Guilty Parties

May 5 – 22, 2018

A wild ride through the guilt of a new generation. From the things we should have done to actions we regret.

PODCAST

Listen to Guilty Parties (Abridged) on the JWT Podcast

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PRESS

DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE HERE

THE PROGRAM

Produced by Ronda Spinak
NEXT Executive Director Abbe Meryl Feder
Directed by Lisa Cirincione
South Bay Producer Liz Altman
SF Bay Area Producer Carol Kirsh
NEXT Producers Julie Gumpert & Devan Liljedah
NEXT Literary Team Vicki Schairer, Daphna Shull & Monique Lopez
NEXT Marketing Andrew Fromer
JWT Producing Director Susan Morgenstern
Literary Manager Suzanna Kaplan
Dramaturge Lisa Rosenbaum
Assistant Producer/Stage Manager Barbara Koletsky
Associate Producers Susie Yuré and Rose Ziff
Artistic Director Ronda Spinak
Artistic Associate Daphna Shull

This show is made possible with generous support from the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, The Erwin Rautenberg Foundation and The Dennis Schuman Charitable Foundation.

Confessions

Compiled by Vicki Schairer. Performed by the ensemble.

Making My First Deal
Written by David Masello. Performed by Rosie Moss and Judy Carter.

I Tried to Order Coffee During a Date,
But Had a Crisis About Systemic Bias Instead
Written by Elana Spivack. Performed by Chelsea London Lloyd, Nathan Bock, and Judy Carter.

Our Neighbor
Written by Dan Shotz and Emily Jaffe. Performed by Nathan Bock, Nadège August, and Rosie Moss.

M.O.B.
Written by Jessica Luck. Performed by Judy Carter and Rosie Moss.

Pact with Gad
Written by Andy Mizrahi. Adapted by Andrew Fromer and Vicki Shairer for JWT. Performed by Nathan Bock. Directed by Vicki Schairer.

Save The Last Dance For Me
Written by Courtenay Edelhart. Performed by Nadège August, Rosie Moss, and Judy Carter.

The Number
Written by Barbara Blumenthal-Ehrlich. Performed by Nathan Block and Chelsea London Lloyd.

Beware
Music and lyrics by The Rosannah Sisters. Performed by Rosie Moss.

Finding Love Before You’re Dead
Written and performed by Judy Carter.

Q & A POST SHOW

ARTIST BIOS

LIZ ALTMAN (South Bay Producer) wrote “Almost a Sacrifice,” previously performed at the JWT salon Unknown Stories of Biblical Proportions. Other credits include song lyrics for activities at the University of Michigan and the Dallas Bar Follies; and co-directing, co-writing, and performing in the annual SMU law school follies. JWT: Advisory board member and South Bay producer. Professional: vice president of a real estate company. Hobbies: tennis, art, and travel. Special love to her muse, Louis.

NADÈGE AUGUST (Actor) is the creator and writer of the series Bougie Dilemma, on Amazon.
Partial theater credits: Antaeus Theatre, Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Émilie) and Wedding Band (Mattie); Odyssey Theatre, Sunset Baby (Nina; NAACP Best Lead Actress Nomination); Odyssey Theatre, Desire Under the Elms (Abbie Putnam; Best Supporting Female nominations); Lower Depth
Theatre, Three Sisters After Chekhov (Jean); Gardner Stages, Silent Heroes (Felicia). Television: Alex, Inc (recurring role, ABC); guest star on Key & Peele, Castle, Criminal Minds, Dexter, 1600 Penn, Happy Endings, Mr. Sunshine, The Mentalist, Make It or Break It, The Unit. Series regular on SilverLake (pilot). Films & MOW: Out of Time, Undercover Bridesmaid, Raven’s Touch, The Last Letter, The Brothers, Runt, Princess Diaries 2. Lifetime member of the Actors Studio; member of the Television Academy.

