Chutzpah!

Telling the story of an icon

Ronnie Marmo brings his one-man show I’m Not a Comedian … I’m Lenny Bruce to the Chutzpah! Festival Nov. 18. (photo from dorensorellphotography.com via Chutzpah!)

In 2017, with the expectation of a six-week run, creator and performer Ronnie Marmo and director Joe Mantegna brought I’m Not a Comedian … I’m Lenny Bruce to the stage. Now, celebrating eight years and 468 performances, Marmo told the Independent, “we can not wait to bring it up to Vancouver for 469!”

I’m Not a Comedian … I’m Lenny Bruce is part of this year’s Chutzpah! Festival, which runs Nov. 12-23. It’s being presented on Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m., at the Rothstein Theatre.

Bruce, a groundbreaking standup comedian and satirist, was born Leonard Alfred Schneider in Mineola, on Long Island, NY, in 1925. He consistently pushed social and legal boundaries, being arrested more than once for what was considered obscenity in his day, including a conviction in 1964 for a performance he gave at Café Au Go Go in New York City. Bruce died two years later, at age 40, from an accidental overdose. He was bankrupt, basically not having been employable after the conviction. It would be 37 years before he was posthumously pardoned, by then-governor George E. Pataki.

In I’m Not a Comedian … I’m Lenny Bruce, Marmo told the Independent, “We bookend the show with the final moments of his life and take you on a journey through his first performance all the way to his demise. We learn about his family, we see his charm and success, his struggle with addiction, his long-standing fight with the judicial system. We don’t hold back. You really get a full theatrical experience of his entire life.”

Bruce is one of Marmo’s heroes.

“What inspires me about Lenny is how ahead of his time he was and how passionate he was about his pursuit of the truth. I have so much respect for someone who is willing to sacrifice everything and put it all on the line just to make sure he didn’t fall into suit with everyone else. I’m proud to be entrusted by the family to be the one to tell his story to the next generation.”

Marmo landed on the title for the show after hearing Bruce say, in an audio clip, “I’m sorry I wasn’t funny tonight … I’m not a comedian, I’m Lenny Bruce.” For Marmo, that comment resonated. “He wasn’t a comedian – he was so much more than that,” said Marmo of Bruce. “He was a satirist, a social commentator and a true advocate for the freedom of expression.”

The show has evolved a lot since its creation.

“As the writer, I am always tinkering with the script,” said Marmo. “For example, I removed the famous ‘N-word’ bit when we came back after the pandemic. I felt as though, even though the bit itself was in support of removing power from words so we don’t give them the chance to harm us, I knew that people might have a hard time hearing what Lenny was actually trying to say. Plus, even though I loved the impact it had on an audience, it kept me up at night thinking about it even before events like what happened to George Floyd. I have a responsibility as an artist to tell the absolute truth but also to not be tone deaf to the world around me. I don’t believe Lenny would have done that bit today.

“I also had long discussions with Kitty [Bruce, Lenny’s daughter] and my director, Joe Mantegna, who both agreed that it was best to remove it. So, I replaced it with ‘The Meaning of Obscenity,’ which, in my opinion, supports the show even more. So, I’m happy to make the switch, knowing it is not only the best fit culturally in this climate but also the strongest choice for the show overall. As a performer, my portrayal of Lenny evolves as I explore my own life and how I tell his story resonates differently depending on where I am in my life. I think it takes passion, dedication and an openness to watch it grow and evolve along with me.”

While I’m Not a Comedian … I’m Lenny Bruce premiered in 2017, Marmo said, “I’ve actually been with Lenny since 2005, when I did another show about him, called Lenny’s Back and Boy is He Pissed. On stage, I don’t separate us – it is my job as an actor to find where we meet in the middle. I try to focus on all the similarities that I identify with for Lenny. It is easy to keep it fresh because it is such an emotional ride and massive performance. I don’t feel like I ‘have it’ yet, which is refreshing, because it always feels just slightly out of reach.”

When Marmo did Lenny’s Back, which was brought to him by comedian Charlie Brill, he became “intimately involved with Lenny Bruce and his life.

“In getting to know him, I realized that there was so much of his story we weren’t telling. I wanted to get into the nitty gritty, I wanted to do his bits,” said Marmo. “So, I set out to write my own show.

“We initially started the show anticipating a six-week run,” he said. “This thing has caught fire in the most incredible way. It is a testament to just how relevant Lenny is today – perhaps even more than he was over 60 years ago! It truly has been a perfect storm: free speech, first amendment, cancel culture and not to mention the success of the Amazon series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. They really helped catapult Lenny’s name back into pop culture and have sold thousands of tickets for us. We have, in some ways, come very far and, in others, not far at all.”

Marmo described Bruce as “a very proud Jewish man,” who often incorporated Judaism and his Jewish heritage into his material. “He openly incorporated his Yiddish vocabulary into his bits and there is quite a bit of familiar references sprinkled throughout the show,” said Marmo. “His relationship with religion overall was complex but, rather than hiding his heritage, he celebrated it.”

As for what he thought gave Bruce the courage to run up against the country’s obscenity laws, Marmo said, “The truth. He held a mirror up to society and asked questions that everyone wondered about but never found any resolution to. He also fervently believed in our judicial system and always believed that it would prevail and he would be redeemed – something that he, unfortunately, didn’t see in his lifetime, but did come to fruition with his posthumous pardon in 2003 – the first in New York history, in fact. He spoke out loud what everyone whispered to themselves and his popularity was proof of how profound he was.”

Even though Bruce wasn’t alive to receive the pardon, Marmo still believes it was an important action.

“It was a landmark symbolic victory for free speech,” he said. “I think it was redemption. It was validation that Lenny had something to say to this society and that we are free-thinking creatives entitled to our artistic expression.”

For tickets to I’m Not a Comedian … I’m Lenny Bruce or any other Chutzpah! show, go to chutzpahfestival.com or call 604-257-5145.

Joy brighter than ever

Gila Münster, left, Yan Simon and Sarah Freia bring 8 Gays of Channukah: The Musical to the Chutzpah! Festival Nov. 13. (photo by Jamie Marshalls)

At this year’s Chutzpah! Festival, which runs Nov. 12-23, Jewish drag queen entertainer Gila Münster presents the Western Canadian debut of 8 Gays of Channukah: The Musical.

Calling Chutzpah! “one of the city’s most beloved celebrations of music, theatre and culture,” Münster wrote in a recent Facebook post: “What began in Toronto as the largest annual queer Jewish event in Canada is now coming West, bringing music, comedy and unapologetic queer Jewish joy to the stage.

“And it couldn’t come at a more important time,” she adds. “As antisemitism and anti-LGBTQ backlash continue to rise across North America, spaces that celebrate and centre our communities are not just entertainment – they are acts of resilience, visibility and solidarity. This show is about more than laughter: it’s about lighting the menorah together in defiance of hate and letting our joy shine brighter than ever.”

8 Gays of Channukah takes place Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m., at the Rothstein Theatre. “Eight stories are brought to life by the show’s creators, Gila Münster, Sarah Freia and Yan Simon, who reimagine holiday traditions with camp, sparkle and pride,” reads the Chutzpah! blurb. Local artist Joylyn Secunda opens the event with an excerpt from their show, The Routine, and there is a holiday shuk (market) during intermission and after the performances. People can pick up some gifts – made by local artisans – for the holidays.

First performed in December 2019, 8 Gays of Channukah started out as a variety show, said Münster. Last year, it evolved into a full-length musical created by Münster, Freia and Simon, and directed by Hershel Blatt.

