completeness (Theater Wit); Yasmina’s Necklace (Goodman), Constellations (Steppenwolf), Black Sunday (Timeline); Hand to God, Samsara (Victory Gardens); Love Song, Frankenstein, Travesties (Remy Bumppo), Dream King (Teatro Vista); Pomona, Red Rex, Birdland, Wastewater and Lela & Co. (Steep); Solaris, Pocatello, Titanic, Spelling Bee, Flare Path, Punk Rock (Griffin); The Gulf, This Bitter Earth, The Temperamentals, Le Switch (About Face). Joe received a B.A. in Theatre from Northwestern University, is an ensemble member of Steep Theatre, and has received four Equity Jeff Awards. www.joeschermoly.com

Costume Designer

Mara Blumenfeld

is delighted to be making her debut at Northlight Theatre. A frequent collaborator with Jeremy Wechsler, their productions at Theatre Wit include Intimate, Hurricane Diane, Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play, and The Santaland Diaries. An ensemble member with Lookingglass Theatre Company, she has designed over forty productions, including Metamorphoses, Lookingglass Alice, and Cascabel. Elsewhere in Chicago, she has worked at the Goodman, Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Court Theatre, and Writers Theatre. Her work has been seen at regional theatres across the country and internationally. She is the recipient of four Jeff Awards and the Michael Merritt Award.

Lighting Designer

JR Lederle

Northlight credits include Brooklyn Laundry, Birthday Candles, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Legend of Georgia McBride, Relativity, By the Water, Charm, Shining Lives, Outside Mullingar, White Guy on the Bus, Detroit ’67, The Odd Couple, Ten Chimneys, Season’s Greetings, A Life, Grey Gardens, The Retreat From Moscow, Lady, Stella & Lou, The Outgoing Tide, Better Late and Chapatti (the last four also at the Galway International Arts Festival, Ireland). Other work has been seen at Lookingglass, Victory Gardens, About Face, Remy Bumppo, Writers, Steppenwolf, and Walkabout.  He has served as head of the Lighting Department at Steppenwolf since 1995.

Sound Designer

Joseph Cerqua

is a freelance composer, sound designer, vocalist, and producer. Northlight credits: Ten Chimneys, Sense & Sensibility, The Cripple of Inishmaan, Visiting Mr. Green, The Old Neighborhood, Master Class, and God’s Man in Texas. Other credits: American Buffalo (Deaf West in LA); The Ideal Husband and The African Company Presents Richard the 3rd (American Players Theatre); The Flick and Mr. Burns (Forward Theatre); Of Mice and Men (Milwaukee Rep); and The Rainmaker (American Blues). Joe is the Composer in Residence at Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre. He has composed and designed sound for over 350 productions around the nation, including Steppenwolf, Goodman, Court, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Mark Taper Forum, The Alliance, BAM, and National Jewish Theatre. His scores and sound designs for Homebody/Kabul, SideMan, Broken Glass, How I Learned to Drive, and Master Class have all enjoyed national tours. Joe is the Creative Director and Producer for the Music Department at Columbia College Chicago.

Properties Designer

Nicolas Bartleson

Nick is a freelance prop and scenic artist based in Chicago. Theatrical prop design credits include The Heart Sellers, Little Women, 2 Pianos 4 Hands, Brooklyn Laundry (Northlight Theatre), Misery (American Blues Theater), The Normal Heart (Redtwist Theater), Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds, Last Stop on Market Street, The Diary of Anne Frank (Young People’s Theatre of Chicago). Nick has also worked as a prop artisan with Steppenwolf Theater, Drury Lane Productions, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Kehoe Designs, Glimmerglass Opera, and The Texas Shakespeare Festival. Special thanks to Amy Peters at DePaul’s Theater School for providing so much of what you see onstage today and supporting all theatre in Chicago. To view more of Nick’s work, or to make inquiries, you can visit his website nickbartleson.wixsite.com/nickbartleson

Stage Manager

Katie Klemme

Northlight credits include The Heart Sellers, Little Women, The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk, Brooklyn Laundry, Dial M for Murder, The Porch on Windy Hill, Georgiana & Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley, Landladies, and You Can’t Take it With You. Theatre Wit credits include Mr. Burns; a Post Electric Play (2015 & 2021), The Realistic Joneses, 10 out of 12, The New Sincerity, Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England (Chicago & Las Vegas), Santaland Diaries, and Spin. Other recent Chicago credits include The Hot Wing King, Eurydice, A Distinct Society, Tiger Style!, Wife of a Salesman, Into the Woods (Writers); Notes from the Field (TimeLine), Villette (Lookingglass), and productions at Victory Gardens, About Face Theatre, and American Theatre Company. National credits: Hamilton (Eliza Tour Sub); Sornin: A Notre Dame Story (tour). Regional: Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Geva Theatre Center, ArtsEmerson.

Assistant Stage Manager

Lauren Peters

 is happy to make her Northlight debut! Recent credits include Cinderella, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (Marriott Theatre); Ironbound (Raven Theatre); Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution, The Lion in Winter (Court Theatre); Native Gardens (Williams Street Rep), and Last Night and the Night Before (Steppenwolf). Much love to her family, friends, and Zach.