Who: Natan Skop
What: TMT Winter 2013 Intern
And What: Outreach Ambassador for The ( * ) Inn

Natan Skop was born and bred a 10 minute walk from Target Margin in Boreum Hill, Brooklyn. In 2006 he moved with his family to Jerusalem, Israel where he co-founded Theater in the Rough and served in the Israel Defense Force for 3 years. Natan is an actor, producer and theater administrator in addition to working in web development and marketing. Training: Shakespeare & Company’s 2013 Month-long Intensive.

From the desk of intern Natan Skop:

In fall 2011, David Herskovits (Artistic Director at TMT) visited Israel as a fellow of the American Academy in Jerusalem, exploring Yiddish theater. He wanted to put together some workshops with local actors. Through a mutual connection, my mom, Beth Steinberg, and I were asked to make a few calls and send a few emails. I was actually in the US when David did his workshops, but I heard they were lots of fun.

Fast forward one year, I was thinking of something theater-related to do in New York in the end of the winter. I wrote David and Target Margin and asked if I could come intern, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Working at Target Margin is fun and always interesting. Tucked away on the fifth floor of the ART Alliance building in Fort Green, Brooklyn, the office space is small and brimming with energy. Conversation flows back and forth between John Del Gaudio and Moe Yousuf ranging from ticket sales to company history to lunch. Other Target Margin artists come and go, filming videos, working on costumes, or just saying hi. David breezes through checking his email, talking on the phone, meeting with John and making tea, often all at the same time.

The ( * ) Inn is a play from the Yiddish theater, but it was really eye-opening for me to see what Yiddish theater means. Sure, I’ve heard that Yiddish Theater is avant-garde, but this 1913 play really blew my mind.

As a conservative Jew and a former Brooklynite, Moe and John asked me to help with outreach to the New York Jewish community. I brainstormed up a list, made a few calls and emails, and went on several expeditions to deliver fliers. It took a lot of chutzpah (Yiddish for audacity) to contact people, sometimes without any introduction, but I knew if I wasn’t sure what I say, I could just talk about the play and Target Margin, honestly describing the company’s important, brilliant and inspiring work.