“Now, 8 Gays of Channukah: The Musical is a 90-minute theatrical extravaganza with original songs, storytelling and dazzling costumes by queer Jewish designer Dan Dwir of House of Dwir,” said Münster. “The premise is that the three of us – Yan, Sarah and I – find ourselves on stage without a plan. We decide to share our experiences as queer Jewish people, but, as tensions rise, our bickering begins to twist the message. Over the course of the show, we learn how to coexist despite our differences and discover how much we truly share.

“The stories we tell touch on everything from coming out, to losing a loved one, to first crushes – and, of course, the joys and challenges of being an intersectional minority.”

It was from one of those challenges that 8 Gays of Channukah came into existence.

“In 2019, I was an undergrad at York University, getting ready to perform a drag show for the school’s 2SLGBTQIA+ affinity club,” Münster said. “Two days before the show, I got a voicemail from the club’s coordinator saying the event was canceled and I was banned from the club. The reason? I had mentioned that I was planning to go on Birthright to Israel that summer, and some members said it made them uncomfortable.

“I wasn’t given a chance to explain why that reaction was antisemitic, or even to defend myself. It was devastating. I felt erased – like there was no room for me to be both queer and Jewish.

“But I didn’t want to give up,” she said. “I reached out to Hillel Ontario and started a campus group called Rainbow Jews, a space where queer Jewish students of all stripes could show up fully as themselves. At our very first meeting, people asked me if I could put together a holiday party for queer Jews. That’s when the idea hit me: 8 Gays of Channukah. It started as a scrappy variety show with eight local queer Jewish performers – and now, seven years later, it’s grown into a tradition I’m so proud of.”

Over the years, singers, instrumentalists, comedians, dancers, burlesque and visual artists have participated. “Some highlights include legendary performers like 78-year-old drag queen Fontaine and Jamaican-Jewish comic Tamara Shevon, alongside rising stars such as dancing diva Josie and punk rock princess Alissa Brink,” said Münster. “In recent years, the show has found a kind of ‘core cast.’ Yan Simon – a Russian-Israeli singer-songwriter now based in Ottawa – first performed with us in 2019 and has been part of every show since 2023. Sarah Freia – an actress, singer and poet splitting her time between Toronto and London [England] – also joined, in 2023, and has been with us ever since. Together, we’ve built on the variety show tradition while adding our own creative chemistry into the mix.”

With Münster in Kingston, Ont., Simon in Ottawa and Freia in Toronto and London, the building of the musical required tenacity – hours in transit for in-person rehearsals and hours more in digital meetings, including with director Blatt, who traveled back and forth from New York.

“Because the show is rooted in personal storytelling, we had to really learn how to listen to each other and trust each other’s artistic instincts,” said Münster. “We were also lucky to have amazing rehearsal assistants, Olivia Daniels and Jesse Levy, who helped us shape the movement on stage.

“When we premiered the musical in December 2024, it was both thrilling and terrifying. We’d spent a year and $25,000 developing an entirely new format with all original material and we knew our loyal audience was counting on us to deliver. Of course, there were a few inevitable hiccups, but the energy in the theatre was electric. One moment I’ll never forget was after the show, when the non-Jewish partner of a Jewish audience member told us that, for the first time, he truly understood how antisemitism feels. That conversation reminded me that every person in the audience will connect to the show in their own way – and that’s the real magic of it.”

Münster’s first drag performance was at an event organized by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs for Pride. Called Jew-Paul’s Drag Race, it was hosted by drag legend Divine Darlin’, said Münster.

“I had spent weeks putting together my outfit, inspired by the Wicked Witch of the West. On the day of, it took me three hours to do my makeup, and then my friend Diana drove me to the Drink, where the show was happening. She practically had to drag me up the stairs – I was so nervous.

“The first song I ever performed in drag was Carrie Underwood’s ‘Blown Away’ – a nod to The Wizard of Oz – followed by Netta Barzilai’s ‘Toy,’ which had just won Eurovision 2018. The crowd went wild for that second number, and, in that moment, I realized there might be a space for me to bring my queer, Jewish and Israeli identities together on stage,” said Münster, who ended up winning the competition.

“From that night on, I was hooked,” she said.

Some JI readers will know Münster from her having been one of JQT Vancouver’s Hanukkah Hotties in 2022. She’s also on JQT’s Wall of Artists.

“I first connected with JQT’s founder and executive director, Carmel Tanaka, about four years ago,” explained Münster. “She found me online, and we bonded quickly over our intersectional identities.

“Looking back at the Hanukkah Hotties video … always makes me laugh,” she said, “because it takes me right back to the era of ‘Zoom drag.’ That meant getting into full glam, setting up lights and lip syncing in my living room – all to a silent, invisible audience on the other side of the screen. It was bizarre, a little lonely, and yet so wonderfully camp at the same time.”

Drag isn’t just an art form for Münster, but her business.

“It’s helped me pay my way through law school and beyond,” she said. “Having signature events that only I can deliver – especially those built around original music that doesn’t exist anywhere else – sets me apart from entertainers who focus mainly on lip syncing to existing tracks.

“Alongside 8 Gays of Channukah, another one of my signature offerings is Drag Queen Story Time. I’m proud to be the only drag performer officially approved as a vendor for the Toronto District School Board.”

Münster is also adept at cross-stitching, and sells her creations and other artwork on Etsy.

“My mom first taught me to cross-stitch when I was a kid, but I really picked it back up during the pandemic lockdowns,” she said, adding that “stitching became both a way to connect with people when we couldn’t leave our homes and a way to pass time that actually felt productive.”

Münster, Freia and Simon are excited to bring 8 Gays of Channukah: The Musical to Vancouver. “More than anything,” said Münster, “we hope the show helps build bridges between queer, Jewish and allied communities – especially in this moment of deep polarization.”

For the full Chutzpah! lineup and tickets to all the shows, go to chutzpahfestival.com or call 604-257-5145.

Chutzpah! opens on Nov. 12

Lorin Sklamberg, left, Sasha Lurje and Craig Judelman close the 10-day festival of comedy, music, theatre, dance and storytelling on Nov. 23 with Yiddish Songs of Social Change. (photo from Chutzpah! Festival)

The Chutzpah! Festival returns for its 25th anniversary with a mix of festival favourites and new discoveries in a lineup of performances Nov. 12-23, showcasing music, theatre, comedy, dance and storytelling through a multicultural Jewish lens.

“This Chutzpah! Festival is one of collaboration and celebration, combining past artistic managing director Jessica Gutteridge’s vision and my own,” said the festival’s new artistic managing director, Shayna Goldberg. “Chutzpah!’s legacy over the last 25 years has been to share diverse work from a multitude of Jewish perspectives, and the offerings this year are just as thrilling and exciting as any other. For 10 days this November, come and experience the best of what Canadian and international artists have to offer.”

photo - Israeli-American comedian Modi Rosenfeld brings his Pause for Laughter Tour to Vancouver on Nov. 12 to open the festival — Israeli-American comedian Modi Rosenfeld brings his Pause for Laughter Tour to Vancouver on Nov. 12 to open the festival. *(photo from Chutzpah! Festival)*

The festival opens Nov. 12, 8 p.m., at the Vogue Theatre with Modi Rosenfeld, presented in partnership with MRG Live. The Israeli-American comedian brings his Pause for Laughter Tour here for the festival.

