“Mad Men” Meets Brighton Beach In Jewish Plays Project Reading

The acclaimed Jewish Plays Project will bring an incredible story of intergenerational and cultural conflict to life in a workshop reading of "How to Conquer America-A Mostly True History of Yogurt" on Monday, December 10, at 7:30 p.m. at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. General admission tickets are $15 and VIP tickets are $30, which also includes a pre-event reception with the JPP artistic director, David Winitsky, playwright David Myers, the cast, and Jeffrey Rothman, vice president of marketing & portfolio acceleration at Danone North America. Visit jccmanhattan.org or call 646.505.5708 to reserve your tickets.

The story begins in 1919, when Turkish Jew Yitzak Kharasu started Danone, several years after he immigrated to Spain. It would eventually become the Dannon yogurt company in the U.S. In 1977, Arlene Hoffman disrupted the Mad Men era industry and created a TV ad campaign that ultimately helped transform Dannon into a $1 billion business. These two true stories collide to show us how far we will go for our families, and what we leave behind in the process.

"When I first saw Arlene's ad campaign, one of the elderly women in the commercial reminded me of my own bubby, and I got nostalgic and wanted to learn more," said Myers. "My research evolved into a play that explores culture across generations and how a food like yogurt can have a huge impact on our lives and society."

The reading will feature actors Larisa Polonsky ("Person of Interest," "Chicago Fire"), Ronald Guttman ("The Hunt for Red October," "Mad Men"), Daniel Abeles ("The Good Wife," "Blue Bloods"), Geoffrey Cantor ("Daredevil," "Side Man"), Guillermo Arribas ("Beyond the Night," "Central Park"), and Adrienne Nelson ("House of Cards, All the Way").

Immediately following the reading, the audience will be treated to a gourmet yogurt bar, generously provided by Danone North America, featuring Dannon, Oikos, and Wallaby yogurt brands, along with a variety of toppings, including fresh fruit, granola, coconut flakes, nuts, and more.

The Jewish Plays Project puts bold, progressive Jewish conversations on world stages. JPP's innovative and competitive development vehicle invests emerging artists in their Jewish identity; engages Jewish communities in the vetting, selecting, and championing of new voices; and secures mainstream production opportunities for the best new plays. JPP's signature method is Jewish Dramaturgy: matching the best minds in the Jewish community with the best 21st-century Jewish plays. If you are interested in becoming a Jewish Dramaturg or an investor in JPP's mission, please visit jewishplaysproject.org.

Dannon is a brand of Danone North America, which is a Certified B Corporation business unit of Danone and operates in the U.S. from headquarter offices in White Plains, NY and Broomfield, CO. Danone North America was formed as a Public Benefit Corporation in 2017 to nourish people, communities and the world through its diverse portfolio of healthful dairy- and plant-based products, coffee creamers and beverages. Its portfolio of brands includes: Activia, DanActive, Danimals, Dannon, Danonino, Danone, Earthbound Farm, Horizon Organic premium dairy products, International Delight coffee creamers and iced coffee, Light & Fit, Oikos Greek yogurt, Silk plant-based foods and beverages, So Delicious Dairy Free, Vega and Wallaby Organic. The mission of the Company is to bring health through food to as many people as possible. For more information, please visit Dannonyogurt.com and DanoneNorthAmerica.com.

Together with its community, the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan creates opportunities for people to connect, grow, and learn within an ever-changing Jewish landscape. Located at 76th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, the JCC is a vibrant non-profit community center on the Upper West Side. The cornerstone of progressive programming in Manhattan, the JCC serves over 55,000 people annually through 1,200 programs each season that educate, inspire, and transform participants' minds, bodies, and spirits. Since its inception, the JCC has been committed to serving the community by offering programs, classes, and events that reach beyond neighborhood boundaries, reaching people at all stages of their lives. Learn more at jccmanhattan.org.