BARBARA BLUMENTHAL-EHRLICH (Writer) Productions include NY International Fringe Festival, off-Broadway Theatre Row (Prod.Tony-winning Arielle Tepper Madover), Northern Light (Edmon- ton, Canada), Overtime (San Antonio), Forward Flux (Seattle), Trustus (Columbia, S.C.), Trinity
Rep (Providence), and more. Contributing writer to the 2017 national tour The Grief Dialogues. NYC: Playwrights Horizons, Roundabout, Second Stage, EST, ARACAworks, Stella Adler, Rattlestick. Regionally: Kennedy Center, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Geva, Victory Gardens, Elephant Theatre, The Blank, Rogue Machine, Hangar, among others. Won the Beverly Hills Theatre Guild Julie Harris Playwriting Award, the Israel Baran Award, and was a runner-up for the Sundance Playwriting Lab, O’Neill Playwrights Conference, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, the Heideman Award, and Princess Grace Fellowship. Sister Sister was nominated for Edmonton’s Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award, and Still Life was nominated for the Susan Smith Blackburn Award and posted on the Kilroy List (honor- able mention). Published by Smith & Kraus and Applause Books.

NATHAN BOCK (Actor) grew up in Denver, Colorado, and attended Denver School of the Arts before continuing his training at NYU’s Tisch School and graduating with a BFA in theater. In 2010, as asso- ciate artistic director, he helped launch Visionbox Studio, now Denver Academy of Dramatic Art, and collaborated in the production of two original works, My Two Sisters and The Othello Project, along with classes and showcases. He moved to L.A. in 2015 and has been in a number of short films and TV proj- ects, including People Magazine Investigates on the Investigation Discovery Channel and Evil Things on TLC. He is excited to be back on stage and thanks Lisa, the producers, and the rest of the cast. @ nathanbockactor on social media. See clips of his work at vimeo.com/nathanbockactor.

JUDY CARTER (Actor/Writer) At an early age, Judy discovered that the messes in her life made great comedy material, leading her to a career working as a headlining standup comic performing with Jerry Seinfeld, Prince, and others. As an author, Judy doesn’t like to brag, but she did write the Bible. No joke, she’s the author of The Comedy Bible (Simon & Schuster), touted by Oprah Winfrey as the book that can show you how to be funnier. Judy’s new book, The Message of You (St. Martin’s Press), shows how to find your signature life story and use it to inspire others. Judy’s message of using humor as a transformational tool has made her a sought-after international keynote speaker for Fortune 500 companies and the Jewish Federation, as well as a regular contributor to NPR’s All Things Considered, The Wall Street Journal and CNN. Watch videos at judycarter.com.

 

LISA CIRINCIONE (Director & NEXT Member) a proud JWT artist-in-residence, is thrilled to be working with this incredible team. Lisa produced and stars in the short film Porcupine, which made its World Premiere at the Newport Beach Film Festival and has now played on screens around the globe. Lisa recently shot an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! with NBA Legend, Mr. Ron Artest, and can be seen in the comedy web-series, Mrs. Gary, for which she won Best Supporting Actress at The Los Angeles Web Festival. She received LA WEEKLY and LA Drama Critic’s Circle nominations for playing consultant, she engaged multidisciplinary stakeholders to design, pilot, scale and evaluate innovative programs improving contraceptive access at local, state and national levels that became replicable models. She launched Pharmacy Forward, the nation’s first leadership program for pharmacists in reproductive health. She previously worked in management consulting for Kaiser Permanente and as clinic manager for Planned Parenthood Los Angeles. She holds a Masters in Public Health from UCLA and is an alumna of CA Women’s Policy Institute and Center for Collaborative Planning’s Leadership Institute.

DEVAN LILJEDAHL (NEXT Producer) is an actor, producer, and theater junkie. She attended the University of Redlands where she fell in love with the stage (and page) and received her degree in creative writing. Her native Southern California roots mean she’s perpetually cold and often in a sweater. Her previous work as IKAR’s membership and operations manager solidified her pas- sion for details and behind-the-scenes curation. Currently she co-produces a monthly storytelling show, Breaker/Broken, where heartbreak and hilarity are woven together in a perfect mix. Devan is thrilled to be a part of NEXT@TheBraid and looks forward to the incredible productions ahead.

