For immediate release:
Panel Discussion on Yiddish Theatre
to Inaugurate Cal State L.A.'s
Jewish Studies Program
Los Angeles, CA -- The College of Arts and Letters at California State University, Los Angeles, presents a panel discussion, The Legacy of the Yiddish Theatre in Contemporary Entertainment, to kick off its Jewish Studies Program. This free event will take place on Thursday, January 13, 7 p.m., at the State Playhouse on the Cal State L.A. campus. A reception will follow immediately.
Organized by Cal State L.A.'s M.A. theater candidate Brad Lemack, the panel brings together contemporary artists, producers and writers to explore the ways the entertainment we consume today has been influenced by classic live and filmed Yiddish theatrical productions. Panelists will include Sabell Bender and Barbara Minkus. Lemack is a talent manager, entertainment publicist and faculty member for Boston's Emerson College, based in Los Angeles.
Educator Sabell Bender is regarded by many as one of the foremost experts on Yiddish theatre in North America. Bender's late husband was a key participant in the ARTEF (Arbeter Teater Farband) in New York, and later, they both performed in Yiddish theatre in Los Angeles.
Actress Barbara Minkus has extensively researched the life of Yiddish theatre and crossover star Molly Picon. She portrayed Picon in a highly successful off-Broadway musical called Picon Pie. Minkus is currently preparing to star in a new musical on the life on Jennie Grossinger, who was instrumental in giving a home to Yiddish comics in the Catskills when they first ventured from New York City.
The University is located at the Eastern Avenue exit, San Bernardino Freeway, at the interchange of the 10 and 710 Freeways. Public (permit dispensers) parking is available on the top level of Parking Structure II, at the north end of campus. Cost is $.50 per hour for parking. For reservations or more information on the panel discussion, call the Cal State L.A. College of Arts and Letters at (323) 343-4001.
Jewish Studies Program at Cal State L.A.
This occasion inaugurates the Jewish Studies Program (JSP) at Cal State L.A., an endowment to underwrite classes, research and public events that present the contributions of the Jewish community to the values, culture and history of America. A component program of the National Endowment for the Humanities-sponsored American Communities Program at Cal State L.A., the JSP promotes an understanding of the nature and continuing evolution of American Identity.
WORKING FOR CALIFORNIA -- California State University, Los Angeles is a comprehensive university at the heart of a major metropolitan city. The 175-acre hilltop campus is located five miles east of Los Angeles' civic and cultural center. Since 1947, Cal State L.A. has been a leader in providing quality higher education. Today, the campus comprises a faculty of internationally recognized scholars and artists, and more than 20,000 students with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds that reflect the city's dynamic mix of populations. Cal State L.A. is one of 23 campuses in the CSU system. The University is noted for the Luckman Fine Arts Complex and critically-acclaimed Luckman Jazz Orchestra; its focus on alternative energy technology; the unique Early Entrance Program for gifted youngsters; the first of its kind Charter College of Education; and a renowned forensic science graduate program, among many others.
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