Chutzpah! The Lisa Nemetz Showcase of Jewish Performing Arts was established in 2001 to present the multi-disciplinary performance work of Jewish artists (in collaboration with non-Jewish artists) and/or work with Judaic content.

The inaugural festival featured music, theatre, dance, stand-up comedy, cabaret and storytelling that captured the imagination of the whole community and ignited an enthusiasm in Jewish culture that had never been seen in Vancouver.

In our inaugural year, we were fortunate to receive an endowment from the David Levi Family to honour the memory of Lisa Nemetz, who was a dancer, a lawyer, a lover of the arts and a tireless advocate for the treatment and care of women with breast cancer. We are greatly indebted to the Levi Family for their continued endorsement of the festival.

Past Highlights of Chutzpah Festivals include:

• Brave Old World: a co-production with the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. This World-renowned Klezmer band performed its historic production ‘Song of the Lodz Ghetto’ , and was recorded live by CBC Radio to be broadcast nationally
  
• Dance All Stars: The Evening blended a solo piece by Emily Molnar, an original creation by dancer Simone Orlando and pianist Itamar Erez, Aszure Barton and members of her New York dance company and an award-winning film by Daniel Conrad
  
• The One That Got Away: An award –winning site specific play in the swimming pool co-produced with Vancouver’s theatrical sensation, the Electric Company. The play won 4 Jessie Richardson Awards including Outstanding Production of the Year in the small theatre category
  
• Robbie Gringras: Direct from Israel – actor/playwright Robbie Gringras performed his moving and unforgettable solo show ‘About the Oranges’ to standing ovations
  
• Boris Sichon: a new twist on the story of ‘The Wandering Jew’ told through an internationally acclaimed percussionist’s mastery of world instruments
• Zina Schiff and Kyra Folk-Farber: world class violist Zina Schiff shared the stage and her talent with Vancouver’s emerging opera star Kyra-Folk Farber
  
• Job: The Hip Hop Musical: the widely popular and innovative fusion of past and present by two of Montreal’s young theatre stars
  
• Dan Joffre’s 99.9% Kosher: ‘That Improv Guy’ Dan Joffre and his Kosher Comedy Crew closed the 2005 festival and left the sold-out audience rolling in the aisles with laughter