MONIQUE G. LOPEZ (NEXT Literary Team) has, for the past 12 years, worked as a social-justice planner and policy advocate on a variety of issues, such as transportation justice, environmental justice, and public-space access throughout Southern California. A few of her most notable accom- plishments include leading the participatory design process of a 14-acre public space in the eastern Coachella Valley and working with a broad coalition of advocates and residents to help secure more than $120 million in transit and active transportation investments in San Diego. Early in her career, she co-authored an environmental-justice ballot initiative to prohibit the importation and disposal of sewage sludge into Imperial County (which was passed by 68% of voters) and played an integral role in coordinating a successful grassroots political campaign. Now based in L.A., Monique teaches college students about social-justice planning and policy advocacy and is developing a new partic- ipatory planning and public-policy firm called Pueblo. As an avid storyteller, Monique understands and values the power of the arts to propel advocacy and shift the narrative.

CHELSEA LONDON LLOYD (Actor) grew up extensively involved with musical theater and is thrilled to return to the stage this year. Most recently she played Maria in the West Coast premiere of My Big Gay Italian Funeral (Defiance Theatre Co.). Her Alaska Airlines commercial currently plays on Virgin flights throughout America and has 5M views. Recent screen credits include Barry (HBO) and the feature film Trial (Lifetime Movie Network). This year she’s hosted Macy’s Pre-Prom Party Live anda Star Wars/Hot Wheels campaign for Fullscreen. Lloyd holds a BA in theater from the University of Southern California. www.ChelsWhoElse.com.

JESSICA LUCK (Writer) has had work performed at Primary Stages, the Playground Experiment, ESPA, TinyRhino, Playwrights at the Grand, Red Caravan, and the Big Apple Theater Festival. Her short play, Lilies, was published by Smith & Kraus. Jessica is a graduate of Yale College and was a Louise Rockwell Scholar at ESPA/ Primary Stages. As an actor, she recently performed in the pre- mieres of Lisa Lampanelli’s Stuffed at the WP Theater and Gracie Gardner’s Hate Baby at EST. Jessica is a proud member of the Beehive Playwrights Collective and Jews for Racial and Economic Justice. For perpetually out of date info on what she’s up to, check out JessicaLuck.com.

DAVID MASELLO (Writer) is a widely-published essayist, feature writer, poet, and playwright (the National Arts Club recently hosted a staged reading of his full-length play, Poetic Justice; other works have been produced by Manhattan Repertory Theatre, Big Apple Theatre Festival, Fresh Fruit Festival, et al.). A longtime magazine editor and writer, having held senior editorial positions at Town & Country, Art & Antiques, Travel & Leisure, Departures, and other periodicals, he is currently executive editor of Milieu, a national print magazine about design and architecture. Prior to his magazine work, he was a hardcover nonfiction editor at Simon and Schuster and has authored two books about architecture and art. His essays and features have appeared in numerous publications and antholo- gies, including the New York Times, Salon, Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, and Best American Essays. A frequent lecturer at universities, art foundations, and other venues, he is also an active participant of read650.com, a popular live-essay reading series where his works have been filmed. He will be teaching a course at Sarah Lawrence College this fall on the subject of writing about art (and, ideally, making a living doing so). Although Manhattan is where he lives and works, he comes from Evanston, Illinois, which will always feel like home.

CAROL KIRSH (SF Bay Producer) has worked, volunteered, and served on boards for a range of social services agencies since receiving her BA and MSW from the University of Michigan. She also spent eight years in Hong Kong working as an executive search consultant for Russell Reynolds and Norman Broadbent, two leading international search firms. Carol produces Jewish Women’s Theater in the Bay Area, where she hosted its first “at home” salon in San Francisco in 2012. A native Floridian with family roots in Alabama, Carol has continued the Diaspora, living much of her adult life outside of the continental United States, including Bali, Guam, and Hawaii.

BARBARA KOLETSKY (Assistant Producer/Stage Manager) worked as a production associate and costumer for the last six months on the production of Not That Jewish in New York at New World Stages. For 16 months prior to that she participated in the Los Angeles production of Not That Jewish as an assistant producer/stage manager. She has been with Jewish Women’s Theatre for eight years, working in many capacities on the At-Homes Salon series as assistant producer, stage manager, and culinary arts maven. Barbara also served as president and principal designer for the special events company R.S.V.P. Barbara started her career in marketing and promotions at Polygram Records.

