THE INVASION OF SKOKIE Begins Today at Mayer Kaplan JCC of the Jewish Community Center of Chicago

ShPIeL-Performing Identity has announced the North Shore theatrical premiere of The Invasion of Skokie, by Steven Peterson and directed by Rachel Edwards Harvith at the theatre in the Mayer Kaplan JCC of the Jewish Community Center of Chicago, 5050 Church Street in Skokie, IL. Previews are Wednesday, May 22, Thursday, May 23 and Saturday, May 25 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 26 at 2 p.m. Opening/press night is Wednesday, May 29 at 7 p.m. The regular performance schedule continues Thursdays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 and 7 p.m. through June 23. Preview tickets are $25. Tickets to The Invasion of Skokie are $28 and are currently on sale online at shpieltheatre.com or 800.838.3006. Student tickets are $10 to all performances, based on availability. Senior tickets are $20. Half-priced tickets are sold, one hour before curtain at box office, based on availability. Group Tickets for parties of 10 or more receive a discounted rate and are available by calling 847.814.8206. Free post-performance discussions are available Thursdays and selected additional performances. Go to http://shpieltheatre.com/ for complete post-performance discussions and the guest leaders schedule.

As a Neo-Nazi group plans a demonstration in one of the largest Holocaust survivor populations in America: Skokie, Illinois -- the demonstration generates strong opinions and headlines not just in the northern suburbs, but throughout the United States resulting in a celebrated Supreme Court case about Civil Liberties. Morry Kaplan (Neal Grofman, following his acclaimed performance in Redtwist Theatre's production of Arthur Miller's Broken Glass), a failed businessman, is outraged by this affront to the memory of the Holocaust. At the same time his daughter Debbie is falling in love with someone who is not Jewish. This drama brings the family to realizations about the value of memory, culture and identity and its survival for generations to come.

The cast of The Invasion of Skokie includes: Neal Grofman as Morry Kaplan; Sarah August Hecht as Debbie, Morry's daughter; Justine Serino as Sylvia, his wife; Josh Nordmark as Charlie, Debbie's boyfriend; and Michael Denini as Howie, the next door neighbor.

Receiving rave reviews during its initial run at Chicago Dramatists in 2010 including a three-star review from Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune, "Peterson's play offers a nuanced, warm and sympathetic portrait of a postwar, newly suburban generation...Skokie - singular, complex and yet emblematic of so much in American history - stands tall."

Artistic Director of ShPIeL-Performing Identity, David Chack, saw the 2010 production and approached award-winning playwright Steven Peterson to consider doing it in Skokie. Mr. Chack said, "I think what Steve is doing is right up ShPIeL's alley, by creating intercultural theatre coming from the history of the Skokie community. The play is a drama but it is also humorous and bittersweet, telling the poignant story of the family's desire and struggle to pass down their heritage and beliefs. In other words it is about the future! As a result of this event the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie was built." The play's director Rachel Edwards Harvith commented, "The heart of the play is the relationship between Morry and his daughter, Debbie. Both are grappling with the idea of what it means to be a Jew in contemporary America....I'm focusing on the complex dynamic between a father and daughter who love each other dearly, but are struggling to be understood and respected. It is a discussion that is as important in Jewish families today as it was in 1978."

ABOUT Steven Peterson, playwright

Steven Peterson is an award-winning playwright whose recent productions also include Three Balls Two Strikes, and That's Not What You Think. His play Paris Time won the 2012 Dorothy Silver Playwriting Competition in Cleveland bringing with it a staged reading at The Cleveland Play House in May 2012. His play Mother's House had a workshop production at Raven Theatre in Chicago in the summer of 2012. Peterson is a resident playwright alumnus of Chicago Dramatists, currently a senior network playwright there, and a member of The Dramatists Guild.

ABOUT ShPIeL - PERFORMING IDENTITY

ShPIeL - Performing Identity theatre project comes out of extensive research by David Y. Chack showing the results of specificity on identity, heritage and culture through theatre. Holding focus groups throughout Chicago, and working with Silk Road Rising theatre project, Piven Theatre, and Lookingglass Theatre, Chack founded ShPIeL-Performing Identity in 2011. Coming from Jewish roots (shpiel means "play" in Yiddish), ShPIeL's productions result from identity work and community engagement. ShPIeL has produced the Spanish-Jewish themed play Conviction with Ami Dayan and Maya Productions at Theater Wit; Belgian theatre artist Noemi Schlosser in Date Me! And Sound of Silence at Theater Wit; and a ShPIeL Showcase at N'Namdi Gallery honoring Jewish work alongside Asian-American, African-American, feminist, and Chicago historical pieces. ShPIeL is a proud recipient of the Richard H. Dreihaus Foundation Grant for small theatres.

The Invasion of Skokie, by Steven Peterson, at the theatre in the Mayer Kaplan JCC of the Jewish Community Center of Chicago, 5050 Church Street in Skokie, IL. Previews are Wednesday, May 22, Thursday, May 23 and Saturday, May 25 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 26 at 2 p.m. Opening/press night is Wednesday, May 29 at 7 p.m. The regular performance schedule continues Thursdays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 and 7 p.m. through June 23. Preview tickets are $25. Tickets to The Invasion of Skokie are $28 and are currently on sale online shpieltheatre.com or 800.838.3006. Student tickets are $10 to all performances, based on availability. Senior tickets are $20. Half-priced tickets are available, one hour before curtain at box office, based on availability. Group Tickets for parties of 10 or more receive a discounted rate and are available by calling 847.814.8206. Free post-performance discussions are available Thursdays and selected additional performances. Go to http://shpieltheatre.com/ for complete post-performance discussions and the guest leaders schedule.

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