Fall Launch Party
ARTIST BIOS
ILENE GRAFF (Singer, How Do You Keep The Music Playing?) Grammy nominated for her CD, Baby’s Broadway Lullabies, is best known as the mom on the TV comedy, Mr. Belvedere. She has starred in numerous musical comedies on Broadway and co-stars with Glenn Close in the new film version of South Pacific. She is a life member of Hadassah and her late mother Judy was a long-serving president of her local chapter.
ELIZABETH HANN (Synchronized Swimmer) is 17 and entering her 7th competitive season with Los Angeles Synchro team. She practices from 11 to 15 hours during the school week; over the summer she was in the pool 9 times a week. This summer, she and her 7 teammates earned 7th in the country at Age Group Nationals in Gainsville, Florida. Currently, she is captain of the 18-19 team, preparing for Junior National Competition in March.
RABBI LYNNE KERN (Blessing) is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and is a poet and writer who has been published in magazines, newspapers, and anthologies worldwide. She teaches classes for women in synagogues and is currently working on a Jewish Memoir. As a pulpit rabbi, she created innovative women’s programming focused on excavating the women’s voice in Torah, and the creation of ritual and spiritual writing. Currently, she is working on a documentary about women rabbis, and an accompanying theater piece. She is also in the process of writing two books.
JOY KRAUTHAMMER is an artist, poet, sound healer and passionate percussionist usually seen with a timbrel in her hand. She performs regularly with Cindy Paley at Lev Eisha at Adat Shalom, and N’Shama Minyan at Valley Beth Shalom.
JENNIFER MAISEL (Author, Seen and Not Seen) Is an award-winning playwright, television and film writer whose plays include The Last Seder, There or Here, Goody Fucking Two Shoes, Eden, birds, Mallbaby, Mad Love and …And the Two Romeos. Productions and workshops include Actors Theatre of Louisville, South Coast Repertory, San Francisco’s The Magic Theatre, New York’s Epic Theatre and Hypothetical Theatre, and DC’s Theatre J. Her film Prodigal Son is being produced by Tule River Films and is currently working on projects for Lifetime, M-films and Practical Pictures.
ANNIKA MARKS (Marilyn, Seen and Not Seen) appeared in The Last Seder at Greenway, Pipeman on the Moon at Hudson, and Early Decision at Edgemar. She was featured in the Julia Robert’s film Mona Lisa Smile and she co-wrote and produced Me, You, a Bag and Bamboo which premiered at the Nashville Film Festival in April.
DEENA NOVAK (Associate Producer) is a consultant and has managed theatre operations. Her imagination and suggestion sparked the reinvention of the former Jewish Women’s Theatre Project, and helped turn it into the current vision of a working theatre.
JONAS OPPENHEIM (Waiter, Seen and Not Seen) is a decorated playwright with over 30 productions in 10 states. This fall, his silent comedy adaptation of “Hamlet” (“Hamlet Shut Up”) will premiere at Sacred Fools Theater in Hollywood (sacredfools.org). The LA Times called his 2008 alien rock musical “Earth Sucks,” “sweet, infectious…daft, smart and energized,” and many more adjectives. Be sure to look up his original web series “Pirate Ninja Adventure Go!” starting on Halloween.
CINDY PALEY brings the joys of Jewish music to teachers, students and families through her many performances and recordings as well as her work as Music Educator at Valley Beth Shalom in Encino where she has served since 1977.
MONICA PIPER (Author/Performer, Baggage) is an Emmy Award-winning comedy writer, stand up comedian and motivational speaker. She was nominated for an American Comedy Award as one of the top five female comedians in the country and starred in her own Showtime Network special, No, Monica, Just You. She has written for Roseanne, Mad About You and Veronica’s Closet and was the head writer of the beloved children’s animated series Rugrats, as well as writing shows for Disney and Cartoon Network. She is presently bringing her laugh-out-loud advice to corporate America, showing audiences everywhere how to Find the Funny in their lives.
ARVA ROSE (Monologue, Eliis Island; Songs Rozhinkes mit Mandlen, Family) has guest starred on numerous television series including Hill Street Blues, LA Law, Cheers, Night Court, and Beverly Hills 90210. She is the MC of all the events for the California Institute of Yiddish Culture and Language.
RONDA SPINAK (Producing Artistic Director) holds an MBA from UCLA and two degrees from Stanford. She has penned plays (produced in festivals from Ashland, Or. to Dayton, Ohio), written for the Emmy Award winning children’s show, Rugrats, authored a book (Probodx: The Path to True Fitness, HarperCollins publisher) as well as written poems, short stories and yet to be produced screenplays.
ANDREA WAGNER (Associate Producer) holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Theatre Arts. She has taught theatre on both the high school and college level and directed and designed for community theatres.
JULIE WOLFSON (Director, Seen and Not Seen) After graduating from the UCLA Department of Theatre, Julie worked at Berkeley Repertory Theatre and the Mark Taper Forum. Mostly focusing on new work, Julie has directed productions throughout California and in many non-traditional spaces including a production of Iphigenia on a MTA bus at the Geffen Contemporary for Cornerstone Theater Company, Jewish and Arabic Folktails at the Santa Monica Mall, and Woyzeck on the rook of Dickson Art Center at UCLA. For sixteen years she has directed plays, taught acting, and mentored kids at The Virginia Avenue Project.
KATE ZENTALL (Sara, Seen and Not Seen) has appeared at the Public Theater and Carnegie Hall in NYC, and the Mark Taper in LA. She has also been seen in numerous TV series, MOWs, and films.
THE PROGRAM
Produced by Ronda Spinak
Musical Summons ~ Cindy Paley and Joy Krauthhammer
Welcome ~ Event Chairs, Deena Novak and Andrea Wagner
Blessing ~ Rabbi Lynne Kern, Cindy Paley, with special guest artist, Elizabeth Hann
Artistic Vision ~ Ronda Spinak
At-Homes Salon Theatre Sampler
Baggage
Written and performed by Monica Piper
Right Dish, Wrong Way
Written by Ronda Spinak
Performed by Arva Rose
Percussion by Joy Krauthammer
How Do You Keep the Music Playing?
Sung by Ilene Graff
Written by Marilyn & Alan Bergman
Musical Arrangement by Ben Lanzarone
Seen and Not Seen
Written by Jennifer Maisel
Directed by Julie Wolfsen
Cast: Annika Marks, Jonas Oppenheim, Kate Zentall
Our Season ~ Shelly Aronson, Rabbi Lynne Kern, Janis Nelson
Words From Our Fiscal Sponsor ~ Cynthia Freeman
Final Remarks ~ Ronda Spinak
Closing Songs ~ Cindy Palely, Rabbi Lynne Kern and Joy Krauthammer
GALLERY
Advisory Board Members Welcome Guests
Musical Summons, Cindy Paley & Mollie Wine
Joy Krauthammer
Producing Artistic Director Ronda Spinak
Synchronized Swimmer Elizabeth Hann
Synchronized Swimmer Elizabeth Hann
Comedian Monica Piper
Monica Piper performing “Baggage”
Advisory Board Member Suzanna Kaplan & Subscriber Ellen Pressman
Fundraiser Guests
Illene Graff singing “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?”
Annika Marks & Kate Zentall
Fundraiser Cast
Arva Rose & Kate Zentall
Cindy Paley & Dr. Ruth Rubenstein
Board Members Patti Linden & Deena Novak