Erik Angel, also an Israeli-American comedian, brings his project Comedy for Peace to Chutzpah! on Nov. 22, 7:30 p.m., at the Rothstein Theatre. Aimed at uniting communities through humour and mutual understanding, Comedy for Peace brings together stand-up comedians – Jewish, Christian, Muslim – for a show of “no politics. just laughs.” Joining Angel will be Ashley Austin Morris, Natan Badalov and Zara Khan. (See jewishindependent.ca/comedy-can-unite-and-heal.)

Chutzpah presents the West Coast debut of 8 Gays of Channukah: The Musical (Canada) at the Rothstein Theatre Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m. Blending Broadway-style musical numbers with comedy, drag artistry and Jewish joy, eight stories are brought to life by show creators Gila Münster, Sarah Freia and Yan Simon. The show includes an opening act by a local artist and there will be an 8 Gays of Channukah Shuk, featuring the work of local artisans, where you can pick up some gifts for the holidays.

Lea Kalisch’s Shtetl Cabaret (Switzerland/United States/Canada) is a night of collaborations featuring Tobias Moss and local Vancouver artists including Mike Braverman and Jason Overy. This show, which takes place Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m., at the Beaumont Studios (19+ venue), presents Jewish music, from forgotten melodies to original songs, and mashups from rap to rumba and folk to feminism.

Yiddish Songs of Social Change (United States/Germany/Latvia), presented by the Golden Thread Septet, explores Yiddish music as a tool for and reflection of social change, and features Lorin Sklamberg and Sasha Lurje, with arrangements by Craig Judelman. Judelman has arranged the Yiddish and English songs in a style that reflects the context of the songs themselves and honours the centuries-old tradition of using all these influences to inform the creation of new Yiddish music. In addition to the performance on Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m., at the Rothstein, Sklamberg, Lurje and Judelman will lead a free workshop about Yiddish music and dance that same day, at 2 p.m. Come explore both traditional and contemporary versions of Yiddish music and learn how you can dance along.

Back by popular demand, Chutzpah! and Vancouver Opera present Ne. Sans Opera & Dance’s Take This Waltz: Celebrating the Music of Leonard Cohen (Canada/Israel). This operatic and contemporary dance performance inspired by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen was originally presented in 2022 as a Chutzpah! Plus event. Created by local choreographer Idan Cohen and bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch, it features Okulitch alongside dancer/musician Ted Littlemore and a virtuoso live ensemble of strings and accordion. Take This Waltz is at the Rothstein Theatre Nov. 15 and 16, 7:30 p.m. (See jewishindependent.ca/celebrating-leonard-cohen.)

On Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m., at the Rothstein Theatre, Chutzpah! presents the North American premiere of Common Place (Australia/Israel) by power-duo dancer/choreographer Omer Backley-Astrachan and multiple-award-winning dancer Jana Castillo. Common Place is a physical exploration of belonging and togetherness, delving into shared action, collaboration and synchronization.

Deb Williams returns to Chutzpah! with the Flame, an evening of storytelling, on Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m., at the Rothstein Theatre. The Flame is a grassroots series where real people share their personal, true stories in front of an audience under Williams’s direction. This edition will feature a multicultural group including Karen Segal, Dhana Musil and others. Williams will also host an in-depth weekend workshop prior to the event (Nov. 15 and 16, at the Post at 750) to help storytellers hone their craft.

On Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m., at the Rothstein, Chutzpah! presents I’m Not a Comedian … I’m Lenny Bruce (United States), a one-man show exploring the life and battles of one of the most groundbreaking comedians of all time, Lenny Bruce. Created and performed by Ronnie Marmo and directed by Tony Award-winner Joe Mantegna, this show threads Bruce’s original comedic bits with insights from his writings.

Other workshops and talkbacks with festival artists, facilitated by members of the Vancouver arts community, will run throughout the festival. Visit the festival website for updates and registration information.

Most single tickets for Chutzpah!’s live performances are offered at a pay-what-you-will price, with the levels at $18, $36, $52 and $70 (+ gst/sc). I’m Not a Comedian … I’m Lenny Bruce is $40 (students/seniors), $54 (general) and $72 (VIP) (+gst/sc). ChutzPacks are also available, for $136: see four different regular-price shows of your choice. Tickets for Modi can be purchased through admitone.com/events. For tickets to any of the performances and more information about any of the events, visit chutzpahfestival.com or call 604-257-5145.

– Courtesy Chutzpah! Festival

Sharing parts of their lives

Iris Bahr opens the Chutzpah! Plus Spring Edition on March 19 with Stories from the Brink: My Festive Near-Death Adventures. (photo from Chutzpah! Festival)

The Chutzpah! Plus Spring Edition kicks off with comedy, though the laughs will mix with thoughtful moments of reflection on life, family, being Jewish, and more. Live, all the way from New York, Iris Bahr will perform at the Rothstein Theatre on March 19, and Talia Reese will be on stage there March 20.

Bahr is coming to Chutzpah! with her show Stories from the Brink: My Festive Near-Death Adventures.

“I don’t want to give anything away,” Bahr told the Independent. “Let’s just say I talk about my childhood in the Bronx, where I had to lead a double life. My bacon-eating parents sent me to an Orthodox yeshivah, which, as you can imagine, was extremely stressful. I was also stung by an entire beehive. But there’s a lot more. Just come and see. I really look forward to sharing the story and coming back to the theatre. I’ve missed it. Vancouver’s one of my favourite places to perform.”

Bahr explained why she has ventured into the non-fiction realm with her performance work.

“Some very significant events happened in my life, like my mom’s stroke, which was the basis of my previous show See You Tomorrow, that I performed in Vancouver a few years ago,” she said. “I felt a need to not only share the story because it was a very dramatic story, but, even more so, as I was in the depths of caregiving for my mom [in Israel], first with a stroke and then with dementia, I realized how isolating it was, especially with a loved one with dementia. And I realized how important it was, as an artist, to create a new piece about it, because so many people undergo similar caregiving trials and tribulations. I’ve been doing that show for over three years, and the amount of people that come up to me after, thanking me and hugging me and telling me they found comfort and were also entertained and were able to find the humour thanks to the show, is truly the reason I keep doing it.

“With my current show, Stories from the Brink, I had been exploring this theme of near-death experiences for awhile, first on a podcast that I created and then near-death-themed stand-up shows, with guests sharing their own stories,” continued Bahr. “But, after Oct. 7 and my experience in Israel on that morning, which was obviously terrifying and gut-wrenching, and the rise in antisemitism and extreme anti-Israel sentiment, it was very important for me to create a show that was framed by that experience that I knew would reach people from all persuasions and attitudes. But that is only one small piece of the mosaic of the show which is also filled with a lot of other life shmutz and a lot of humour.”

For Bahr, humour is one of the ways in which she handles challenges.

“Any coping mechanism that can find light amongst the darkness is a highly effective one,” she said. “And, as someone who has always reveled in the world of humour and made it a living, it seems like an obvious go-to when dealing with dark times. It’s not even a conscious decision, it just exists as a muscle, an internal reflex.”

While See You Tomorrow was written as a long-form story, Stories from the Brink comprises vignettes. Bahr explained that See You Tomorrow “takes everyone on a ride and hyper focuses on one aspect of a story. There are some tangents there, but it really is this one event that has a clear beginning, middle and end in a finite time.”

