JCC Theaterworks, the resident theater company of the Jewish Community Center of Greater New Haven, launches its second season on Dec. 14 with He Who Laughs, a modern-day retelling of the Binding of Isaac.

Founder and JCC Cultural Arts Manager DeDe Jacobs-Komisar created the program to fill a need for professional Jewish theater in Connecticut. A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, Jacobs-Komisar co-founded Jewish Theatre Workshop and JTTV Live!, an interactive teen theater program, both in Baltimore. “Theater is a dynamic, live exploration of the stories that define us as a culture,” she says. “By producing engaging plays that delve into questions of Jewish identity and peoplehood, we hope to foster a stronger, more engaged community.”

JCC Theaterworks programs include a combination of readings, workshops, and works by both professional and local actors, as well as amateurs and the community at large.

The 2013-14 season will tackle some of the most significant issues the Jewish world is facing, including identity, theology, family relationships, homosexuality, and the meaning of community, among others. In He Who Laughs by Ian Cohen, businessman Alfred Wells has a religious awakening and determines that God has commanded him to sacrifice his 17-year-old son, Zach. With a heavy heart, Al lures Zach into the car for a “camping trip.” As Zach gradually realizes what’s going on, the play transforms into a confrontation between the two on faith, God, spirituality and religion, and family dynamics.

Performance Schedule:

All performances will be held at the Off-Broadway Theater, 41 Broadway in New Haven.

For ticket information call (203) 387-2424 or email jccnh.org.

• Saturday, Dec. 14, 7:30 p.m., followed by an interfaith panel discussion

• Sunday, Dec.  15, 2 p.m., followed by an interfaith panel discussion

• Sunday, Dec. 15, 7 p.m.

• Monday, Dec. 16, 7:30 p.m.