Episode #41: NEXT @ The Braid presents Santa Monica Speaks Pt. 1

Join us on a little experiment from our Emerging Artists of NEXT @ The Braid! In this episode, you will hear 3 stories that materialized out of a writing exercise that took place during a recent meeting of the council. The stories are loosely inspired by the theme of NEXT’s upcoming Salon, For Goodness’ Sake which will debut in June. Are you an artist in your 20s/30s with a story to tell?? CLICK HERE to find out how you can submit your story to For Goodness’ Sake by March 6th!

Quick note: the Fellows did not read their own stories so as to anonymize the content.

Don’t miss JWT’s Second Salon of the season: Sex, Addiction & Love in the 21st Century! CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS <–Some dates are already selling out!

The 2019-2020 NEXT @ The Braid Fellows are Leenie Baker, David Chiu, Amanda Horowitz, Charles Volk, Rachel Minkoff, Isaac “Izzy” Salant, Sara True Rosenthal, and Sophie Stern Greenbaum. Daphna Shull serves as NEXT Literary Manager and Ora Yashar serves as NEXT Literary Consultant. NEXT Council Coordinator is Andrew Fromer.

For more information on NEXT @ The Braid, JWT’s Emerging Artists Fellowship, click here.

Episode #41: NEXT @ The Braid presents Santa Monica Speaks Pt. 12020-02-23T21:30:14-08:00

Episode #40: Mapping of the Mind Part 1

“A window into his soul.”

On this episode, Andrew sits down with Laura Ornest, Co-Producer of Mapping of the Mind, to discuss her late brother Maury Ornest. His story is one of several featured in our latest Salon which has been received with such incredible support as we shed light on humorous, heartfelt and hopeful stories from those touched by mental illness.

Maury was a promising young baseball talent in the 80’s, drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers, and working his way through the minor leagues until injuries got in the way. Suddenly, his life took a sharp turn when he was struck by severe mental illness. At one point on his journey, a doctor suggested painting as part of his treatment and he fell in love with art, colors, even snails, and sharing his feelings on a canvas. When Maury passed away at 58 from heart disease, his family discovered an unknown storage unit filled with 1400 paintings and countless journal entries detailing his experiences in art and life.

Also in this episode, you will hear excerpts from the performance including some of Maury’s writings and as an added piece, a piece written by multi-talented artist Julie Chafets Grass, who also has artwork featured in our art show!

CLICK HERE for info on viewing our art on display at The Braid

PIECES FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:

MO’s Journal #2 and #3*
Written by Maury Ornest.  Adapted by Ronda Spinak from journals.  Performed by Josh T. Ryan.

*Music: “Maury’s Theme” by Mike Himelstein & Michael Turner.  

The Queen of MORE
Written by Julie Chafets Grass [adapted from The Queen of MORE, Poems by her Sidekick, ©2018 Julie Chafets Grass.  All rights reserved.]  Performed by Nadège August.

CLICK HERE to purchase Julie’s book on Amazon

Interested in booking a performance of Mapping in the Mind in your community? CLICK HERE to email Andrew

*Mapping of the Mind is underwritten in loving memory of Jack Spinak by his beloved brother Sydney Spinak and his niece Ronda*

MAPPING OF THE MIND CREDITS
Material Adapted, Curated and Produced by Ronda Spinak
Directed by Susan Morgenstern
Co-Produced by Laura Ornest
Dramaturg Lisa Rosenbaum
Literary Manager Suzanna Kaplan
South Bay Producer Liz Altman
San Francisco Bay Area Producer Carol Kirsh
Assistant Director Aysha Wax
JWT Assistant Artistic Director Andrew Fromer
Associate Producers Rose Ziff, Susie Yuré
Artistic Associate Daphna Shull
Stage Manager Amanda Horowitz

Performed by Nadége August*, Nicole Lipp, Josh T. Ryan and Kate Zentall*
*Actor is an Abby Freeman Artist in Residence at JWT

CLICK HERE for tickets to JWT’s upcoming events including Sex, Addiction & Love in the 21st Century and Creative Couples with Angella Nazarian!

