Short Story Theatre To Share Stories From Local Storytellers In July

Short Story Theatre will present an evening of five warm, wise and wonderful true stories told mostly by Highland Park current and former residents on Thursday, July 18th at 7:30 p.m. at The Art Center Highland Park, 1957 Sheridan Rd. in Highland Park.  

Judy Yacker of Highland Park shares her story “Wabi-Sabi.”  An unlikely object serves as a powerful reminder of the hidden depths of a marriage and relationship. 

Highland Parker, Rick Leslie, a co-founder of Short Story Theatre presents his story “I Caressed a Naked Woman Without Touching Her.” You meet a girl one minute.  The next she starts undressing, so you do the same. What comes next?  

Lou Greenwald, also of Highland Park, recalls a story of how his five-year-old son taught him a fact of life.  His story: “Watch Your Kids.”

Another Highland Park resident, Judith MK Kaufman, tells a story of self-discovery - “Of Poets, Bitches and Bonfires.”  Even a New York liberal can be subject to her own prejudices, ultimately judging a book by its cover. 

Holly Birnbaum and Patrick Curtin, both of Chicago, with roots in Highland Park, tell a story together. A serendipitous choice reconnected these two people whose last encounter was mired in scandal under Ravinia's forested canopy 58 years ago. 

Short Story Theatre was founded in 2012 and is dedicated to promoting storytelling as a vibrant, contemporary art form. Co-founder and Producer Donna Lubow says, “Stories are creative non-fiction, based on personal experiences.  Our troupe of more than sixty members from Chicago and the northern suburbs melds writing skills and performance skills to entertain and inspire audiences.” 

Tickets are $15: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/story-theatre-presents-five-stories-that-will-make-you-laugh-cry-and-touch-your-heart-tickets-921880388057.

PRODUCER/EMCEE

Donna Lubow co-founded Short Story Theatre 13 years ago.  She has taught drama to all ages, and has directed over 30 shows for various theatres. A former high school English teacher, magazine editor, and copywriter, a co-founder of Highland Park Players, Theatre in the Woods in Riverwoods, and ARTicuLIT Readers Theatre, she also enjoys reading and writing stories and poetry, and doing mosaics, collages, and other art projects.  During the pandemic, she created a neighborhood newspaper, which was featured in The New York Times.  Donna and her husband Michael, who assists behind the scenes with Short Story Theatre, reside in Riverwoods, but often travel to New York, Miami, and LA, where their children and grandchildren live.

STORYTELLERS 

(in alphabetical order)

Holly Birnbaum worked for the late, great Dick Orkin in the ‘70s, producing comedy radio and syndicated shows like the legendary “Chickenman.” When they moved to LA, she moved to Paris. Starting out as a nanny, she worked many jobs, and volunteered with a non-profit that sent her to visit Refuseniks in the USSR in 1979, bringing books, mail and hope. Upon her return, she worked as a writer and strategist in public-interest PR. In 2005 she co-founded Thoughtly Crew, providing creative thinkers to power up ideation teams. She told her first story with Short Story Theatre after rewiring in 2018, and has since told stories with 2nd Story and Do Not Submit, inspired by classes with The Goodman Theatre's GeNarrations series.

Patrick Curtin is a native Chicagoan who discovered improv and storytelling in his mature years. His role models are Grandma Moses, Quentin Crisp and Betty White. He is a native Chicagoan that lives with his spouse, Armand. He hones his storytelling skills at Goodman Theatre's GeNarrations program and the Irish American Heritage Center. He shares stories in a variety of venues including Steppenwolf Theater, Second City and The Moth.

Judith MK Kaufman, poet and memoirist, began writing creatively in mid-life. Now retired, Judith was Editor-in-Chief of the journal, East on Central, for 23 years. Her work has been published in Poetica, Collage, and the Journal of Modern Poetry and on several online sites. A family memoir, Caught Laughing: the Esther and Bernie Story, was published in 2017. Now in the works is a collection of poetry about her grandchildren, tentatively titled The Cookie Jar.

Louis Greenwald was dragged to the National Storytelling Festival by his wife Susie in 1985. Since then he has attended ‘millions' of storytelling events, produced 7 concerts and tells stories as often as audiences will put up with him. He has won 2 Moth Story Slams, and has told stories in Chicago, Highwood, Highland Park, Glencoe, Madison and Phoenix, AZ His mentor is world famous Storyteller Donald Davis.  The first story he told was under the direction of Donna Lubow of Short Story Theatre.

Rick Leslie is a co-founder of Short Story Theatre, and has been telling stories for more than 40 years, from composing songs and writing ads to producing network news and making TV documentaries.  In his travels he has shared Thanksgiving with the Navajos, ridden with the Canadian Mounties and been exposed to Cosmic Dust at NASA.   His creative non-fiction has appeared in various literary magazines, including the Connecticut Review and Confluence.  Rick's story is from his book: “I Pissed in Some Guy's Bottle of…”, which will be available soon at Amazon.  

Judy Yacker recently retired after a long career as a speech-language pathologist and, previously, a high school English teacher.  She has spent the past year learning Spanish, taking (and facilitating!) writing workshops, doing Pilates, playing pickleball, and traveling; in short, doing all the things she didn't have time for when she was working. She lives in Highland Park with her husband Scott, and her dog Kiwi; her grown-up sons, Colin and Bryan, having flown the coop. She is honored and humbled to have an opportunity to tell her story with such talented storytellers.

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