Episode #33: Both/And from True Colors!

“I emerged from the birth canal strangling on the umbilical cord.  I wonder if God was giving me a chance to change my mind: are you certain you want this adventure of life as a Cuban Catholic daughter of a Jewish mother?”

On this episode, hear the incredibly moving piece “Both/And,” one of the favorite stories from the hit show True Colors which returns to The Braid in Santa Monica for four performances September 19-22. Written by Maria Ramos-Chertok and performed by Heidi Mendez (bios below), “Both/And” is from the collection of pieces that makes up our wildly popular Salon show True Colors – full of humorous, revealing and inspiring stories from Jews of Color exploring identity, community and being a Jew in modern times.

TRUE COLORS CREDITS
Material Adapted, Curated, and Producedby Ronda Spinak
Producedby Eric Greene
Directed by Susan Morgenstern
Dramaturges Lisa Rosenbaum & Susan Baskin
Literary Manager Suzanna Kaplan
South Bay Producer Liz Altman
San Francisco/Bay Area Producer Carol Kirsh
Assistant Producer Barbara Koletsky
Associate Producers Rose Ziff & Susie Yuré
Artistic Associate Daphna Shull
Assistant Artistic Director Andrew Fromer

Starring: Brie Eley, Kimberly Green, Heidi Mendez, Joshua Silverstein and Katherine Washington

Written By: Ruth Behar, Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl, David Chiu, Marcos Cohen, Courtenay Edelhart, Marra B. Gad, Marissa Tiamfook Gee, M.A. Hosein, Maria Ramos-Chertok, Larry M. Sanders, and Joshua Silverstein

Featured on this episode:
Both/And
Written by Maria Ramos-Chertok. Performed by Heidi Mendez.

MARIA RAMOS-CHERTOK (Writer) is a writer, workshop leader, and coach who facilitates the Butterfly Series, a writing and creative arts workshop for women who want to explore what’s next. Her book, The Butterfly Series: Fifty-two Weeks of Inquiries for Transformation, was published in August 2018. She is finalizing her debut novel, Rosie’s Blues, inspired by the experience of her mother opening their family home in Hackensack, New Jersey, as a shelter for battered women and children. Maria’s manuscript won the 2018 Adult Fiction Mentorship prize from the Word for Diversity. She is a contributor to All the Women in My Family Sing: Essays on Equality, Justice, and Freedom (Feb. 2018), edited by Deborah Santana, and She’s Got This! Essays on Standing Strong and Moving On (Feb. 2019), a Write-on Mamas project. Since 2014, she’s cohosted women’s salons showcasing women-of-color artists. For more info, visit: www. mariaramoschertok.com.

HEIDI MENDEZ (Actor) is a bilingual actor/director/educator who has worked professionally in Madrid, Mexico City, Utah, Texas, and now California. Her favorite roles include Lady Bracknell, Prospero, and most recently Amanda in The Glass Menagerie. Some favorite shows as director/choreographer include Cats, Working, Fiddler, and The Diary of Anne Frank. She is known as the Rapping Grandma to kids in juvie where she volunteered for two years which led her to be founder/director of ACT RISK NO MORE, a nonprofit whose mission is to rescue troubled teens through theater. Heidi is married to Nick (a Mormon bishop) and is the mother of three boys, resulting in her being afraid nothing. For fun, Heidi takes hip-hop classes and plays dress- up with her granddaughter. Education: BA in acting from BYU and MA in directing from Texas State, plus two Utah teaching certificates for theater and Spanish.

For more info on True Colors, click here.

Episode #33: Both/And from True Colors!2019-10-17T16:26:19-07:00

Episode #32: Hippie Woman Wild! with Carol Schlanger

Why did a not-so-nice Jewish girl, expelled from Yale Drama School during the Vietnam protests, abandon her acting dream to follow the man she loves to an off-the-grid commune in Oregon? CAROL SCHLANGER, acclaimed actress, writer and JWT favorite will read and perform a hilarious, bawdy and true story from her new book as she celebrates the publication of her memoir, Hippie Woman Wild: A Memoir of Life & Love on an Oregon Commune.