She took a different approach with Stories from the Brink because, she said, “I have a larger theme that I’m trying to explore from many different facets. The vignettes kind of tackle that theme from different angles and ways. And, it’s also a very colourful way to put a show together. It’s like a mosaic and there’s something beautiful about a mosaic, as well. Mixes it up a bit, especially for those audience members that have short attention spans.”

But audiences don’t have to be concerned about remaining focused on Bahr, who is an accomplished storyteller. Being an engaging performer, she said, “comes from physicality to voice to emotional presence and being authentic, being in the moment. Especially with storytelling, you have to have that combination of performance and authenticity and live in the present as you are recounting these stories. Otherwise, you’re just kind of giving a clinical recap, as I tell my students. You also have to really paint a picture and create a world and you have to depict the characters, including yourself, in a very full manner.”

Reese, who went from being a comedian to being lawyer and back to being a comedian, agrees about the importance of being a good storyteller. It has served her well both as a lawyer and as a stand-up comedian.

“So, this is random, but I’m a really good summarizer,” she said. “At the law firms, my thing was summarizing case law for memoranda and stating the facts of a case succinctly but informatively in a pleading,” she explained. “I think I took that skill to joke writing. Word cutting is so important, saying just enough to get to your punchline then move on to the next.

“I also really enjoy telling stories, which is helpful in law and in comedy. I can tell a good story, ya know? That’s why I have a low tolerance for stories that dwell on unnecessary details. I zone out fast, which is why I think I was so tough on teachers. But I’m all about entertainment value. Entertain me or go away.”

photo - Comedian Talia Reese takes to the Rothstein Stage on March 20 — Comedian Talia Reese takes to the Rothstein Stage on March 20. *(photo by Limor Garfinkle)*

Reese shared that she was the “class clown” growing up, which meant she was “thrown out of class a lot.”

“It really depended on the teacher though,” she said. “I was just so bored in middle school and most of high school and the teachers were such characters. Getting to act in plays was a saving grace for me. I enjoyed doing Neil Simon comedies so much. I wish I was still doing that.”

In high school, Reese said, “I was all about acting in comedies and then, in college, I was the director of a comedy troupe where I wrote all the sketches and played many wacky characters. Coming out of U of Penn, I felt tremendous pressure to choose a more traditional career path, so I did the law thing. Law school was an amazing education but the all-encompassing practice was not the life I would have ever envisioned for myself, so I took a stand-up class on a lark and wound up sticking with that.”

Coming from an acting and then sketch comedy background, Reese wasn’t sure she’d be good at stand-up. “But,” she said, “it was the only way to do comedy on my own schedule, after putting the kids to bed. I’d go to open mics and talk about my life, try out jokes, build setups around lines that I thought were funny. One by one my stories would pop, or a joke would come to life, and it was the most exciting thing since college, when I wrote those sketches. I think I found my voice, and am still finding it, when I started to talk more about my actual life, telling specific stories. And it always amazes me when something so random that struck a chord in me will get an audience going too. It validates that I’m not crazy. Or that I am, but everyone else is too.”

Reese, who describes herself as Modern Orthodox, grew up in a Reform environment, “but we always had a traditional Friday night Shabbat dinner at my savta and sabbah’s house,” she said. “I think, given that my father is Israeli and of Sephardic descent, having Shabbat with my grandparents and cousins every week gave me a strong sense of Jewish identity. Also, my grandparents on my mother’s side survived the Holocaust and I have childhood memories of being in the room when they played cards with their friends, most of whom were Polish and some had numbers on their arms.

“My ‘Jewishness’ played such a strong role in forming my personal identity that it wasn’t a stretch to become more religious for me, or for my parents and siblings, who consider themselves baal teshuva as well.”

She adapts her comedy routine to the situation, she said. “I try to be respectful of religious institutions that hire me to do a night of clean comedy. I know where that line is and I’ll go right up to it and then walk it back. I like to play with an audience’s expectations. Like I talk about my two failed marriages. Then mention that I’m still in one of them. As far as getting to know my audience, at a live show, I’ll usually do some crowd work to see what I’m working with, or throw questions out up top.”

As for how she works, she said, “If I make myself laugh with a thought, I write it down. If I make my friends laugh with a story, I write it down. Then comes the development. Will this be good for the stage? Are there enough moments in the build-up that keep it funny? Like, I was thinking about how my daughter’s name is too long for how much I have to yell at her. Isabella, too many syllables, it’s exhausting. So, just abbreviate. Isabreakfast! Isabedtime! Who knows, maybe that will make it into the act!”

* * *

Spring Chutzpah! Plus

The Jewish Independent interviewed Jessica Gutteridge, artistic managing director of the Chutzpah! Festival and the Rothstein Theatre, in advance of the March 19-23 Chutzpah! Plus Spring Edition.

JI: Why has Chutzpah! decided to do a spring edition?

JG: Chutzpah! has for many years presented special programming outside of the main festival through our Chutzpah! Plus program. It has been a goal of the festival to expand this programming in order to deepen our engagement with audiences and to take advantage of artists’ touring schedules that bring them to the area throughout the year. In late winter 2024, we were delighted to offer a Winter Weekend of programming. Now, with a shorter fall festival, we are able to shift some of our programming into the spring, offering opportunities throughout the arts season for audiences to enjoy what the festival has to offer.

JI: Last fall, there was concern about the future of Chutzpah! How is it looking now?

JG: We were gratified to see the community come together to support Chutzpah! at a time of crisis, contributing generously and expressing a shared commitment to Jewish arts and culture. Adjusting our festival schedule to a shorter fall flagship festival plus our spring edition has also aided our sustainability. Important capacity-building support has come from philanthropic organizations like the Diamond Foundation and the Azrieli Foundation.

But significant challenges remain. The grant-funding landscape has not improved appreciably and, with more organizations competing for less funding, costs rising and the general economy precarious, it’s critical that we keep the momentum going. Not only is it important that the community continue to sustain us as donors and sponsors, we need audiences to “vote with their feet” and come out to festival shows and events – and bring friends. Showing support and getting to enjoy fantastic artists – it’s a win-win!

The Chutzpah! Plus Spring Edition runs March 19-23. Universus, a dance double-bill by Belle Spirale Dance Projects and Fernando Hernando Magadan is at Vancouver Playhouse March 21-22, 8 p.m.; Yamma Ensemble is at Rothstein Theatre March 21, 10 a.m., and March 22, 7 p.m. (for more about Yamma, see jewishindependent.ca/unique-in-style-rich-in-culture); and City Birds, a new project in the tradition of Americana by Tamar Eisenman and Sagit Shir, will perform music for families March 23, 11 a.m., at Rothstein Theatre. For tickets, visit chutzpahfestival.com or call 604-257-5145.

Who holds power over you?

Jeremy Goldstein, centre, and volunteer participants in the Newcastle, Australia, performance of Truth to Power Café earlier this month. Members of the Vancouver community will participate in the event here on Nov. 3. (photo by Cassandra Hannagan)

“Who has power over you and what do you want to say to them?” This is the question at the centre of Jeremy Goldstein’s Truth to Power Café, which he will present – with the help of local community members – Nov. 3 at the Rothstein Theatre as part of the Chutzpah! Festival.

“As with all our events, we invite participants to sign up to the project through a combination of open call and personal invites, which we send out in close collaboration with our presenter, who, in this case, is the wonderful Chutzpah! Festival,” explained Goldstein. “We don’t normally confirm the line-up until a week or two before the performance, so it’s a little early to say what people will speak about, but we’re looking for Vancouverites willing to engage in a process of compassionate truth-telling. When we combine this with my own memoir, told through poetry, image, film and music, it makes for fantastic theatre.”

