Theater 61 Press Presents Playing Dreidel with Judah Maccabee

Theater 61 Press, a division of the Off-Broadway theater company Untitled Theater Co. #61, announces the November release of Playing Dreidel with Judah Maccabee, a play in eight scenes by Edward Einhorn. The play tells the story of Jonathan, a modern boy who mysteriously finds Judah Maccabee in an abandoned room which exists simultaneously in both Jonathan's own temple and in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. It is a celebration of Hanukkah and its ancient origins, told with gentle humor, exploring themes of: Who is a hero? and Why do we need stories?
Originally presented at the Looking Glass Theatre in New York, the book includes the original script, an introduction by the author, an essay about the history of Judah Maccabee, and a study guide for those who want to use the book as a teaching tool. The book is appropriate for both children and adults-it can be read as a play, a midrash (a form of storytelling that explores the ideas contained in ancient texts), or as an educational supplement.

Edward Einhorn is the Artistic Director of Untitled Theater Company #61, a theater of ideas: scientific, political, philosophical, and above all theatrical. He is the acclaimed author of numerous plays and books for children and adults, many of them on Jewish themes. Plays: Golem Stories, Rudolf II, A Shylock, The Living Methuselah, Drs. Jane & Alexander, Unauthorized Magic, Fairy Tales of the Absurd. Books: Paradox in Oz, The Living House of Oz, A Very Improbable Story, and Fractions in Disguise (upcoming). He was the curator for the Festival of Jewish Theater and Ideas in New York City and a former Executive Director of the Association for Jewish Theater.

Playing Dreidel with Judah Maccabee is available in trade paper for $14.95, ISBN 978-0-90770197-4-8

Theater 61 Press is a division of Untitled Theater Company #61 (UTC61), a theater of ideas: scientific, political, philosophical, and above all theatrical. All published plays have been produced Off- and Off-Off-Broadway in New York by UTC61. Earlier releases from Theater 61 Press have been The Golem, Methuselah, and Shylock, a set of plays about legendary Jewish characters; a new adaptation of Lysistrata; and The Velvet Oratorio, an oratorio written for the Performing Revolutions Festival at Lincoln Center. This Spring, Theater 61 Press will be releasing five volumes of new translations of plays by former Czech president Václav Havel, as part of the ongoing UTC61 relationship with Havel since the 2006 Havel Festival.

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