ANDY MIZRAHI (Writer) is a producer and comedian from New York. He was featured in People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive 2015 for being the “most right-swiped on Tinder” in New Jersey. A New York Emmy-nominated producer in 2018 for his commercial “Hair Situation,” he has appeared in Fox’s Love Connection, Season 1, Business Insider, Cheddar TV, MTV.com, Elite Daily, iHeartRadio, ManRepeller, and more. Actor in The Flame, which was featured in 2017 LA Times Theater Reviews. Andy, a Sephardic Jew, can be found hitting the stand-up circuit in New York. Most important, his Jewish grandmother would have been so proud that somebody else thinks he’s cute.

SUSAN MORGENSTERN (JWT Producing Director) began directing in college by staging musical theatre concert readings while co-teaching American Musical Comedy with Tom Lehrer at UC Santa Cruz. She went on to teach and direct at the renowned Stage Door Manor performing arts camp
in upstate New York. In Los Angeles, Susan has directed several shows at Theatre West, including Saturday Night at Grossinger’s, book by Stephen Cole, music by Claibe Richardson; and Barbara Nell Beery’s play, The Socialization of Ruthie Shapiro. At the Falcon/Garry Marshall Theatre, she directed Leap, by Arnold Margolin, Surviving Sex, by David Landsberg, and the hit comedy, The Psychic, by Sam Bobrick. Susan directed Happy Days, a New Musical, book by Garry Marshall, music/ lyrics by Paul Williams, at Cabrillo Music Theatre. She directed an extended-run production of Meryl Cohn’s comedy Reasons to Live at the Skylight Theatre. She co-authored and directed I’m Not Famous: A Musical Journey with Barbara Minkus, which had an extended 2017 run at the Santa Monica Playhouse. Susan also works as a consultant show director at Disneyland Parks and Resorts. She has directed numerous JWT salon shows, as well as Annie Korzen: Famous Actress, at JWT’s performance and art space, The Braid.

ROSIE MOSS (Actor) starred in Lifetime/A&E’s miniseries The Rookie, which is available on Life- time’s digital platform MyLifetime.com. Rosie originated the role of Sarah Kaufman in the West Coast Jewish Theatre’s production of FUGU. Other theatre includes Macbethx5 (Odyssey), The Physicists (Sacred Fools), The Ascent (Blank Theatre), Sow & Weep (Helen Mills Theatre), and The Weavers (Wimberly Theatre). Film/TV: Freeform’s Famous in Love, Language Arts Films’ Strangers, and Rebecca Murga’s One Halloween and American Girl. BFA, Boston University. Keep up with Rosie at RosieMoss.com.

AMELIA NOYES (Graphic Artist) Fond of great design and art, Amelia is inspired by the things she loves most. Originally from Illinois, Amelia currently lives in L.A. as a social media manager/illustrator. You can see her work on Instagram at @Iamnoyes or @Amelianoyesdesign.

THE ROSANNAH SISTERS (Songwriters) are known for their complex harmonies and eclectic melo- dies, The Rosannah Sisters deliver a humble, genuine voice reflecting their down-to-earth, Southern roots. Born and raised on the North Carolina coast, the duo carries on the Southern tradition of story-telling with their harmony-heavy tunes that blend Americana and pop with hints of Celtic and English folk music. The Rosannah Sisters are currently split between Charlotte, NC and Los Angeles, CA. Listen to their latest album at https://therosannahsisters.bandcamp.com.

VICKI SCHAIRER (NEXT Lead Literary Manager, New Media Distribution) is a director and producer working in film, television, podcast, and new media. As a television producer, her credits include shows for Amazon Prime, TLC, the History Channel, and Fullscreen. Vicki worked as a theater director, production manager, and arts administrator in the greater Boston area prior to returning to her native L.A. in 2014.