The deadline was earlier this week for local community members of all ages, experiences and backgrounds to apply to be a part of the event. Selected participants will present a short monologue related to the question of who has power over them and what they want to say to that person, whoever it may be, a parent, sibling, boss, politician, neighbour, friend. In a 2022 Total Theatre Magazine article, Goldstein wrote, “Participants’ voices are heard and understood through the political and philosophical beliefs of Harold Pinter and his Hackney Gang.”

“Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter wrote about power and occupation. His inner circle, the Hackney Gang, were a group of working-class lads who met in 1947,” Goldstein explained to the Independent. “They knocked about London’s East End in the 1950s, where they took on the bullies and fought with antisemitic fascists. The gang included my late father, Mick Goldstein, and the late poet/actor Henry Woolf, who became known as the ‘King of the Avant Garde,’ and with whom I co-created the show directed by Jen Heyes.

“For 60 years, the Hackney Gang held firm in their belief of an independent media and in speaking their truth to power,” said Goldstein. “They remained on the side of the occupied and the disempowered and their allies. These are the people we invite to appear in the show with me.

“Ultimately,” he added, “the show has become a love letter to the memory of my father Mick, and his friends of 60 years, Henry Woolf and Harold Pinter.”

Goldstein started Truth to Power Café eight years ago.

“Back in 2016, I was presenting New York’s queen of the underground and former Andy Warhol Factory superstar Penny Arcade at Soho Theatre in London,” he said. “I wanted to stage a pre-show event so I opened up my address book and invited 24 Londoners to respond to the question, ‘Who has power over you, and what do you want to say to them?’ Over four nights, I saw the theatre come alive with raw and compassionate truth-telling and was compelled to make a show out of it.”

But there were unexpected challenges.

photo - Jeremy Goldstein brings his Truth to Power Café to the Chutzpah! Festival Nov. 3 — Jeremy Goldstein brings his Truth to Power Café to the Chutzpah! Festival Nov. 3. (photo by Cassandra Hannagan)

“Two weeks before the first night, my face became numb and the doctors told me I had a stage 4 lymphoma,” shared Goldstein. “At the time, I didn’t know if I would live, let alone make it to the Soho Theatre performances. Eighteen months and a stem cell transplant later, I was cured and premièred the show at Festival 18, the arts and culture program for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia.

“I’ve been on the road with it ever since, playing everywhere from poor working-class mining communities in the north of England to remote townships in the Australian outback to Queer Zagreb in Croatia and on to Lincoln Centre in New York – Truth to Power Café is a genuine global hit.”

Since it began, the show has had some 800 diverse participants taking part in eight countries.

“Some participants are established writers, artists and community activists, whereas others have never spoken up in public before, let alone centre-stage, under lights in their local theatre, sharing intensely personal life stories in front of their friends and family,” said Goldstein. “I’ve become a vessel through which these stories are told. It’s a very privileged position to be in and I don’t take it for granted. I want people taking part to have a positive experience, so I’m very aware of people’s well-being as part of the process leading up to each performance, and into the show itself. I check in with everyone after the show. Many of our participants have become my friends.”

He is well aware of how confronting power can put a person in a vulnerable position.

“The basic rule in life is don’t rock the boat or to tell a white lie to keep the peace, so whether you choose to speak from the personal, political, professional or even all three, speaking truth to power can put you at risk,” he said. “We, therefore, make the show in a safe space or, in the words of one our recent participants, Ed Wright: ‘To talk truth to power, to find our own power, we need to be able to feel safe. To have our power returned to us when it has gone missing, we need to know we have been listened to.’”

The question being asked – “Who has power over you and what do you want to say to them?” – is meant to challenge ideas of power and give voice to people who don’t normally have a chance to speak out, said Goldstein.

“People from marginalized communities tend to talk about progressive change, whereas those with privilege and power want to maintain the status quo and have more power,” he said. “We live in the post-truth age of the demagogue, where fake news is the new norm. In politics, the oppressed often have to fight for the right to simply say what they are experiencing and, in personal relationships, that artificial barrier is also in place. If you have an approach to allowing the conversation to happen, the chances of change occurring are much higher.”

The Nov. 3 Chutzpah! show is Truth to Power Café’s Canadian première and its 60th performance.

“It’s extremely rare to have two significant milestones back-to-back,” said Goldstein, “so I can’t wait to celebrate this with the good people of Vancouver.”

Chutzpah! runs Nov. 1-10. For the full lineup and tickets, visit chutzpahfestival.com or call 604-257-5145.

New this year for the Chutzpah! Festival: Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver members receive discounted ticket prices and concession purchases at the theatre. Select Student/Senior/JCC Member tickets and ChutzPacks and bring your membership card to the theatre.

Space for love amid messy

Chutzpah! resident artists Livona Ellis, left, and Rebecca Margolick in their debut collaborative piece, Fortress, which is part of a double bill at the Dance Centre next month. (photo by Benjamin Peralta)

Strength, vulnerability, love, pain, joy, healing, creation. Two world premières at this year’s Chutzpah! Festival explore these and other aspects of what it means to be human. The Nov. 8-9 double bill of Fortress and About Time are being presented with the festival’s community partner, the Dance Centre.

Fortress is the debut collaborative piece by Chutzpah! resident artists Rebecca Margolick and Livona Ellis. In it, the dancers and choreographers contemplate femininity, what it means to be strong, what it means to be vulnerable and the balance between the two.

“I draw strength from the resilience and emotional intelligence of the women in my life. My mom, Mary-Louise Albert, and my grandmothers, Phyllis Margolick and June Albert, are key inspirations,” Margolick told the Independent. “I also think of my great-great-grandmother, Rivka Margolick, who fled the pogroms in Latvia in the late 1800s with her nine children. She died a week after arriving in Montreal, but her bravery continues to inspire me. I often think about how that one lucky and bold move to escape and to come to Canada has led to me here, now.”

Margolick’s heritage infuses her creative life.

“Jewish culture encourages asking questions and exploring ideas from multiple perspectives, which mirrors my creative process,” she explained. “I constantly question the work I’m building, not out of doubt, but as a way to deepen and refine it. This openness to possibilities, paired with a focus on collaborative exploration, is something I see as a direct reflection of my Jewish values, and one that I connect to strongly in my culture, my work, and the overall way I operate in the world.”

Born and raised in British Columbia, Margolick recently returned to Vancouver.

“I officially moved back in July, but I had been coming back here more often since the pandemic,” she said. “I was based in New York City for 14 years. For the last 18 months, I was nomadic and traveling around for work without a home base. I chose to settle back in Vancouver to be closer to family, have better access to nature, have a calmer lifestyle, and to strengthen the community and close friendships I have here.”

Margolick’s choreographic work has been presented around the world, and she has danced with various artists and companies, including Sidra Bell Dance New York from 2012 to 2016. She joined Andrea Peña & Artists this year.

Ellis has performed with several groups, including 11 seasons with Ballet BC, and has create works for many companies. She received the Vancouver Mayor’s Arts Award for Emerging Artist in 2017 and the inaugural Louise Bentall Award for Emerging Choreographer in 2023. She is also a dance educator.

The Jewish Independent first wrote about Fortress and Margolick and Ellis’s collaboration in 2021 (jewishindependent.ca/four-solos-and-a-duet).

