Kirjahaku

1m, 2f / Comedy / Unit Set In Half and Half, James Sherman explores marriages past and present in two related one-act plays. In the first act, set at a breakfast in 1970, the breadwinner husband reads the newspaper and the homemaker wife fries the eggs. In act two, at a breakfast taking place this morning, the career-minded wife reads the paper and the stay-at-home husband cooks the frittata. With his unique comic insight, Sherman looks at how husbands and wives accept and reject their roles, how their roles have changed and, how their roles just might be changing back. The same three actors portray the age appropriate roles in each act, creating an interesting parallel between the two generations, making for a very poignant comedy about marriage.

Comedy Characters: 4 male, 2 female Interior Set Sarah is a nice Jewish girl with a problem: her parents want her married to a nice Jewish boy. They have never met her boyfriend, a WASP executive named Chris Kringle. She tells them she is dating a Jewish doctor and they insist on meeting him. She plans a dinner party and, over the heated protests of Chris, employs an escort service to send her a Jewish date to be Dr. Steinberg. Instead, they send Bob Schroeder, an aspiring actor who agrees to perform the impersonation. Happily, he is extremely convincing in the role and Sarah's parents are enraptured. Soon, even Sarah falls for Bob. "A light, sweet romantic comedy."-Chicago Tribune "Hilarious and quite moving. Sherman wonderfully blends farce with a genuine insight."-Chicago Sun Times "Very funny...The well crafted play has a lot to say about nuclear families of any ethnic persuasion."-Wall Street Journal

Characters: 4 male, 3 female Interior In Relatively Close, James Sheridan scrutinizes human relationships by inviting us to the summer home of one quirky and quarrelsome extended family. But then, what family isn't? Three sisters return to the house on the shores of Lake Michigan where they spent the summers of their youth. Now, the sisters are grown, their parents are gone, and the house is just sitting there. One sister wants to keep it, one sister wants to sell it, and one sister just wants everyone to get along. They each have brought a husband combining three men with very little hope of finding any common ground. And one sister has one very disgruntled teenage son in tow who may be the hope for the future or the downfall of the present. "Warm, witty, and hilariously engaging." - Southtown Star "A comedic doppleganger of August: Osage County." - Daily Herald "Filled with laughs from start to finish!" - TheatreInChicago.com

"My wife and I have a close relationship with a few of Jim Sherman's children. We've had the privilege of spending a weekend up on Maple Ridge to witness the interaction between Jim and his family. I have personally been a benefactor of his wisdom through stories and have seen the product of his life's lessons in real-life scenarios as he so eloquently shares in these essays. As a father of three and Jim's friend, I can say that these essays are useful, interesting, helpful, and entertaining. I'm thankful that he has decided to share this with the world." -Kelley Bremer, Business Owner"Growing up as Jim Sherman's son, I am both the subject and recipient of many of his fatherhood stories. The more humorous have been retold to family and friends over the years to the point that the entire family can tell them with as much gusto and embellishment as the original storyteller. Reading them as a collection for the first time, I see the impact the underlying principles have had on me as a parent and as a man. Read these essays. Laugh along with us. More importantly, ponder the wisdom contained as you strive to live your life fully." -Chris ShermanWritten by a practicing pediatrician, Essays on Fatherhood is an insight into author James Sherman's experiences and lessons learned over many years of parenting eight children. With a 40-year perspective, it reflects on early decisions made and directions taken, with the realization that a different decision might have been made, if only James had known. It is sometimes amusing, sometimes sad, sometimes confounding, sometimes trivial, and sometimes profound. And overarching all else, there is a clear message that while parenting is the most difficult job of all, it is the most rewarding Readers will have the opportunity to share in James's parenting journey, and they can also learn wisdom for their own parenting decisions. Readers who have struggles with their children's choices, with the emotional upheaval of adolescence, or with the uncertainty of how to protect their children while allowing them to gain independence can find comfort in the common journey of a father and pediatrician who has shared those experiences.

Bu (short for Benjamin) looks forward to his special morning routine with his father. But one morning, something surprising happens: Bu loses his tickle He decides to look for it and worries that the loss may change his relationship with his father. Delightful illustrations highlight this sweet and loving story of a father and his youngest son.