WHO: Created in response to the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, 8 Nights of EIGHT NIGHTS…
WHAT: …presents a benefit Reading & Panel Discussion with Jeff Awards-winning and -nominated producers, actors, and directors to raises awareness and funds for HIAS.
WHEN: Sunday, September 22
- 12:00 p.m. Reading Begins
- 2:00 p.m. Panel Discussion Begins
WHERE: City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph, Chicago
ABOUT: EIGHT NIGHTS tells the story of a nineteen-year-old German-Jewish refugee, Rebecca Blum, as she forges a new life in America after surviving a concentration camp. Gracefully weaving heart-aching moments with dark yet life-affirming humor, the play takes place over the eight nights of Hanukkah, spanning eight decades of her life. EIGHT NIGHTS explores the refugee experience, not just of Jewish immigrants, but also the trauma mirrored in the African American community, the interned Japanese citizens, and the current Syrian crisis.
MORE: The 8 Nights of EIGHT NIGHTS plan came into focus in the wake of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. Rachel Leventhal, long-time collaborator of Maisel’s, had attended a reading of Eight Nights at Antaeus Theatre in Los Angeles, and approached Maisel about producing a series of readings to benefit HIAS. “I couldn’t get the play out of my mind,” Leventhal explained, “I was so struck by the story’s relevance to this moment in history. In the year that has passed since this attack, current events have sadly continued to underscore the importance of remembering the events of the past, to actively work against repeating them.
A Panel Discussion following the reading will be moderated by Cara Greene Epstein (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), along with Jessica Schaffer, the director of HIAS Immigration & Citizenship (part of JCFS Chicago’s family of services), EIGHT NIGHTS playwright Jennifer Maisel, and Bernard Chersakov, who came to America as a refugee and is now the Chief Operating Officer of Cradles to Crayons.