Episode #40: Mapping of the Mind Part 12020-02-25T18:29:06-08:00

Episode #35: Living After with Jenna Fields of Sharsheret and Cynthia Freeman

We are standing up to cancer during National Breast Cancer Awareness month with two very special performances of a brand new show, Living After! It is a moving, funny, and poignant collection of stories and songs that will uplift and create a conversation around this challenging subject.

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS FOR LIVING AFTER

In part one of today’s episode, Lisa and Maureen are joined by Jenna Fields, California Regional Director of SHARSHERET, a national non-profit organization, working to improve the lives of Jewish women and families living with or at increased genetic risk for breast or ovarian cancer – JWT and Sharsheret have partnered together to present Living After and a portion of the ticketing proceeds will be donated to Sharsheret. Jenna joins us to talk about the amazing work they are doing, as well as the services available to the Jewish community through Sharsheret.

More info at sharsheret.org

In part two, Ronda and special guest Cynthia Freeman join in to talk about JWT’s Abby Freeman Artists in Residence program. Cynthia is the sister of Abby, JWT’s very first employee who passed away from breast cancer at the age of 37. Abby’s legacy lives on through our program, a way to honor hard-working artists who share the mission and ideals of our organization. There will be a reception in honor of the Abby Freeman Artists-in-Residence program following the 2:00 p.m. performance of Living After, on Sunday, October 27.  And now, we would like to welcome Cynthia Freeman, Abby’s sister. 

BUY TICKETS
Saturday Oct. 26 @ 8pm
Sunday Oct. 27 @ 2pm (reception to follow)
@ The Braid in Santa Monica
2912 Colorado Ave. #102,
Santa Monica, CA, 90404

ABOUT JENNA
Jenna Fields, MA, MSW, California Regional Director, is a graduate of the Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management at Hebrew Union College and the School of Social Work at the University of Southern California. Jenna oversees Sharsheret’s office in the Greater Los Angeles community, and all local programmatic efforts including outreach, education, partnership development and fundraising.

ABOUT CYNTHIA
Senior program director Cynthia Freeman oversees an $8 million-plus portfolio of fiscal sponsorship projects; manages capacity-building initiatives and regranting programs for foundation, government, and corporate clients; and supervises staff and consultants. Prior to joining Community Partners in 2006, Freeman worked as a policy director for the Association of Community Human Service Agencies, a trade association of community-based human service agencies that contract with Los Angeles County to provide child welfare and mental health services. Previously, she spent seven years in the field of philanthropy, most recently at the New York Foundation, making grants to community organizing, advocacy, and start-up projects in New York City’s low-income neighborhoods. She also planned new grantmaking and technical assistance initiatives and ran a summer internship in philanthropy. Freeman has served as a consultant to numerous nonprofit organizations and worked on initiatives with government entities including the Los Angeles Department of Public Health, Burbank Police Department, and New York City Department of Homeless Services. She began her career as a community organizer and fundraiser for ACORN, a grassroots community organization of low-income people. She has served on the steering committees of Interfaith Funders and Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy and is prior board chair of Jumpstart and co-leader of the Southern California Fiscal Sponsors Network. Freeman is a graduate of Brown University and has an MPA in nonprofit management from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service.

Episode #35: Living After with Jenna Fields of Sharsheret and Cynthia Freeman2019-10-17T17:04:54-07:00

Episode #25: Family Secrets with Debbie Kaspar and Rosie Moss

In this episode, Maureen is joined by guest host Andrew Fromer to chat with two actors from our first salon of the season, Debbie Kaspar and Rosie Moss! Debbie is a two-time Emmy-nominated writer and an award-winning comedian who has written for Roseanne, The Rosie O’Donnel Show among others. Rosie is a JWT veteran having performed in Guilty Parties last year; she has alos starred in Lifetime’s miniseries The Rookie and theatre goers will know her from starring performances at The West Coast Jewish Theatre and The Odyssey.

Have a listen to hear about the tantalizing revelations that await in our first salon of the year, Family Secrets! Hear some preview pieces from the show and dive into the experience of what its like to act in JWT’s signature style Salon Theatre.