Sunday, August 11th 10:00am – 12:00pm
At The Braid Performance and Art Space
2912 Colorado Ave. #102, Santa Monica, CA, 90404

On this episode Lisa and Maureen are joined by Carol and Arlene Sarner, award-winning screenwriter and moderator of the event. They chat about how laundry is done – commune style, what it was like suddenly swapping Manhattan for rural Oregon and why Carol never wants to see a chicken again…enjoy the episode! RIP Eddy the Ram.

Click here to purchase the book and/or leave a review on Amazon!

CAROL SCHLANGER is a professional award winning actress and writer, best known for her honest, fearless and outrageously funny work. She’s billed as “a baby boomer’s answer to Lena Dunham.” A native New Yorker, Carol first received notice and rave reviews as ” The American Housewife” at the New York Public Theater. Carol is a graduate of Yale Drama, where she began her professional acting and writing career working with Improv Guru, Paul Sills at the Body Politic in Chicago. Since, she has worked consistently in film, television and on stage. Her plays have been produced both in New York and L.A.

Carol has worked as a staff writer for Imagine Television and created two pilots, Back to the Garden and Hello Pilgrim for CBS. Her one-woman play, Mouth to Mouth (1995) received L.A. Critics Awards for Acting and Writing. She was the 2011 winner of the L.A. playwrights story slam. A much in demand storyteller, she performs in high-end venues throughout L.A including The Moth, Sparc, Tasty Words, the JWT and I Love A Good Story.

An old hippie, and lifetime organic farmer, Carol has just completed her memoir, Hippie Woman Wild, about a 24 year old urbane and, radicalized New York actress from privilege, and Yale, who joins her cowboy lover, Clint, in a back-to-the land movement of the 1970’s, living on in the Oregon wilderness on a commune. The wild, multi-layered story is the unheard female voice of a generation.

Episode #32: Hippie Woman Wild! with Carol Schlanger2019-10-17T16:27:19-07:00

Episode #19: Sacred Resistance Update with Vicki Juditz and Ronda Spinak

On this week’s episode, Andrew sits down with the incredible storyteller Vicki Juditz, creator and star of the now OVATION RECOMMENDED Sacred Resistance, as well as JWT’s Artistic Director Ronda Spinak. They chat about the latest extension of dates for the show (Must close October 7th!) and discuss the amazing, heartwarming and surprising reactions that audiences are having to this show. PLUS a special preview clip from a performance! Have a listen and don’t forget to grab your tickets:

Sacred Resistance Credits:
Written and Performed by Vicki Juditz
Directed by Susan Morgenstern
Produced by Ronda Spinak 
Lighting Designer Ernest McDaniel
Stage Manager  Michelle A. Prudente
Associate Producers Susie Yuré & Rose Ziff
Artistic Associate Daphna Shull

Sacred Resistance was made possible with generous gifts from Annette & Leonard Shapiro and from Gail Solo.

For more info on Sacred Resistance, click here.

Episode #19: Sacred Resistance Update with Vicki Juditz and Ronda Spinak2019-02-19T19:20:05-08:00

Episode #8: Hold Me Heal Me (Abridged)

Today we are going back into Jewish Women’s Theatre’s archive to share stories from Hold Me, Heal Me, a show about the true healing power of kindness. The three stories in this episode illuminate how kindness comforts us even in our most broken moments.The pieces featured in this episode are:

The Shabbos Goy
Written by Joanne Verdino. Performed by Lisa Cirincione and Sean Topps.

A Balm in Beverly Hills
Written by Faye Sholiton. Performed by Kate Zentall and Sean Topps.

O, Engineer
Written by Anna Belle Kaufman. Performed by Kate Zentall.

Hold Me, Heal Me was underwritten by generous donations from Gail Solo, in dedication to Dr. Edith Eger, and Gladys & David Layne

Produced by Ronda Spinak
Assistant Producer: Barbara Koletsky
Directed by Eve Brandstein
Dramaturge Lisa Rosenbaum
Associate Producers: Susie Yure´ and Rose Ziff

For more info on Hold Me, Heal Me visit the show’s page.

Episode #8: Hold Me Heal Me (Abridged)2018-04-26T12:12:38-07:00