Our Team
Our mission is to engage and educate high school and college students about the Holocaust using the power of theater.
The Mitzvah Project creates unique learning experiences for teens and young adults by dramatically exploring the connections between this dark chapter of history and the contemporary spread of antisemitism, white supremacy, and other forms of intolerance, and “othering” in America.
Since 2014, The Mitzvah Project has been presented at more than 200 high schools, colleges, synagogues and community organizations in 27 states. Of that total, more than 17,000 high school-aged students have been engaged.
Over the years, The Mitzvah Project has been honored for its groundbreaking approach to Holocaust education, most recently (April 2024) by members of the Jewish Caucus of the California State Legislature and, previously, by a wide range of educators, scholars, clerics and community leaders.
Roger Grunwald
Roger Grunwald is the founder and creator of The Mitzvah Project which has been presented in 26 states, Canada, the U.K. and Israel beginning in 2014.
In 2013 he was honored with grant from the New York Foundation for the Arts for the development of The Mitzvah – the play that is centerpiece of The Mitzvah Project.
During his five decades as a professional performing artist, Roger has appeared in over 80 stage productions in the United States and Europe and his voice and face have been heard on — and seen in — commercials, industrials, video games, feature films, primetime and daytime TV, as well as documentaries for HBO, Court Television Network and the Discovery Channel.
He was a member of four different acting ensembles that, over a period of eight years, performed the stage drama Anne & Emmett. The play, which imagines a conversation between Anne Frank and Emmett Till, was penned by Janet Langhart Cohen and has been presented at the De La Mar theatre in Amsterdam; at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC; at the New York City Police Academy; over two years at the National Black Theater Festival in Winston-Salem, NC and at the United States Supreme Court at the invitation of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
FOUNDER
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In recent years, Roger was part of three productions at San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater: co-starred in the premiere episode of the HBO primetime series, VINYL, under the direction of Martin Scorsese and was one of two leads in the short film, “One Good Pitch” that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.
In 1983 he co-founded New York's Castillo Theatre where he starred in over 45 productions.
As a playwright, Grunwald penned I Died in Auschwitz, a full-length, one-person Holocaust drama that expands and deepens the story and characters of The Mitzvah. He performed in the play’s 2017 San Francisco world premiere and 2018 revival.
He is a San Francisco native, a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.er
Annie McGreevey
Annie McGreevey, The Mitzvah's co-creator, is an actor, singer, writer, director, and teacher, with a career spanning over 40 years.
Nancy Carlin
Nancy Carlin directed the 2017 world premiere and 2018 follow-up production of I Died in Auschwitz. She has performed and directed extensively in regional theaters, including the American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, TheatreWorks, Aurora Theatre, Shotgun Players, Jewel Theatre, Marin Theatre, Center Rep, Cal Shakes, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. A former company member of A.C.T. and associate artist with California Shakespeare Theater, Carlin is also a writer, producer, dialect coach, and acting teacher. A theater arts lecturer with San Jose State University and UC Berkeley, she holds a BA in comparative literature from Brown University and an MFA in acting from the A.C.T. She is the recipient of numerous Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle, DramaLogue, and Theatre Bay Area awards for Best Principal Performance, Best Supporting Performance, and Best Director and is a member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and SDC.
Ashley Eisenkramer, Outreach Coordinator/Data Management
With over four years of experience in ESG consulting, compliance, and data management, I have successfully partnered with clients to deliver both strategic and operational improvements. Most recently, I managed a CRM database of more than 200 client contacts, utilizing tools like Salesforce to integrate and track outreach efforts, as well as analyze engagement data for continuous improvement.
“My great-great-grandfather emigrated to the United States in the early 1900s to escape severe persecution during the pogroms in Eastern Europe. I am passionate about applying my skills in data analysis, project coordination, and stakeholder engagement to support The Mitzvah Project’s mission of fostering understanding and building strong communities. In doing so, I hope to honor my ancestors' struggles and ensure that their stories—and the vital lessons they impart—are never forgotten.”
Elijah Alexander, Teaching Artist
On stage, Elijah Alexander has appeared on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning production of Metamorphoses and with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Tantalus, written by John Barton and under the direction of Sir Peter Hall. In regional theater, Elijah has played leading and featured roles at the Guthrie Theatre, Denver Center, Berkeley Rep, Yale Rep and the Old Globe. He was a company member at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival for five seasons and at the CalShakes for three seasons. His film & TV credits include “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” “JAG,” and “Guiding Light” among others. He is currently co-starring in "The Chosen,” a biblical epic TV series.
“As a Mitzvah Project Teaching Artist, I am thrilled to share the story of my Uncle Julius who survived capture by the Gestapo and was responsible for single-handedly bringing my family to the states after the war. Were it not for Julius, I would not be around to tell his story... Now, after more than a quarter century in show business, I have the privilege of not only telling his story but of using my performing and teaching skills to help young people learn the critical lessons of the Holocaust. I hope that in doing so, I can play a part in creating a more hopeful and inclusive future.”
Victor Talmadge, Teaching Artist
Victor Talmadge is an actor, director, playwright, and educator. He has worked extensively on stages throughout the Bay Area as well in New York and leading regional theaters. He was on Broadway in the world premiere of David Mamet's, November; played “The King” in the Tony Award-winning production of the Broadway National Tour of The King and I and as Scar in the Los Angeles production of The Lion King. Mr. Talmadge boasts extensive film and television credits, as well. As a playwright, his play, The Gate Of Heaven, was awarded The Nakashima Peace Prize and was the first live theater produced at The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and has been subsequently performed at several major regional theaters. He is currently Professor of the Practice and Director of Theater Studies, Mills College at Northeastern University.
“My mother was one of only eight relatives, amongst hundreds in my extended family living in Poland prior to WWII, to have survived or escaped the Holocaust. My great Uncle, David Olère, an artist, was the only survivor of Auschwitz to pictorially document the gas chambers. His brother, my grandfather, was a leader of the Jewish Bund, and fought in The Resistance against the Nazis. I am one generation away from these events. They are all too real for me. I am honored to be part of The Mitzvah Project, bearing witness, so that history does not repeat itself.”
Rolf Saxon, Teaching Artist
When (Mitzvah Project co-director) Nancy Carlin asked me to join The Mitzvah Project company as a Teaching Artist, I jumped at the chance. I had seen Roger Grunwald’s performance and presentation online and felt this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I’ve always wanted to find a way to use my experience as an actor and teacher to engage young people and play a part in challenging the forces of intolerance, antisemitism, racism and white supremacy. And now, I can also weave my family’s story into my lesson. I am very grateful for this opportunity.
Rolf has lived and worked in the U.K. for many years during which time he appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company for 3 years, worked in repertory companies throughout Britain as well as in the commercial theatre on London’s West End. Rolf has also been seen on several BBC and ITV series as well as in Hollywood blockbusters “Saving Private Ryan” and “Mission Impossible.” Rolf received his formal acting training at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
“My paternal grandfather’s family came from Zinkov, a shtetl in what is today southwestern Ukraine. In the late 19th century, decades before Hitler and his Holocaust, shtetl after shtetl were being ravaged by pogroms. It was then that my grandfather’s family chose to leave behind the only world he knew. For that reason, I count myself today as one of the lucky ones.”