“It has almost completely changed!” said Margolick of the work’s evolution since then. “We took some base movement ideas from the original work, for example, rocking, and then extrapolated on it. Our themes and original inspiration for the work have remained similar. We’ve let ideas breathe more, creating space for simplicity to stretch, and allowing the work to feel more spacious and exploratory.”

Margolick described how she and Ellis work together.

“Like a lot of creative processes, it feels like we’re building a puzzle,” she said. “We start with throwing out a bunch of ideas (puzzle pieces), trying them out, placing them next to other ideas, and seeing how they work together. Some ideas fit, while some don’t. It’s a constant process of refining, editing and reworking until the picture becomes clear. We aim to craft an arc that makes sense but still leaves room for mystery and space for the audience to create their own experience.”

As for her own journey with femininity, strength and vulnerability, Margolick shared, “Over time, I’ve grown more comfortable in my own skin, learning to embrace my imperfections and express my emotions more freely. I’ve come to understand that there is great power in vulnerability. As I’ve matured, I’ve also leaned into dialectical and critical thinking, which has helped me appreciate the complexity of femininity. Working on Fortress has reinforced for me that true strength lies in allowing space for tenderness and care, even when it feels messy.”

***

About Time choreographer Idan Cohen has also come to better understand messiness – the countless disparate ideas, feelings and events that co-exist at any given moment – in his exploration of time via Philip Glass’s solo piano études.

“It’s been very challenging to create throughout this traumatic year,” he acknowledged. “It feels like, since Oct. 7, one faces two major options: there are those who break and those who assemble, constructing something out of the pain and confusion. I chose to create About Time as a commentary on the ways we consume information, form opinions and lose empathy. Time goes on whether we want it to or not. The question is, with what do we fill that space, the time we are given. My time is filled with both love and pain. I break, but I also feel the urge to create, provoke thought and promote healing.”

Born and raised in Israel, but now an established Vancouverite, Cohen’s career includes seven seasons with Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company and various international tours, residencies and scholarships. A multiple-awarding-winning performer and choreographer/director, he is founder and artistic director of Ne.Sans Opera & Dance.

The original idea to create a piece to Glass’s études came from Cohen’s colleague and friend, conductor and pianist Leslie Dala, back in 2020.

photo - Will Jessup in Idan Cohen’s About Time, an exploration of time through Philip Glass’s solo piano études. In this year’s Chutzpah! Festival, Jessup and Benjamin DeFaria perform the piece with pianist Leslie Dala at the Dance Centre Nov. 8-9 — Will Jessup in Idan Cohen’s About Time, an exploration of time through Philip Glass’s solo piano études. In this year’s Chutzpah! Festival, Jessup and Benjamin DeFaria perform the piece with pianist Leslie Dala at the Dance Centre Nov. 8-9. *(photo by Chris Randle)*

“Even now, between other projects, I find myself continually returning to Glass’s études,” said Cohen. “I have to understand the core of the music. It is more than just the composer’s intention – it’s about tracking and studying their identity, which makes them a cultural phenomenon, that deep essence through which they form a perspective, their cultural DNA. Glass is such a fascinating artist, and I have a tendency to obsess and study things over time – it is a friendship. I am immersed in Glass’s unique understanding and appreciation of time, and in the way he engages with philosophies and perspectives.”

Cohen has learned a few things from this immersion. In particular, he said, “In order to survive, I had to remind myself that no timeline is more important than another – joy and pleasure exist in any given moment, alongside tragedy, weakness and pain. There are multiple realities, and the worst atrocities happen simultaneously with moments of celebration and joy.”

While the music is the foremost inspiration, Cohen said it serves as “the gateway through which a creative world is assembled.”

“In a creative process,” he said, “I need to find my interpretation of the music, to discover where the core connection lies between the music and myself. It is an act of artistic communication – between artists, between Glass and me, the dancers, Leslie Dala, the designers and everyone involved. I find the act of art-making to be an important practice in both creation and healing.”

Dala will perform Glass’s études live during About Time, which features dancers Will Jessup and Benjamin DeFaria.

To the community, “who have endured unbearable pain this year,” Cohen said, “I dedicate every movement and every step of this creation to you, sending you strength and love. I am praying for better times to come.”

***

The Fortress and About Time double bill will take place at Scotiabank Dance Centre. For the full Chutzpah! Festival lineup and tickets, visit chutzpahfestival.com.

Chutzpah! needs your help

Chutzpah! Festival acting managing director Jessica Gutteridge. (photo by Tallulah Photography)

After nearly 25 years at the forefront of Jewish arts and culture in Western Canada, Vancouver’s international performing arts festival, Chutzpah!, faces an urgent financial crisis. And it needs your help to keep the stage lights on.

Shifting priorities in government arts funding, as well as the impacts of Oct. 7 and the war in Gaza, have created a perfect storm resulting in a dramatic drop in revenue.

How did this happen?

Chutzpah! depends significantly on government grants. Presently, the stagnant pool of arts funding, alongside a growing number of applications, means fierce competition for fewer dollars. In addition, Jewish arts programming officially falls outside of funders’ “designated priority groups.” Funders have told the festival that, this year, only 15-20% of proposals will be approved, and Chutzpah! has already been declined for several grants that it has received historically.

“The arts community, generally, is facing difficulties with sustainable government arts funding, as the funding pool has returned to pre-pandemic levels with more applicants seeking funding,” explained artistic managing director Jessica Gutteridge. “But there are compounded challenges that Jewish performing arts and artists are facing, especially as tensions escalate locally in response to the war in Israel. Jewish organizations and events require additional security and access to funding is hampered by the fact that Jewish artists are excluded from funding priority categories, due to a misunderstanding that Jews are a marginalized ethnocultural group, and not solely a religious group.”

Adding to the financial challenges, Chutzpah! opened last year within weeks of the Hamas attacks and war in Gaza, within an atmosphere of rising anti-Jewish hate that has been felt both globally and locally. Despite the festival’s efforts to ensure the safety of performers, audience and staff, ticket sales suffered dramatically. With Jewish arts organizations and events in Vancouver, across Canada and elsewhere targeted with petitions and protests, the erasure of Jewish language, art and culture is, once again, a real threat. As a community, we cannot allow this to happen.

This is why Chutzpah! urgently needs support. The challenges the festival faces are serious, but not insurmountable, and organizers are taking several steps to try and secure its future.

Chutzpah! is speaking with new philanthropic foundations, exploring capacity-building needs in the short- and long-term. Increasing its capacity would give the organization more resources to diversify and grow revenue through grants, audience development plans, sponsorships, private donations, and more.

As well, the festival has established a circle of advisors – a few community members who are passionate about the arts, the Jewish community and Chutzpah! With their help, the festival hopes to strengthen its base of individual donors and identify prospective program sponsors and partners.

Chutzpah! is also reaching out directly to its community of patrons and supporters to share the challenges it is facing and ask for support.

“We’ve been so heartened by the response to our campaign to date. We’ve nearly reached 50% of our goal,” said Gutteridge.

The goal is to raise $60,000 by May 31. There are five ways people can help:

1. Contribute to the campaign. You can donate online directly and securely through CanadaHelps (or by cheque to Vancouver West Side Theatre Society).

2. Help Chutzpah! grow its network of support by sharing information about the situation with like-minded friends/colleagues. Add a brief note explaining why you support the festival and ask them if they might consider doing the same.

3. If you or your contacts donate before May 31, campaign co-chair Emet Davis will match all gifts, up to a maximum of $10,000.

