Off Broadway In Chicago

(Chicago, IL) From Manischewitz to Matzo balls to the mayhem of High Holidays
by Alan Gross, Goodman Theatre's Education and Community Engagement
division and Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies join forces for a
unique dining event, "Tasting Tradition: Tales at the Table of Jewish Culture," on November 23 from 6:30 - 8:30pm
at the award-winning Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies facility (610
S Michigan Ave) with floor-to-ceiling views of Grant Park and Lake
Michigan. Noted Kosher Chef Laura Frankel serves up a menu inspired by
the play and its 1960s setting; participants will enjoy a scrumptious
family-style dinner of classic Jewish fare--and some surprises.
Storytellers from Serendipity Theatre Collective's 2nd Story, Ilana
Shavanov, Michael Przygoda and Julie Ganey, join the fun with tales of
tradition in the spirit of the high holidays. Tickets are $36; call
312.443.3800. Due to the unique nature of this event and its
limited capacity, ticket sales end November 19; tickets will not be
available for purchase at the event.

"'Tasting
Tradition' celebrates the way food, story and history are linked in
Jewish culture. Each dish has significance and import, each meal filled
with stories that remind us how we stand on the struggles and triumphs
of the people who have come before," said Willa Taylor, Director of
Education and Community Engagement at Goodman Theatre. "You see this in
High Holidays--and to experience it personally with Laura's amazing cuisine is like manna from heaven."

Laura
Frankel has been Executive Chef for Wolfgang Puck Catering's kosher
foodservice operations at Spertus since 2007. She was the founder and
chef of the adventurous, gourmet kosher Shallots restaurants in Chicago
and Manhattan, and has extensive training and experience in both savory
and pastry kitchens. After she started a family and began maintaining a
kosher home, she became interested in expanding kosher offerings in the
Chicago area; it was from this revelation that her career as a kosher
chef was born. A lively and entertaining presenter, Chef Laura teaches
kosher cooking classes for adults and children at Spertus and across
the country, including at Chicago's Green City Market and at New York's
legendary DeGustibus cooking school. She is the author of Jewish Cooking for All Seasons: Fresh, Flavorful Kosher Recipes for Holidays and Everyday and a regular commentator--in print and on air--on all things kosher.

Curated
by April Newman, "Tasting Tradition" is directed by Amanda Delheimer of
2nd Story, a hybrid performance event that combines storytelling, wine,
and music, produced by the Serendipity Theater Collective. Three 2nd
Story storytellers, Ilana Shavanov, Michael Przygoda and Julie Ganey,
join "Tasting Tradition" to personify the history, values and memories
in food rituals.

High Holidays
runs through November 29, 2009 in the Goodman's Owen Theatre. Tickets
($10 - $40) are now on sale 312.443.3800 or GoodmanTheatre.org.
From civil rights upheaval to political cataclysm, 1963 was a pivotal
year in American cultural and political history. The changes that are
roiling the Roman family in High Holidays are more personal
and mundane, but no less earth-shattering for those involved. Billy is
terrified by the prospect of reciting from the Torah at his upcoming
Bar Mitzvah and desperate to find a way out of it. Rob is equally
desperate to find an escape from a different sort of ritual--higher
education--and embraces the growing counterculture that would come to
define the 1960s. Parents Essie and Nate feel they have sacrificed
everything to provide a decent life for their children, but are now
trapped between the expectations of their own immigrant parents and
their children's disdain for the family's suburban lifestyle.
Production Sponsors for High Holidays include the Harold and
Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust and the Goodman World Premiere Season
Sponsors M. Ann O'Brien and Randy and Lisa White, and New Works Season
Sponsors: Julie and Roger Baskes; Joan and Robert Clifford; Patricia
Cox; Eva and Michael Losacco; Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Foundation;
Karen and Richard Pigott; Alice Rapoport and Michael Sachs, Sg2; Shaw
Family Supporting Organization; and Orli and Bill Staley.

