Live Events

Britfest 2026

Date: Saturday March 7th 2026

Venue: The Throwback Bar & Restaurant, 710 Amsterdam Avenue, NYC 10025

Start: 8pm

A Musical Tribute to the best songs of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks,

The Animals, The Zombies, The Dave Clark 5, David Bowie, TREX, The Sweet, Elton John.

Performed by The 253 Boys & Friends!

Creative Director: Jason Grant Shela MBE FRSA MA

Past Events

An Audience with Tony Walker – The Up Series Documentary

Classic Rock Musical Jam – Led by Steve Marshall 

Venue: Studio 8 – 247 W 30th St, NYC

An Audience with Mitch Winehouse – Founder of Amy Winehouse Foundation

Venue: The Carlebach Synagogue 

305 W 79th St, NYC – 1pm

Lunch will be served after the speech.

Music & Poetry Jam

Venue: Effy’s Cafe

An Evening of Amazing Original Poetry. The New York Musicians Alliance will perform original songs and classic favorites from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, Bob Dylan, The Byrds, Dusty Springfield, Oasis, The Verve, Marie-Anne Faithful, The Troggs, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, and Many More!

Featured Poets and Musicians: Gina Healy, Angelo Verga, Mr. Melody, Mordechai Friedman, Yvonne Sotomayer, Nyssa Frank, Mimi Stuart, Simone Wolff, Buchanan Moncure, Natalie Caro, Lisa Marie Basile, John Maney, Ted Jonathan, Gil Fagiani, George Wallace, Diana Goetsch, Joanne Joseph, Jason Grant Shela.

Sponsored by The Joseph Skakun Project.

Music & Poetry Vigil for Manchester

Music & Poetry Vigil for Manchester & London Please join us for a special music and poetry event to show we stand with Manchester & London and the families who suffered such a tragic loss.

An Event for the whole family.

Creative Direction by Jason Grant Shela.

The New York Musicians Alliance will perform original songs and classic favorites from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, Dusty Springfield, Oasis, The Verve, Adele, Lulu, The Troggs, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix & Many More!

Featured Musicians: Robert Ross, Gina Healy, Angello Olivieri, Don Castagno, Don Puglisi, Mordechai Freedman, Savannah Leroy, Kenn Rowell, Alison Deller & The 253 Boys.

Featured Poets: Mindy Rinkewich, Simone Wolff, Buchanan Moncure, Nyssa Frank, Craig Kite, Erica Schreiner, Saville Shela, Yvonne Sotomayer.

THE JEWISH HERITAGE PLAY FESTIVAL 

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL:

THE JEWISH HERITAGE FESTIVAL IS A CELEBRATION OF JEWISH FAMILY LIFE OVER THE PAST CENTURY. THE PLAYS ARE 15-20 MINUTES IN LENGTH AND ACTED BY AN ACCOMPLISHED GROUP OF THESPIANS FROM MY GENERATION THEATER COMPANY. THE FESTIVAL IS APPROXIMATELY 2 HOURS IN LENGTH AND WILL CULMINATE IN A LIVE MUSIC SHOW. THIS PRODUCTION IS A BENEFIT FOR THE JOSEPH SKAKUN PROJECT. A 501C3 EDUCATIONAL NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT AIMS TO BRING JEWISH HERITAGE AND HISTORY TO LIFE VIA THE PERFORMING ARTS. THE FESTIVAL IS DEDICATED TOTO OUR DEAR FRIENDS SID BERNSTEIN, RABBI PESACH ACKERMAN, BERYL EPSTEIN AND THE FALLEN IDF HEROES OF 1967.

THE PLAYS

ON BURNING GROUND. A HOLOCAUST DRAMA.

THE BLITZ. A DRAMA ABOUT A JEWISH FAMILY LIVING IN EAST LONDON DURING THE NAZI BOMBINGS DURING WW2.

PETTICOAT LANE. A COMEDY ABOUT THE MOST FAMOUS MARKET IN LONDON, SET IN 1914.

PRIDE OF THE CATSKILLS. COMEDY SET IN CATSKILLS HOTEL IN THE MID 1960S. WRITTEN BY JASON GRANT SHELA.

SINGLE. A COMEDY MUSICAL ABOUT JEWISH SINGLES IN MANHATTAN. WRITTEN BY KAREN BISHKO.

SALONIKA MY SALONIKA. A DRAMA ABOUT THE GREEK JEWISH COMMUNITY DEPORTATION. WRITTEN BY PROFESSOR ASHER J. MATATHIAS.

WE WILL BE HONORING RICHMOND SHEPARD FOR HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THEATER AND THE ARTS OVER THE PAST 70 YEARS.

THE FESTIVAL IS DEDICATED TO THE IDF HEROES OF 1967.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF JOSEPH, SYLVIA (NEÉ ELSON), KHAYA (NEÉ ELOVICH) AND CHAIM SKAKUN, SHLOIMKE AND RIVKA ZAMKOV, SID BERNSTEIN, HARRY AND ANNA BLACK, AND BLANCHE AND IRVING PINCUS, AND EPHRAIM AND GITTEL RAPPAPORT, HARRY AND GERTRUDE SHELA, OBM.

Producers

The British Music & Theater Festival is a celebration of British Music from the 1960s to the Present and Original New British Theatrical Productions. This is a Benefit Production and All Proceeds will go to The Goddard Riverside Community Youth Arts Program.

The Plays:
‘Sid, Brian & Queenie.’ Written by Dylan Bernstein (son of Sid Bernstein).
‘It’s Only Rock N Roll.’ Written & Directed by Ivy Vale
‘The Blitz.’ Written & Directed by Jason Grant Shela.
‘A Hostel is not a Hostel.’ Written & Directed by Ivy Vale
‘Sightseeing in London.’ Written & Directed by Jason Grant Shela.
‘The Man, The Myth, The Legend.’ Written & Directed by Gianluca Tramontana.
‘High Hopes.’ Written & Directed by Jason Grant Shela.

The Performers:
David Brickman, Sarah Barton King, Bruce Kivo, Annie Thau, Shani Jonas
Amandalynn McClellan, Juliet Papadopoulos, Cathy Caamano, Savannah Leroy, Matthew Levy, Jamiel Burkhart, Reuben Levine, Yann Saibou-Baldi, Jason Grant Shela, Shana Casey, Gianluca Tramontana, Kate Peila, Richmond Shepherd, Alison Deller, Lana Moon Deller, Savannah Leroy, Violet Vale, Robert Ukrainsky, Don Puglisi, Jack Resnick, Sabine & Alex Castro, Isaac Pincus, Oliver Divone.