A Kaddish for Ilya - A STAR WITHOUT A NAME

A Prayer for Life and the Realization of a Dream

November 10th was a Friday. That night, the cast of PM Theater’s A Star Without A Name decided to hold an impromptu Shabbat prayer. Cheap red wine from the corner deli, a beautiful hallah, covered by a handkerchief from one of the costumes, a couple of tea candles on a piece of foil, and a cast and crew of the show, many of Israeli heritage, were all gathered around the props table. With the Israeli-Palestinian war unfolding and the Russian invasion of Ukraine continuing, they prayed for peace and human wisdom. But not only for that...

A Kaddish for Ilya - A STAR WITHOUT A NAME

After the short ceremony was over, Sergey Nagorny, the show’s producer, asked for a moment of everyone’s attention. “I know that in Judaism there is a prayer for the dead called the Kaddish. Surprisingly enough, this prayer does not mention death in any way. Instead, it talks about Life. Those who are living have an honor to say the kaddish prayer for those who were lost, as they do not have the chance to say that prayer for themselves. This is what we are doing tonight.” Sergey continued, “This show is our kaddish and we are honored to pray and to do this show for Ilya Eckstein, who translated this play into English and planned to produce it, but unfortunately, a tragedy interfered with his plans. I want to see his vision come to life. I want this to be the kaddish for Ilya.”

Ilya's Translation - an Off-Broadway Production

A Star Without A Name by Mihail Sebastian, directed by Gera Sandler and translated into English by Ilya Eckstein, premiered Off-Broadway in New York City on November 8th, 2023 and ran for 3 weeks, finally coming to a close at a fully sold-out 173-seat Theater at St. Clement’s on December 3rd. According to critics, “the show adds another world, with all its strangeness and love, [which] can profoundly change you. Although you are bound to return to your own world, your life and fate in it will never be the same” (Vassili Schedrin, “The Theatre Times”).

Produced with the initiative of Natalia Timakova, Ilya’s loving and supportive wife, and generously funded by the Eckstein Family Foundation, A Star Without A Name by PM Theater became a breath of fresh air in a tumultuous and uncertain atmosphere of what was the Fall of 2023.

The Dream Lives On - A National Tour

Having had a successful premiere run in NYC, the producers now wish to take this show on the road, with a US tour across Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, and culminating in Ilya’s hometown of Palo Alto. In order to make this tour happen and to see Ilya’s dream realized to its fullest potential, we are asking for your support.

We are in need of funding in order to secure transportation, flights, and hotels for the company. We need to secure and rent rehearsal studios, theater venues, lights, and sound systems. And, most importantly, we need to make sure that all of the people involved are compensated for their time and effort in making this magical Off-Broadway piece a countrywide success.

We are fiscally sponsored by COJECO and Fractured Atlas, both 501c3 organizations, making all of your contributions fully tax-deductible.

The tour is planned for the Spring of 2024, commencing at the end of March and concluding in Northern California in mid-April. We are hopeful that with your help we will be able to have all of the dates and cities finalized by the end of February 2024.

The Play - A Timeless Tale

A Star Without A Name, or, originally, Steaua Fără Nume, is a melodramatic tragicomedy written in 1942 by Mihail Sebastian, a Jewish Romanian playwright. The setting of the play is a provincial town, situated along the popular train route from Bucharest to Sinaia. By sheer chance, an express train that usually flies by without slowing down, makes a quick stop at the town's only train station, leaving behind a sole passenger: a mysterious young lady. Her beauty strikes right through the heart of a simple school teacher, who's fascinated by stars and astronomy. Will their improbable love survive past its cosmic conception or will it explode like so many nameless stars in the sky?

PM Theater - Creative Team and Cast

Directed by the award-winning actor and director Gera Sandler, A Star Without A Name features scenic design by Jenya Shekhter, who studied and performed alongside Ilya at Mushkatin Studio Theater in Israel. Sound design and live music performed by Masha Vasilevskaya, costume design by Luna Gomberg, and choreography by Tatyana Kot. PM Theater's Sergey Nagorny and Anna Bredikhina serve as the show’s producers.

The production brings back the company’s original ensemble members in the faces of Anya Zicer, who leads the cast as the mysterious redhead. A star company member of New York’s Krymov Lab, Zicer recently delighted audiences in Onegin as Inna Natanovna and in Love Stories as Shlomo. Also returning are Dima Koan, the star of PM Theater’s The Singing Windmills, and Carlo Maria Velardi. With A Star Without A Name, PM Theater introduced equally brilliant new actors to New York City audiences. Stephen Ochsner, an international award-winning sensation, the lead of critically acclaimed TV Series Chicks, stars as Teacher, an enigmatic male lead of the piece. Ronit Asheri-Sandler, the star of Netflix’s Unorthodox and Transatlantic, dazzles as Mademoiselle Cucu, an all-knowing old dame who refuses to age. Devonn Duffin hilariously portrays Zamfirescu, the flirtatious schoolgirl who has an eye for and never misses all of the dandy gentlemen.

Join Us

While we cannot all recite the Kaddish, this tour is the exact prayer which we can and must say for Ilya Eckstein, as well as for peace, love, and universal human values, from the stages around the country. Will you add your voice to our prayer for Ilya?