Jewish Studies Program presents reading of 'Enough to Go'

The Jewish Studies Program will present a staged-reading of the new-old play "Enough to Go" by former Ithaca resident Fred Peretz Cohn on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m. in Barnes Hall on the Cornell Campus. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The public is invited, and while tickets are not required, reservations can be made at www.tinyurl.com/enough-to-go.

The reading will be directed by Cornell alumnus and Visiting Lecturer David Winitsky ’94, and will feature former Kitchen Theater Artistic Director Rachel Lampert, local arts activists Marjorie Hoffman and Lenny Rosenfield, and a starring turn by Professor Jonathan Boyarin, the Paul and Bertha Hendrix Director of Jewish Studies.

What will happen to the last decaying tenement building on a once-vibrant New York City block? Where will the Super, the old Super, and the last few residents go? Why are there Jaffa oranges falling out of the cabinets? And has anyone checked on that faulty fuse in the basement?

"Though not autobiographical,” says playwright Cohn, “Enough to Go is deeply rooted in my lifelong exposure to, and appreciation of Jewish humor, family, and culture. I am deeply grateful to Jonathan Boyarin, David Winitsky, the actors and staff who have made this production possible."

Winitsky, who directed his undergrad thesis production in Barnes Hall 25 years ago, is thrilled to return to Cornell. “If you’ve ever been to the Bronx, or had a pastrami on rye from an authentic New York deli, then this play is for you,” he said.

Winitsky is a Broadway, off-Broadway and regional theater veteran, and the founder of the Jewish Plays Project, the nation's leading development center for 21st Century Jewish theater. He currently teaches “Sitcom Jews: Ethnic Representation on Television” at Cornell.

The cast includes Eric Brooks in the lead role of Irving Cohen. Brooks is a veteran of many productions at Ithaca’s Kitchen Theatre Company and a member of the Cherry Collective. Devoted soap opera fans may remember him as Dr. Louis Darnell on the beloved soap opera, Guiding Light.

This production is sponsored by the Cornell Jewish Studies Program. For more information, visit jewishstudies.cornell.edu.