Adam B. Shapiro and Eric Little also lead the cast of the new musical, six years in the making, inspired by Jewish folklore.
Playing October 3–11, 2026 at The Judy in Portland, Oregon
Northwest Children’s Theater (NWCT) has announced the cast of The Golem’s Gift, an original musical six years in the making that will receive its long-awaited world premiere October 3–11, 2026, on The Schnitzer Stage at The Judy Kafoury Center for Youth Arts.
Featuring an accomplished cast of theater veterans alongside talented young performers, The Golem’s Gift is a multigenerational story about kindness, community, and the ripple effect of small acts of change.
Leading the cast as The Storyteller is Susannah Mars, one of Portland’s most beloved and accomplished theater artists. A lifelong performer with more than 50 years in the arts, Mars has appeared on stages across the country and internationally, with local credits at Portland Center Stage, Artists Repertory Theatre, Portland Playhouse, Portland Opera and more. Her celebrated Portland performances include Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, Golde in Fiddler on the Roof and Diana in Next to Normal. She has received six Portland Drama Critics awards and has also appeared on NBC’s Grimm. Mars is featured as The Storyteller in the original demo recordings of The Golem’s Gift. This production marks her first appearance as a part of NWCT’s Mainstage season.
Adam B. Shapiro joins the cast as The Rabbi. Shapiro has been seen Off-Broadway in Death of a Salesman, The Mikado, Bastard Jones and Wikimusical. Since 2008, he has been a fixture of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, appearing in The Golden Bride, The Megille of Itsik Manger and Gimpel the Fool, among others. Most notably, he played The Rabbi and understudied Tevye and Lazer Wolf in the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Award-winning Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish.
Eric Little plays The Golem. An actor and musician currently living in Berlin, Germany, Little has appeared with Portland Center Stage, Broadway Rose Theatre Company, and Artists Repertory Theatre. His performance credits include Tobias in Sweeney Todd, Snail in A Year with Frog and Toad, Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Hot Blades Harry in Urinetown. He is also an accomplished music director, conductor and pianist, with credits including The Music Man, Fun Home, Rent and A Christmas Carol.
Rounding out the principal cast are youth performers Olive Baity, making her NWCT debut as Ruth, and Yuyoun Choi, a long-time member of Catalyst: NWCT’s Youth Company, as Velvel.
Featured performers include Brandy Schnaars as the Baker and Christiane Herrmann as Mrs. Moskowitz, both veterans of NWCT’s Mainstage productions.
Ensemble performers include Graham Buyagawan, Elijah Sims, Teague Shattuck, Luke Stewart, Claudio Vasquez Santiago, Linda James, Nadine Luker and Tilly Mansfield.
Six Years in the Making
The Golem’s Gift is the result of an extraordinary six-year journey. NWCT first commissioned the musical in 2020 from playwright and lyricist Benny Zelkowicz and Portland-based composer Ezra Weiss, followed by a staged reading in 2022. The project was later awarded a National Endowment for the Arts grant in January 2025, only to have that funding withdrawn several months later as part of widespread federal grant cancellations.
Rather than abandon the production, the Portland community stepped up. Tens of thousands of dollars have since been raised through individual contributions, bringing the organization close to replacing the lost grant and making the world premiere possible.
Inspired by Jewish folklore, The Golem’s Gift follows a man made of clay who sets out to repair a broken world. Overwhelmed by the enormity of the task, the Golem discovers that even the smallest acts of kindness can create a ripple effect far beyond what he imagined.
With a soaring original score, humor, heart and a story designed to resonate across generations, The Golem’s Gift offers audiences a rare chance to experience a brand-new musical at the very beginning of its life.
“Premiering a brand-new musical is a rare opportunity,” said NWCT Artistic Director Sarah Jane Hardy. “After six years of development, we are thrilled to finally bring The Golem’s Gift to the stage. This is a story about the power we all have to make a difference, and we’re especially excited to share it with audiences of all ages.”
Support the Production
The community can help support The Golem’s Gift and NWCT’s mission to make live theater accessible to young people throughout the region. Every gift made to the production will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000, thanks to a generous matching pledge.
Learn more and contribute at nwcts.org/the-golems-gift.
TICKET INFORMATION
TICKET PRICING $25-$35
PURCHASE ONLINE: NWCTS.ORG
BOX OFFICE VOICE MAIL: 503-222-2190
SCHOOL MATINEES INFO: NWCTS.ORG/FIELD-TRIP
$5 Arts for All tickets are available for Oregon Trail/SNAP card holders.
More Info: nwcts.org/faqs
Tickets
Tickets to The Golem’s Gift are on sale now at nwcts.org
About Northwest Children’s Theater
The mission of Northwest Children’s Theater and School is to educate, entertain, and enrich the lives of young audiences. Founded in 1993, NWCT is the largest children’s theater and theater school in Oregon, producing year-round Mainstage productions and offering training and performance opportunities for young artists. To date, NWCT has provided high-quality theater arts and education experiences to more than one million children, families, and students, earning regional and national recognition as one of Portland’s most respected arts institutions.
VENUE: NWCT’S Home:
The Judy Kafoury Center for Youth Arts
1000 SW Broadway, T-100
Portland, OR 97205
October 3-11, 2026
at 2 pm & 7 pm
ASL INTERPRETED SHOW
Sun. Oct. 4 at 2 pm
SCHOOL MATINEES:
Tue. Oct. 6 & 8 at 10 am
Most enjoyed by ages 8 and up
Release Date: September 22, 2026
End Date: October 11, 2026