About the Goodman's Education and Community Engagement

Goodman
Theatre offers a wide variety of programming to enable Chicagoland
learners of all ages to experience theater first hand with working
professionals, teachers and artists; Willa Taylor is the Director of
Education and Community Engagement. Programs are offered to audience
members of all ages to engage in deeper explorations of the work on the
Goodman's stages. In its 24th year, the Student Subscription Series
works with over 40 Chicago public high schools each year to creatively
supplement students' reading, writing, critical thinking and
communication skills. Special matinee performances of Goodman
productions are supplemented with exclusive teacher training workshops,
educational guides and post-show discussions. CONTEXT: Discourse & Discussion
is a series designed to engage the community in debate, dialogue and
deeper exploration of themes within Goodman productions. Unlike a
traditional post-show discussion which centers on the production,
CONTEXT events focus on particular issues raised within the plays and
explore how they resonate in today's culture. Cindy Bandle Young Critics
(CBYC) is a joint venture between Goodman Theatre and the Association
for Women Journalists that introduces 11th grade girls to the art of
theater criticism and the world of professional writing. Participants
see every show in the Goodman's season, interview theater artists and
receive one-on-one mentoring from professional journalists. CBYC is
named in honor of Goodman Theatre's late, longtime Press Director,
Cindy Bandle. General Theater Studies (GTS) is a
six-week summer intensive for 14 - 19-year olds with a focus on
critical thinking, literacy, oral history and storytelling. Designed to
validate student voices, help them examine their creativity and
introduce them to the creation of theater, GTS is an ensemble-building
program that culminates in an original student performance.

About Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies

Spertus
Institute of Jewish Studies is located at 610 S Michigan Avenue in an
environmentally sustainable facility designed by Chicago's Krueck &
Sexton Architects. The building houses Spertus College, the Asher
Library, and Spertus Museum, as well as a state-of-the-art theater for
live performance and film, the innovative Gray Children's Center, space
for community events and celebrations, kosher catering facilities and a
comprehensive book and gift shop. Spertus is a Jewish institution
grounded in Jewish values that invites people of all ages and
backgrounds to explore the multifaceted Jewish experience. Through its
innovative public programming, exhibitions, collections, research
facilities and degree programs, Spertus inspires learning, serves
diverse communities and fosters understanding for Jews and people of
all faiths, locally, regionally and around the world. Spertus
Institute of Jewish Studies is a partner in serving our community,
supported by the JUF/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. Learn more at Spertus.edu.

About Goodman Theatre

Upcoming productions in the 2009/2010 Season include Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol
adapted by Tom Creamer, directed by William Brown (November 20 -
December 31, 2010; Albert); Brian Dennehy in the Broadway-bound
double-bill of Hughie by Eugene O'Neill, directed by Robert Falls and Krapp's Last Tape by Samuel Beckett, directed by Jennifer Tarver (January 16 - February 21, 2010: Albert); The Long Red Road by Brett C. Leonard, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman (February 13 - March 14, 2010; Owen) the world premiere of A True History of the Johnstown Flood by Rebecca Gilman, directed by Robert Falls (March 13 - April 18, 2010; Albert); The Good Negro by Tracey Scott Wilson, directed by Chuck Smith (May 1 - June 6, 2010; Albert); The Sins of Sor Juana
by Karen Zacarías, directed by Henry Godinez (June 19 - July 25, 2010;
Albert) which launches the Goodman's 5th Latino Theater Festival
(offerings TBA).

Named the country's "Best Regional Theatre" by Time
magazine (2003), Goodman Theatre is a leader in the American theater,
internationally recognized for its artists, productions and educational
programs since its founding in 1925. Artistic Director Robert Falls and
Executive Director Roche Schulfer's forward-thinking leadership has
earned the Goodman unparalleled artistic distinction, garnered hundreds
of awards-including the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre
(1992) and Pulitzer Prizes for Ruined by Lynn Nottage and Glengarry
Glen Ross by David Mamet-and moved dozens of plays from Chicago to
stages in New York and abroad. Central to its commitment to the
reinvestigation of classics and development of new plays and artists is
the Goodman's Artistic Collective, including Brian Dennehy, Frank
Galati, Henry Godinez, Steve Scott, Chuck Smith, Regina Taylor and Mary
Zimmerman. The largest not-for-profit theater in Chicago, the Goodman
moved in 2000 into a brand new state-of-the-art complex which houses
two principal theaters: the 856-seat Albert Ivar Goodman Theatre and
the 400-seat flexible Owen Bruner Goodman Theatre. Board Chairman is
Patricia Cox and Karen Pigott is President of the Women's Board.
American Airlines is the Exclusive Airline of Goodman Theatre.

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