Your Name Means Dream
Dates : March 12, 2025 — April 6, 2025
Internationally acclaimed playwright José Rivera directs his edge-of-our-current-time, profoundly intimate tragicomedy that asks what it means to be human as we embrace the technology of our future – and it embraces us.
March 12–april 6, 2025
Your Name Means Dream
Written and Directed by José Rivera
Produced in partnership with TheaterWorks Hartford
Starring Naomi Jacobson and Sara Koviak
Internationally acclaimed playwright José Rivera directs his profoundly intimate tragicomedy that asks what it means to be human as we embrace the technology of our future – and it embraces us. Aislin needs constant support in her later years, and her care is placed in the hands of an AI robot-caregiver – designed to look and sound human – named Stacy. The unexpected relationship that blossoms between them sparks questions of what it means to have a soul, what defines humanity – and what happens when those definitions begin to shift.
Blending magical realism with science fiction, Rivera’s Your Name Means Dream marries the tension of a thriller with the emotional rewards of a quest. Aislin’s body may be aging, but her mind cannot help but actively seek connection and grow an appetite for true friendship. Stacy’s body was designed to fulfill the role of a caregiver but fails to qualify as being alive. The relationship these women find in each other is both surprising and moving, taking us on a journey that challenges us to know the Other as we attempt to discover more about ourselves.
About the Production
Run Time: 2 hours with an intermission.
*This production has flashing lights.
*Appearing through an Agreement between this theater, Theater J, and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
Director: José Rivera
Set Design: Misha Kachman+
Costume Design: Risa Ando
Lighting Design: Alberto Segarra+
Sound Design: David Remedios+
Props Design: Pamela Weiner
Choreographer: Sara Koviak
Production Stage Manager: Miranda Korieth*
Assistant Stage Manager: Sara Gehl
Assistant Stage Manager: Illeana Blustein
*Appearing through an Agreement between this theater, Theater J, and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
+Member of United Scenic Artists Local 829
Mara Bralove and Ari Fisher
Dr. Kathryn Veal
Ellen and Gary Malasky
Susan and Dixon Butler
Sandra and Stephen Lachter
Michele and Allan Berman
Creative Connections
Join us for powerful pre and post-show conversations with expert guests to deep dive the themes of Your Name Means Dream.
Creative Connections events are free and open to the public. Discussions take place in the Goldman Theater unless otherwise noted.
Join us after the preview for an interview and Q&A session with Your Name Means Dream playwright and director, José Rivera.
The progress of technology moves faster than religion, but some of the questions central to AI ethics have been considered by Judaism for centuries. For example, what makes us uniquely human? A scholar of both Jewish law and the history of technology, Dr. David Zvi Kalman has written extensively on the relationship between Judaism and AI and joins us onstage to respond to the play and share his expertise.
Jewish wisdom and values can be a powerful tool to unpack the challenges and possibilities of AI. Join us for a thought provoking conversation at the intersection of faith and technology with the Den Collective’s, Rabbi Emmanuel Cantor.
In this conversation, we’ll connect the themes of Rivera’s play to another sector that benefits from AI: education. How can educators embrace AI’s potential, but also manage risk? Stacey Pelika, a lead on the National Education Association’s Taskforce for AI in Education, joins us onstage to respond to the play and share her expertise.
Hester Kamin’s pre show conversations are a Theater J favorite! Join us to discuss the themes of our plays and how they relate to our own experiences and the issues of our times. Pre show conversations are a great way to meet other theater fans and thinkers and to be ready to engage with the play more deeply.
Join us after the 2:00 PM matinee for an interview and Q&A session with our dynamic and multi-talented cast.
Jewish wisdom and values can be a powerful tool to unpack the challenges and possibilities of AI. Join us for a thought provoking conversation at the intersection of faith and technology with Rabbi Tzvi Hametz, Director of Educational Technology and Innovation at Berman Hebrew Academy.
Jewish wisdom and values can be a powerful tool to unpack the challenges and possibilities of AI. Join us for a thought provoking conversation at the intersection of faith and technology with Rabbi Healy Shir Slakman, Assistant Rabbi and Director of Spiritual Arts at Temple Micah.
The Berlin Diaries
Synetic Theater’s The Immigrant
Avaaz
Support Theater J
As the nation’s largest and most prominent Jewish theater, we aim to preserve and expand a rich Jewish theatrical tradition and to create community and commonality through theater-going experiences. Join us in our mission today.