4. Increase your own impact by offering a formal or informal matching gift challenge within your personal or professional networks. Simply direct friends and colleagues to the festival’s donations page, confirm gifts, then issue your matching gift. Let the festival know if you do this.

5. Be a sponsor. Sponsorships subsidize production and associated costs for festival performances. There is a range of giving levels, recognition and other benefits.

“With rising costs for artists, staff and production expenses, all needed to bring the high-quality work that Chutzpah! audiences are accustomed to, we are looking to gather a small but mighty group of philanthropists and arts lovers to support us – producer-level supporters,” said Gutteridge. “This group will help offset the challenges we’re facing with limited government arts funding and rising costs, by financing specific content for the festival and joining us to share those programs with their networks. We can match their artistic interests to our programming – for example, help produce a series of Israeli artists, or step up to support an evening of klezmer music.”

“Until several years ago, I only attended Chutzpah! occasionally,” said Davis. “To be honest, I think I took for granted that it was a permanent fixture in our community. But, when I made a decision a few years ago to engage more meaningfully in Jewish community, the festival became part of my journey – it has deepened my knowledge and my sense of pride in my identity. Chutzpah! is about something much more than entertainment – it’s about the preservation and celebration of our language, art and culture. Now more than ever, I’m reminded we can’t take that for granted.”

Donate via chutzpahfestival.com or save Chutzpah! the processing fees and give by cheque to Vancouver West Side Theatre Society, mailed to 950 West 41st Ave., Vancouver, BC, V5Z 2N7.

– Courtesy Chutzpah! Festival

The Debaters special edition

The special Chutzpah! Festival edition of The Debators will be moderated by Kate Davis. (photo from Chutzpah!)

This year’s Chutzpah! Festival opens with a bold question: “The Ten Commandments. Holy Moses, is it time for some new ones?” And the audience at the Rothstein Theatre Nov. 2 will be the ones to decide which comedian answers the question best at the special festival edition of The Debaters.

“As holder of stage rights for The Debaters comedy format, I have been presenting non-CBC stage productions for awhile, all with radio host Steve Patterson as moderator. These have been very successful, but I’ve also been keen to produce stage versions for specific audiences in different communities,” show creator Richard Side told the Independent. “This Chutzpah! Festival is the perfect opportunity to do that with a cast of comedians and a debate topic that will really connect with the audience and with [artistic managing director] Jessica Gutteridge’s vision for the fest.”

Debating the topic at the Rothstein Theatre will be comedians Jacob Samuel and Charlie Demers, and comedian Kate Davis will act as moderator. But the event won’t just be about making jokes.

photo - Charlie Demers — Charlie Demers *(photo from Chutzpah!)*

Demers, a Debaters regular, shared “his bona fides for this event” with Side: “I was team captain of the Canadian delegation to the World Schools Debating Championships in Jerusalem in 1998; you can also say that I am a novice Anglican Third Order Franciscan.”

“The 3rd order Franciscan movement,” explained Side, “is a group that includes religious and lay people who try to emulate the life of St. Francis of Assisi…. As for how it relates to the topic of the Ten Commandments – [Demers] is arguing that the 10 commandments do not need revising so, along with the jokes, I am sure he will have some heartfelt points as well. And that is why I thought him ideal for a comedy debate that was not going to just ‘roast’ the commandments but also might have some insight in it, too. Facts and funny is what The Debaters is all about, laughs – and logic.”

Samuel, who is Jewish, is on the other side of the argument. First appearing on the CBC radio show about six years ago, he told the Independent: “Preparing for The Debaters is always a combination of excitement, stress and wracking my brains on how to squeeze jokes out of a given topic. I do a lot of brainstorming, writing and rewriting, and pacing around going over my arguments out loud. For the Chutzpah! show I’ll be preparing as I always do. However, I am doing maybe a bit more research than I would normally do to try to be as accurate as possible when it comes to the Torah and Jewish beliefs. I think it’s fair to say that this audience may be a bit more knowledgeable about Judaism than the average crowd.”

photo - Jacob Samuel — Jacob Samuel *(photo from Chutzpah!)*

Jewish Independent readers will be quite familiar with Samuel, whose one-panel cartoons the paper has published and whose comedy career the paper has followed.

“I think the last time I was in the Jewish Independent,” he said, “it was to promote the recording of my debut comedy album in late 2019 (what a time that was!). Well, it turns out, I won a Juno Award for that very album in 2021. I also got married and now have a mini Bernedoodle named Mendl who, to me, is also Jewish (he’s loud, anxious and has a very sensitive stomach).”

Samuel has learned a lot since his first time on The Debaters, which was at the 2017 Winnipeg Comedy Festival. “The debate was about emojis,” he said. “I thought it would be really subversive and clever if I held up giant emoji printouts for my closing argument – not the greatest idea for an audio-only show but, hey, it was my first time on radio. Luckily, they had me back and enough times that I often lose count.”

Davis, a member of the Toronto Jewish community, is also a Debaters veteran.

“My first Debaters,” she said, “was in 2007 in London, Ont. – ‘Should dads be in the delivery room?’ Of course, I was for this, as dads are the ones who got us into this mess in the first place.”

For Davis, being a mom is not just part of her private life, she incorporates it into her writing and gives parenting workshops, too, as well as talks on various related, and unrelated, topics.

“I love performing comedy and my speaking is my comedy and everything I believe in,” she said. “Over the years, I have created four different keynotes on work/life balance, connectivity, mindfulness and mental resilience, all of which I hope contribute to a healthier, happier life. Whether I am writing my comedy, books, scripts or a keynote, I find being multifaceted is like going to the gym – you don’t just work out your arms. Each one contributes to each other. I might write an article and think that’s a great joke and try that in my standup.”

Davis said she is “super-excited to be moderator for The Debaters – Chutzpah! Edition” that stars Demers and Samuel.

“I know what great comics they are and, honestly, I think moderating is being a great listener and keeping things going. But, let’s be honest,” she said. “I am pretty excited for the puns!!! Also, to prepare, I will be eating as many matzo balls as I can.”

For tickets to the The Debaters – Chutzpah! Edition (which is not a CBC-affiliated production and won’t be recorded for broadcast), visit chutzpahfestival.com. A portion of ticket sales will benefit the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver’s inclusion programs.

Tell your own “crankie” stories

Where Do Stories Come From? (fun vanen nemen zikh di mayses) on Nov. 9 highlights a poem from each of three Yiddish women writers: Ida Maze, Esther Shumiatcher-Hirschbein and Yudika. (Illustration by Cesario Lavery)

This year’s Chutzpah! Festival includes several opportunities for people to participate in the arts being performed. A prime example is Where Do Stories Come From? (fun vanen nemen zikh di mayses), wherein attendees of the Nov. 9 event at the Rothstein Theatre will be able to learn new music inspired by Yiddish poetry and, in the Zack Gallery, on Nov. 7 and/or Nov. 12, participate in a “crankie” workshop.

Where Do Stories Come From?, which is presented by the Chutzpah! Festival and KlezKanada – co-curated by the organizations’ respective artistic directors, Jessica Mann Gutteridge and Avia Moore – includes “new musical and visual settings for three Yiddish poems by celebrated Canadian women writers, selected and translated by Faith Jones, with accompanying visual artwork in the form of ‘crankies’ – a centuries-old art form in which an illustrated scroll, evocative of the Torah, is wound across spools set in a viewing window.”