Performances in this episode:
Uf Gozal
Music and Lyrics by Arik Einstein and Miki Gavrielov
Performed by Rosie Moss

My Sissy Boo
written and performed by Debbie Kaspar

Family Secrets credits:
Material Adapted, Curated, and Produced by Ronda Spinak
Directed by Susan Morgenstern and Lisa Cirincione
Dramaturg Lisa Rosenbaum
Literary Manager Suzanna Kaplan
South Bay Producer Liz Altman
San Francisco/Bay Area Producer Carol Kirsh
Assistant Producer Barbara Koletsky
Associate Producers Rose Ziff and Susie Yuré
Artistic Associate Daphna Shull
Assistant Artistic Director Andrew Fromer

Episode #25: Family Secrets with Debbie Kaspar and Rosie Moss2019-02-19T19:14:42-08:00

Episode #9: Guilty Parties

Vicki Schairer and Andrew Fromer are two young artists making their way through the Los Angeles entertainment industry. They also happen to be original members of JWT’s cutting edge fellowship known as NEXT @ The Braid, a program through which JWT gives voice, support and resources to emerging artists thanks to a very generous grant from the Jewish Community Foundation. Now in its second year, the fellowship culminates in a JWT-signature salon-style show that’ll showcase the writings, artwork and acting of other emerging millennial artists. This year’s show is entitled Guilty Parties and is sure to leave audiences wow-ed as they follow along on a wild ride through the guilt of a new generation.  From the things we should have done to actions we regret.  No one is safe from this moral dilemma as we navigate the expectations of society, family, and relationships.

In today’s episode, Lisa and Maureen sit down with Vicki and Andrew to chat about how NEXT got its start, what the creative process has been like as they work with the JWT leadership and a couple of teasers as to what juicy pieces await in Guilty Parties.

Find out more about NEXT @ The Braid

VICKI SCHAIRER is a director for film and theatre and a television producer. She has directed several short films and is currently in development for a handful of new projects.  She works as a television producer with credits on shows for Amazon Prime, TLC, the History Channel, and Fullscreen. She worked as a theatre director, production manager, and arts administrator in the greater Boston area prior to moving to Los Angeles in 2014. Vicki directed dozens of projects for the Boston stage and collaborated closely with playwrights to develop new work through workshops and readings. She worked in the artistic department of the Huntington Theatre Company and co-founded the collaborative devised theatre ensemble Project: Project, for which she co-wrote and co-directed original plays. She received her undergraduate degree in physics and theatre from Brandeis University and completed the Summer Institute in Film Production at UCLA.

ANDREW FROMER is a Los Angeles native and grew up as an active member in the Jewish community through Stephen S. Wise Temple. He attended Windward School in Mar Vista, where his acting career began in plays and musicals. After completing his BFA in theater at UC Santa Barbara and an exciting year of living in Israel, Andrew took a dive into filmmaking and has since branched into production by helping prepare for distribution two feature films he has acted in: AMP Creative’s Highway to Havasu (dir. Jeff Janke) and Mockingbird Pictures’ The Sweet Life (dir. Rob Spera). Andrew also edits, directs, and hosts his own podcast on the entertainment industry, SideKickBack Radio, which can be found at www.sidekickback.com. He is very excited to be on board for an exciting year with NEXT@theBraid.

Episode #9: Guilty Parties2019-02-20T10:00:40-08:00

Episode #7: Funny Women of JWT

In today’s episode, Lisa and Maureen sit down with Shelly Goldstein and Melanie Chartoff (see below for bios), two incredibly funny women that have written and performed in several of JWT’s shows throughout the years including The Matzo Ball Diaries and Reckoning with Dad. Join us to find out how Shelly and Melanie got their start, what drew them into the world of JWT and how they both work to change the perception of Jewish women in the media.

MELANIE CHARTOFF is an inventor of stories and characters for the page, stage, and screen. As an actress, she’s best known for roles in series such as ABC’s late-night comedy show Fridays, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, The Newhart Show, Ally McBeal, and Touched by an Angel. She won a Dramalogue Award for the LA premiere of March of the Falsettos and acclaim for her performances in ACT San Francisco’s Sunday in the Park with George, The Vagina Monologues in Chicago, and Beyond Therapy at LA’s Coronet Theater. She can be heard daily somewhere in the world voicing characters such as Didi on Nickleodeon’s long running Rugrats and its spin-offs, movies, and games. She’s written lyrics and book and costars in her upcoming two-character play with music, Fine Lines, and is a columnist for the Huffington Post and the Jewish Journal. She hails from the East Coast stages of Long Wharf Theater, Yale University, and off- and on Broadway (Scapino, Via Galactica, Do I Hear a Waltz). She currently enhances people’s public personae in her Charismatizing Improvising Coaching and Classes. For more information, visit her websites: www.melaniechartoff.com and www.chartoffteaching.com.

