Goodman Theatre Presents HIGH HOLIDAYS 10/31-11/29

Goodman Theatre is proud to present the world premiere of Alan Gross's High Holidays directed by Steven Robman, October 31 - November 29, 2009 in the Goodman's 400-seat flexible Owen Bruner Theatre.

Tickets are $10 - $40 and go on sale Friday, September 11 at GoodmanTheatre.org. This darkly comic and boisterous look at growing up in the Chicago suburbs during the early sixties is the story of 13-year old Billy Roman and the rollicking, anxiety-riddled preparations for his Bar Mitzvah.

When Billy's rebellious older brother returns from college during the Jewish high holidays, his family begins to wobble and crack as it is forced to examine some hard truths about coming of age in the Jewish tradition.

A Chicago native, playwright Alan Gross is the author of a dozen plays, including Lunching, The Phone Room, The Conversion of Leo Novotny, La Brea Tarpits, The Man in 605, Morning Call and The Secret Life of American Poets. He has also written several books for children, most notably What if the Teacher Calls on Me? A prize-winning poet, he resides in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood with his wife, Norma.

Director Steven Robman returns to the Goodman where he directed the premiere of Ron Hutchinson's Moonlight and Magnolias in 2004. Other work in Chicago includes Hutchinson's Rat in the Skull at Wisdom Bridge Theatre and the revival of Alan Gross' Lunching for the Apollo Group. He has staged plays at other theaters around the United States (Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Arena Stage in Washington, Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Actors Theatre of Louisville and Yale Repertory Theatre) and in New York (Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizons, Chelsea Theater Center and The Phoenix Theater, where he served as Artistic Director from 1980 to 1982). Robman also has directed premieres by Wendy Wasserstein, D.L. Coburn, Fay Weldon, Adrian Mitchell and Alan Knee. He served as a staff director at the Eugene O'Neill Center's National Playwrights Conference for five summers. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and the Yale School of Drama, Robman has taught acting and directing at Yale University, Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York, UCLA Extension and the American Film Institute. For television he has directed numerous episodes of dramatic and comedy series, movies-of-the-week and the ABC miniseries The Audrey Hepburn Story.

Tickets to High Holidays are currently available by season subscription (www.ExploreTheGoodman.org or call 312.443.3800).

Individual Tickets ($10 - $40) go on sale Friday, September 11 (online at GoodmanTheatre.org) and Monday, September 14 (by phone at 312.443.3800). Season subscriptions and individual tickets can also be purchased at the box office (170 North Dearborn).

are half-price mezzanine tickets available at 12 noon at the box office, and at 10am online (promo code MEZZTIX) day of performance; Mezztix are not available by telephone. 10Tix are $10 mezzanine tickets for students available at 12 noon at the box office, and at 10am online on the day of performance; 10Tix are not available by telephone. Valid student I.D. must be presented when picking up the tickets. Limit four per student with I.D. All tickets are subject to availability and handling fees apply. Discounted Group Tickets for 10 persons or more are available at 312.443.3820.