Staged Reading of "Dybbuk Bat Mitzvah" in Los Angeles

Most comedies ask you to laugh at a haunting. This one asks you to laugh with a thirteen-year-old who is trying to get rid of one. "Dybbuk Bat Mitzvah" gets a staged reading in Los Angeles on Sunday, October 18, 2026, and it is a good pick if you are scanning for things to do in Los Angeles that are a little off the usual comedy-club path.

When: Sunday, October 18, 2026 (one performance, running about 1 hour 40 minutes, no intermission) Where: The Goldrich Cultural Center, 100 The Grove Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90036 Tickets: Listed through TheaterMania (link below)

The Play

It is 1999, and the Y2K panic has everyone braced for disaster. Rachel and her friends have their own deadline: Rachel's Bat Mitzvah, the coming-of-age ritual at the center of the story. Then an odd, very conservative boy from her temple takes an interest in her, and a tragedy ties the two of them together in a way nobody wanted. Rachel and her friends have to break that bond before it is too late.

The play riffs on ancient Jewish folklore about the dybbuk, a wandering spirit, while comically exploring the terrors and triumphs of being a young woman. It was a finalist for the Jewish Plays Project 14th National Jewish Playwriting Contest and won both the Los Angeles and Berkshires Jewish Playwriting Contests. TV writer and producer Cindy Chupack, whose credits include "Sex and the City" and "Modern Family," has called it "brilliant and hilarious."

What a Staged Reading Is

A staged reading is not a full production. Actors read the script, usually with scripts in hand and little or no set, so the focus lands on the writing and the performances. For audiences it is a chance to meet a new play early, and the format tends to feel closer and more conversational than a standard night at a large theater.

Planning Your Visit

The listing gives the date and venue but no published start time, so confirm the time on the TheaterMania page before you head out. The calendar placeholder on this page is not the real curtain time. Pricing is not listed in the source either, so check the ticket link for current availability and cost.

The address sits near The Grove, so plan for weekend traffic and parking in the Fairfax area, and give yourself extra time if you are driving. If you like to line up a few shows in one go, this fits neatly among the LA events this weekend, since it is a single-day commitment rather than a long run.

For more shows around town, browse the comedy category and the this-weekend page.