SHPIEL PERFORMING IDENTITY presents: A JEWISH JOKE
July 6 – 31, 2016
Richard Christiansen Theater
TICKETS:
General admission: $32
Seniors: $28
Students: $18
Industry: $12
PERFORMANCE TIME:
Wed, Sun at 3pm
Thurs, Fri, Sat at 7:30pm
THE REGIONAL PREMIERE OF A JEWISH JOKE
As relevant today as it was during the McCarthy Era…1950’s Hollywood, at the height of the Communist Blacklist, when careers were ruined by a whisper…We meet irascible comedy screenwriter Bernie Lutz. Funny & lovable Bernie has made his way up the ladder by being a spineless Hollywood sellout. Now, the night before a big red carpet premiere that will make Bernie’s career, he has been asked to name names, give up his friend, and give in to some anti-Semitic and racist slobs in Congress who go further than a “gentlemen’s agreement” in keeping America lily-white. He has one day to decide if he will accede to government demands and save his skin, or protect his friend in the most serious decision of his life. One man’s journey, through a historical reality and then into the depths of his own soul – that is at the heart of this multi-layered, compelling, and (given the demagoguery in politics today) very important play.
PERFORMER
Phil Johnson
PRODUCTION
David Y. Chack, Producing Artistic Director
Jillian Skale, Production Manager
Andrew Yeni, Advancement