The Irish Business Organization will be holding their Christmas Party and Premier Raffle on Wednesday December 12th at 7pm at O’Lunney’s Times Square Pub. For more information you can contact by phone at (212) 750-8118 or email info@ibonewyork.org. It promises to be a fabulous night so hurry up and book your ticket.
I am putting this in the Out&About as I think it will interest you: It’s the first night of Hanukkah, and all through the house everything is going like clockwork for secret gift-giver, Hanukkah Harvie. But i’s also Christmas Eve, and when Harvie enters a household that celebrates both Hanukkah and Christmas, he comes face-to-face with the one and only Santa Claus! When the shocked pair realize that some families appear on each of their lists, the competition is on to prove which holiday reigns supreme. The two engage in a humorous gift-giving frenzy, and in the process, discover that working together is always better than working against each other.
Hanukkah Harvie vs. Santa Claus: The Chrismukkah Kerfuffle is an amusing, heartfelt holiday tale from acclaimed author David Michael Slater, featuring gorgeous illustrations from artist Michelle Simpson. A treat for children (and adults) of all ages, Hanukkah Harvie vs. Santa Claus promotes the powerful messages of tolerance, acceptance and compromise, something — in the wake of Squirrel Hill (where David grew up) — our country needs more than ever.
David Michael Slater is an acclaimed author of over 20 books for children, teens and adults, including the hilarious comic-drama for adults, Fun & Games, a novel about growing up Jewish in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill. His nonfiction work includes 25 Ideas in Education That Just Don’t Work — And How to Fix Them.
Slater teaches middle school in Nevada, where he lives with his wife and son. He recently wrote about his personal connection to the synagogue shootings in Squirrel Hill in his AP News article, “A mass murder in Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood.” You can learn more about Slater and his work at www.davidmichaelslater.com. Very interesting am I right?
Well I am sure you know by now that the Irish Repertory Theatre have been producing some great plays throughout the year and for the Christmas Holidays you can now see A Child’s Christmas in Wales on the main stage for all the family to go and see. As well as this, you have two short plays for the price of one from the absolutely great writer Brian Friel in the aptly named Two By Friel, directed by Conor Bagley, which is playing in the W. Scott McLucas Studio Theatre until December 23rd.
Two young lovers look toward the future. Two paramours live for the present. Two by Friel juxtaposes two short plays by Irish master Brian Friel: Lovers: Winners (1967) and The Yalta Game (2001). Each piece centers on a couple in the blossoming stage of romance; they build worlds of imagination, possibility, and hope – pushing away the encroaching realities that threaten to extinguish their love.
Lovers: Winners follows the story of Mag and Joe, two teenage lovers who meet at the top of a hill to study for their final examinations, make plans for their upcoming wedding, and prepare for the child they are expecting. Meanwhile, two narrators relate the darker events surrounding that day.
In The Yalta Game, adapted from Chekhov’s short story “The Lady with the Lapdog,” Dmitry and Anna fall in love while on vacation from their spouses. In their courting, Dmitry teaches Anna about the Yalta game—a game in which visitors invent stories about the people they see in the square. But is their love—is any love—real or imagined? Forever or ephemeral?This evening will explore the nature of love, the power of the imagination, the stories we believe, and those we brush aside.
Conor Bagley is a New York-based director and producer who, seven years ago, saw a Friel play at the Irish Rep. That play changed his life and made him want to direct for the stage. He couldn’t be prouder to be making his Irish Rep directorial debut with these two gorgeous plays by Brian Friel.
Next week I will let you know about all the festivities that will be going on so please stay tuned and I will see you all again next week when I am Out&About.