Order Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Crazy Family featuring one of Melanie’s stories!

SHELLY GOLDSTEIN has written for every genre of TV, film and stage. Her one-woman shows have played to sell-out crowds throughout the US and UK. She co-starred with Sir Derek Jacobi and Vanessa Redgrave in the British film, The Riddle and with Vinnie Jones in the Irish film, Assault of Darkness. She has written or punched-up sitcoms, dramas, films, lyrics, documentaries, animation, award shows, jokes and special material for such artists as Steve Martin, Barbra Streisand, Sharon Stone, Justin Timberlake, Anne Hathaway, LL Cool J, Jane Fonda, Garry Marshall, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Yoko Ono. She wrote the book for the disco musical, Last Dance, which work-shopped on Broadway and she directed the critically-acclaimed hit comedy The Vic & Paul Show in L.A. and Chicago. She is currently writing the new musical, Somebody Feels the Water and is the L.A. correspondent for London’s Good Vibes radio. She recently won the New York Times Caption Contest.


 

Episode #7: Funny Women of JWT2018-04-19T10:31:39-07:00

Episode #4: The Space Between (Abridged)

The Space Between explores humorous, heartbreaking and surprising stories that cut to the heart of what divides us and illuminate the yearnings and struggles, successes and failures of reaching out to find common ground. In this episode, we are bringing you a selection of pieces from the show.

To hear the show in its entirety, check out our very first episode!

This is a groundbreaking new show created by the first generation of NEXT @ The Braid, JWT’s Emerging Artists Fellowship. These 12 up-and-coming young artists have brought together stories, songs, poems and plays to create a unique theatrical experience that hope to bridge the gap in a time of intense divisions.

The pieces featured in this episode are:

MY FRIENDS TIED BUT I DID KNOT Written by Sigi Gradwohl Performed by Zoe Lillian
Check out Sigi’s original article on the Huffington Post!

LAKEWOOD Written by Rachelle Davidowitz Performed by Kyla Schoer and Zoe Lillian

A MARINE COMES HOME Adapted from an interview with Arturo Alsonso by Vicki Schairer and Lisa Cirincione Performed by Michael Hanson and Donnabella Mortel

NORTH STAR Music and Lyrics by Dan Omelio, Jesse Macht, and Emily Kitter Performed by Jesse Macht

INTERVENTION #2, HOW MAY I CONNECT YOU Written by Max Mondi Performed by Jesse Macht

2017 NEXT Arts Council Fellows: Amirose Eisenbach, Sigi Gradwohl, Abigail Marks, Chelsea London Lloyd, Andrew Fromer, Christian Alexander Prentice, Daphna Shull, Rachel Berney Needleman, Lisa Cirincione, Vicki Schairer, and Vanessa Espino. With Arts Council Producer: Abbe Meryl Feder and JWT Leadership: Artistic Director Ronda Spinak, Managing Director, Sharon Landau and Producing Director Susan Morgenstern

Performed by: Donnabella Mortel, Jesse Macht, Kyla Schoer, Michael Hanson, and Zoe Lillian.

Featuring stories by Rachelle Davidowitz, Adam Rotstein, Kaitlin Mamie, Sigi Gradwohl, Art Alonso, Daphna Shull, Julie Mayerson Brown, Max Mondi, Molly Murray, Vanessa Espino, Vicki Schairer and Abby Marks.

Featuring music by Jesse Macht, Dan Omelio and Emily Kitter.

Recorded in front of a live audience at The Braid in Santa Monica, CA on June 23, 2017.With generous support from the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, Erwin Rautenberg Foundation, and Dennis Schuman Charitable Fund.

NEXT is a program of JWT. Artistic Director: Ronda Spinak; Managing Director: Sharon Landau; Producing Director: Susan Morgenstern.

More information is available at https://www.jewishwomenstheatre.org/showsevents/performances/past-shows-2/the-space-between/

Episode #4: The Space Between (Abridged)2018-02-15T01:39:12-08:00

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