MARNINA SCHON & MICHAEL O’KONIS (Musicians) are a real-life couple and have been playing music together for several years, premiering their Irish band, the Rowena Rogues, this year. Marn- ina works as a musician, actor, and b’nai mitzvah mentor in Los Angeles. Recent theater credits include Once at South Coast Rep, Chutzpah and Salsa at JWT, and currently Frederick at MainStreet Theatre (through May 20). Michael, a longtime bandleader, songwriter, and guitarist, has a range of experience across genres from R&B to film scores and classical music. He released his first-ever EP of original, self-produced songs under the name Lookalike; his Unlearning EP can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon.

DAN SHOTZ and EMILY JAFFE (Writers) met at Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia at
the tender age of nine. After years of playground hair pulling and name calling, their friendship blossomed into young love. From dancing the hora together at Emily’s bat mitzvah to making out on prom night to cohabitating in sin in L.A. to a dreamy wedding with 350 cousins, their love only deepened. Three kids later they are still loving and learning and laughing together at the surreality of 32 years of being best friends. Oh, they also write for a living and make TV shows.

DAPHNA SHULL (Artistic Associate) is a two-time NEXT Arts Council Fellow, literary manager, and writer, born and raised in Tampa, Florida. She received her bachelor’s degree in media production from Florida State University. After graduating in 2014, she headed west to pursue a career in screenwriting and the arts. Today Daphna works as a museum educator for the Zimmer Children’s Museum and recently joined the JWT staff.

RONDA SPINAK (Producer/JWT Artistic Director) created and produces JWT’s At-Homes Salon Theatre Series, now in its 10th season. She has curated more than 35 original Jewish-themed salon shows for JWT, as well as adapted many of the pieces performed. Spinak developed and produced Not That Jewish, which ran for 16 months, garnered an LA Drama Critics Circle nomination, and ran Off-Broadway for more than 200 performances!  Spinak co-wrote Stories from the Fringe, putting the stories of women rabbis on stage for the first time.

Since then, 150 national and international women rabbis have been interviewed, and in partnership with Jewish Women’s Archive have made many of the interviews available online at www.jwa.org. Spinak wrote for Rugrats, and her plays include Oscar Wilde’s Wife, a favorite at the Ashland New Play Festival. Spinak has served as a grant reviewer for the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, is on the board of the Alliance for Jewish Theatres, and is a member of the Dramatists Guild. She feels blessed to be working with the many inspiring women who give so generously to Jewish Women’s Theatre. www.jewishwomenstheatre.org.

ELANA SPIVACK (Writer) is a recent grad from Kenyon College, where she studied English and Spanish literature. She has published on McSweeney’s Internet Tendency and has worked with The Kenyon Review, Surface Magazine, and Hachette Book Group. She is spending the 2017-2018 school year teaching English as a foreign language in Spain. Gargantuan thanks to Jewish Women’s Theatre for what has been the most pleasant, organic surprise of her life thus far. Email: spivack.e@gmail. com Twitter: @e_spivack Instagram: @e_spivack.

SUSIE YURÉ (JWT’s Director of Community Engagement/Associate Producer) has proudly worked with JWT for 7 years. She has volunteered in non-profit organizations, in which she has held leadership roles in fundraising, event planning, facilities coordinating, programming, membership, marketing, and administration. Susie has produced musical theatre productions, classical concerts, and cabaret performances. She holds a BA and MA in elementary education from USC, along with her California lifetime teaching credential. While at USC, she met her husband. Her favorite role is as mom to her two children and recently as a grandmother.

ROSE ZIFF (Special Projects Manager/Associate Producer) came out of retirement to work for JWT after working at UCLA Medical Center for 33 years, where she functioned as “den mother” to more than 1000 interns, residents, and clinical fellows at UCLA, the VA, and Olive View-UCLA Medical Centers, providing resources and support. Rose is currently serving on the board of directors for Lev Eisha, a Jewish women’s non-profit religious organization and spiritual community. Her hobbies include gardening, visiting Providence St. Johns Health Center with her therapy dog, and hosting a monthly book club.

GALLERY

Patrons view art exhibit before the show.