Old Jews Telling Jokes

Maude Adams Theater Hub (MATH) is proud to present Old Jews Telling Jokes by Peter Gethers in Hunter, New York this October! Get ready for side splitting humor and a religiously good time as this intimate cast of local characters Schvitz and Kvetch their way through some of Judaism’ Greatest Hits!

Old Jews Telling Jokes is a surprisingly poignant and equally hilarious anthology of some of the best jokes and tales collected straight from the mouth of some of the east coast’s oldest and curmudgeon-y-est Jews. What began as a film project documenting the stories of native Jerseyans and New Yorkers over 65 quickly grew into, for a time, one of YouTube’s biggest channels. After that, Old Jews Telling Jokes became a cultural archive of some of the most painfully long winded and uniquely clever jokes, both Jewish and Goyim.

The restaging of this iconic play will be directed by Jake Shipley, a newly local Ashkenaz who has heard these exact jokes told since he was in diapers and a Kippah. Shipley is a new member of the Maude Adams Theater Hub lineup. Originally a comic and writer, this will be his directorial debut for staged theater.

“I’ve had the great fortune of being inducted into this community and discovering for myself, as so many directors have before me, the immense pool of talent that resides in these mountains,” says Shipley. “I can’t wait to share with you their wit and Chutzpah. Jewish or not.”

Old Jews Telling Jokes runs for two nights on Friday, October 4 and Saturday, October 5. Join us at 7:00 pm at Catskill Mountain Foundation’s Doctorow Center for the Arts, 7971 Main Street, Hunter, NY 12442. Purchase tickets at catskillmtn.org

ABOUT MAUDE ADAMS THEATER HUB

Maude Adams Theater Hub (MATH), a program of the Catskill Mountain Foundation, is a community-centric performing arts organization dedicated to finding, supporting, and creating opportunities for experiencing the joy of theater. Founded in 2022, MATH is located in Hunter, NY, and has helped develop over 20 performances since its creation.

ABOUT CATSKILL MOUNTAIN FOUNDATION

The Catskill Mountain Foundation’s (CMF) aim is to provide educational opportunities in the arts for youth and lifelong learners, to bring the experience of the arts to the Catskill community, and to support artists and art organizations in the development of their work through residencies. Since its founding in 1998, CMF has presented hundreds of music, dance, and theater performances; screened over 1,000 films to tens of thousands of audience members; provided studio arts classes to thousands of students of all ages; and served thousands of art-loving patrons in the Catskill Mountain Foundation Gift Shop.

Since 1998, CMF has raised, generated, and invested close to $16 million in facility development and an excess of $42 million in programming operations, for a total investment in the Catskill community of over $58 million. CMF believes that the arts can transform the lives of those touched by it and can transform the community. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Visit our website at catskillmtn.org.