From the Playwright
Writing Bubby’s Shadow was my opportunity to research my heritage -- the laws and customs of Judaism as well as the traditions of my own family, drinking in never-before-shared details of my mother’s childhood, my grandparents’ home of long ago, and intertwining some of these familial gems into the story I had to tell. From the initial reading, the workshop production, and pre-production for the upcoming showcase, much has changed personally, and I now hold the bonds of my family as more sacred than ever. I “understand” (if such a thing is possible) life, death and the hereafter in much fuller, more profound terms.
Benefiting
Jewish Social Services Hospice - www.jssa.org &
Visiting Nurse Service of New York - www.vnsny.org
About the Company: White Rabbit Theatre
White Rabbit Theatrebegan in 1997 in conjunction with Artistic Director Andrew Rothkin’s first NYC directing engagement, Tennessee Williams’ Hello from Bertha and The Lady of Larkspur Lotion. The company has since produced many new works and contemporary classics…as readings, workshops and fully staged productions. White Rabbit Theatre has garnered multiple awards and nominations, most notably The 2008 Midtown International Theatre Festival’s “Outstanding Overall Production of a New Drama Play” Award for Bubby’s Shadow and The 2009 Planet Connections Theatre Festivity’s “Outstanding Overall Production of One-Act Play” Award for Meredith’s Ring. Other highlights include productions of tryin' t' touch the sun, CHiLLS, An Evening of Psychos, Voice and Danny, as well as staged readings of Alice on The Edge andStrangers on Hollow Hill.
About the Company: Planet Connections Theatre Festivity
The Planet Connections Festivity Inc. is New York’s premiere eco-friendly/socially conscious not-for-profit arts festival. Fostering a diverse cross-section of performances, the festivity seeks to inspire artists and audiences both creatively and fundamentally, in a festive atmosphere forming a community of like-minded artists. At the heart of the festivity are individuals striving to create professional, meaningful theatre, film, music and art, while supporting organizations, which give back to the community at large.
The production stars Alicia Barnatchez and Erin Leigh Schmoyer as Elizabeth and Elizabeth, two historical re-enactors, on a low-rent version of Massachusetts’s famed Plimoth Plantation. When their living history museum goes the way of the buffalo, they must learn how to marry their Pilgrim lives to modern times. Their answer? Reality TV, of course. So, update your smallpox vaccine and hop aboard this multi-media Mayflower for a voyage of original songs, videos and kooky antics. Prepare to get colonized…again!
The production features Musical Arrangements by Evan & Sarah Gregory and Videography by Jeremy Mather. Lighting Design is by Jessie Vacchiano; Stage Management is by Chris Petrinovic, with live accompaniment by Evan Gregory.
From the Playwright
I recently heard Adam Curtis lecture and he said something that really moved me and summed up what I’m going for thematically with Banjo, “because all we think about is ourselves we are imprisoned by our own feelings.” So, to be more specific, I hope the audience is influenced by the show’s depiction of our dependence on the American media and also on celebrities to provide an emotional and social construct for our collective behavior and the consequences of finding comfort there.
The New York Times raved: “A nearly perfect pastry of a show…"
featuring: MELISSA BAYERN, MATT DUMONT, MARK EPPERSON, TARA NOVIE, ELYSSA SAMSEL, EVAN SCHULTZ and ANDREW WHEELER.
The production is 55 minutes and is appropriate for children through 2nd grade.