The artistic directors decided early on to work with the poetry of Canadian women writers who wrote in Yiddish, said Gutteridge, “and there was no more perfect collaborator to work with on selecting the poetry than Vancouver’s own Faith Jones. For the musical work, we drew on the incredibly rich community of KlezKanada’s artists and were lucky that Sarah Larsson was interested in the project – she’s not only a gifted composer with a thorough knowledge of Yiddish music, but is herself a stunning vocalist and music director.

“We also spent a lot of time looking at incredible artworks by Jewish visual artists and ultimately selected Benny Ferdman, Ava Berkson and Cesario Lavery, all of whom bring an interest in Yiddish, diverse styles, and interest in visual storytelling to the project. As part of the project involves community participation, we also ensured that all the artists are skilled at and enjoy working with community of all abilities and ages.”

The idea for the event came after Gutteridge met Moore at a KlezKanada Summer Retreat in 2022.

“When the JCC Association announced they would be funding new community-based projects incorporating live music and storytelling with an emphasis on partnerships,” said Gutteridge, “we realized we had a wonderful opportunity to work together to share our assets – KlezKanada’s immersive creative residency environment and access to brilliant artists with knowledge of Yiddish culture, and the Chutzpah! Festival’s presentation opportunities.

“KlezKanada’s 2023 Summer Retreat theme was Yiddish film and, because it’s a very unplugged environment, had plans to explore the ‘pre-film’ illustrated story technique of crankies,” she continued. “We thought this art form would pair beautifully with the musical work being created, and would offer a very engaging opportunity to the community to participate in creating a multidimensional presentation together.”

Where Do Stories Come From? is supported by the JCC Association’s Making Music Happen program and Chutzpah! Festival’s music programming is supported by AmplifyBC’s Live Music Presentation Fund.

The event’s title comes from one of the three poems highlighted, one by Ida Maze. “It’s a poem that grabbed the entire group immediately and we knew we wanted to work with it,” said Gutteridge. “In the poem, Maze creates a strong visual image of a little house that appears to be abandoned, but as you approach you see that a fire is lit and, in the house, sit a grandfather and a grandmother sharing culture and stories with the children, and the stories are then carried away on the wind. For us, this poem really captured the idea of the project – that intergenerational cultural transmission is the key to how we survive and thrive and, in many ways, is a model for how we hope to see this project unfold. But I think the very notion that we pose this as a question invites everyone who experiences the work to ask themselves where they think stories come from.”

The other poems are by Esther Shumiatcher-Hirschbein and Yudika.

“Faith made a longer list of poems selected for their striking visual imagery and potential musicality and presented them to our full group of artists,” explained Gutteridge. “Right away, we all responded to the Ida Maze work and had to then narrow our choices to two more. We asked the artists to highlight which poems they found particularly inspiring and, as artistic directors, Avia and I also kept an eye on whether the selections were creating an interesting and balanced program in terms of style and theme. It was an enjoyable and smooth process and I think we all enjoyed kicking off the project together in this way.”

As for the workshops, Gutteridge said, “Ava and Cesario will be with us through the week to guide workshop participants through the process of making their own crankies, inspired by prompts from the poetry we will provide. While the crankies being made for the music event will be large scale, a wonderful characteristic of this art form is that it can be made any size using very humble materials like a shoebox or even a matchbox. With our partner the Zack Gallery, the work created in the workshops will be on display in a community exhibition, and our video director Flick Harrison will be on hand to help participants capture their crankies in action. Participants can opt to share their crankies and stories in an online video gallery. We hope we will see intergenerational groups making crankies together!”

During the week, Chutzpah! will also be hosting the return of the Flame, with their evening of storytelling on Nov. 6.

“The Flame’s artistic director, Deb Williams, will teach her remarkable day-long storytelling workshop on Sunday, Nov. 12, ending just before our final crankie workshop and the concert presentation,” said Gutteridge. “We hope that these projects together will inspire community participants to explore their own stories and find new and inspiring ways to tell and share them.”

For tickets to Where Do Stories Come From? and other Chutzpah! events, visit chutzpahfestival.com.

Multidisciplinary approach – When the Walls Come Down

Racheal Prince, left, and Caroline Hébert in When the Walls Come Down, which is at the Rothstein Theatre Nov. 8 and 10. (photo © iiiiportraits)

“I think the performance is a really fun way to learn a little bit about Deaf culture,” Caroline Hébert, the lead actor and inspiration for When the Walls Come Down, told the Independent. “I hope people can make the time to try something different and I look forward to meeting some new people at the Chutzpah! Festival.”

When the Walls Come Down (WTWCD) will see three performances at the Rothstein Theatre next month, as part of the festival. A collaboration from Vancouver’s Dance//Novella, led by Racheal Prince and Brandon Lee Alley, the work highlights moments in Hébert’s life, “shed[ding] light on stereotypes and difficulties faced by many Deaf Canadians and tell[ing] a story of resilience and love,” according to the press material. It is performed with movement, music, projections and lighting, and in ASL with English voiceovers.

“Racheal and Brandon and the WTWCD team have been learning ASL,” said Hébert. “It’s really inspiring to me to see a group of people who want to create an environment where we can share ideas and our culture. I want to participate in more collaborations as I continue my journey as a Deaf actor. This is my first time stepping into a leading role for a one-hour show. I think, at first, I wasn’t really sure if this is something I could do. Over time, I realized that I can do it, and I can connect to many different people through my art form.”

The creation of WTWCD began in 2020, said Prince and Alley, when “our curiosity led us to explore the fusion of ASL and dance, with a strong desire to collaborate with a Deaf actor and blend their creative ideas with ours. Caroline was recommended to us by Chis Dodd, director of SOUND OFF. What intrigued us further was her last name, Hébert, which happened to be the maiden name of Racheal’s grandmother. This unexpected connection felt like a sign. After a video-translated conversation with Caroline, we realized that she possessed a compelling story that needed to be shared, so we quickly chose her as the central character for the work.”

As for her decision to be that central character, Hébert said, “I was interested in trying something new and I thought why not!? I did dance a little when I was a child so maybe that was also part of the reason?”

WTWCD debuted as a live-streamed performance during the 2021 Vancouver International Dance Festival (VIDF), which made it “challenging for us to establish a direct connection with the audience and gauge their reception of the work,” said Prince and Alley. “However, we knew this work had the potential of uplifting and illuminating a traditionally marginalized community, so we kept refining and building upon our initial ideas.”

In 2022, they received an invitation to perform WTWCD in Edmonton at the SOUND OFF festival, the first time the piece was presented in a live setting. “To our astonishment, the audience responded with thunderous stomps and a standing ovation. It was truly incredible to witness the profound connection the work had with the Deaf community,” they said.

In addition to that positive reaction, the pair won the 2023 VIDF Emerging Choreographic Award. “To us,” they said, “this award emphasized the collaborative and harmonious aspect of the work’s creation, transcending our roles as individual choreographers.”

Both creatives multitasked to make WTWCD. Prince and Alley choreographed the work; they played a part in the storyline creation and development with Hébert and her daughter, Anna-Belle Hébert, all four of whom perform the piece; Alley composed the music and Prince did the costume and set design. Other key contributors are lighting designer James Proudfoot, assistant lighting designer Chengyan Boon, and mentors and coaches Chris Dodd and Landon Krentz.

“Being a contemporary dance company, one of our goals was to find innovative ways to convey the music to a Deaf audience,” said Prince and Alley. And it was Alley who “came up with the idea of using a playful animation to advance the storyline and evoke the emotional essence of the music.

“To realize this vision, we collaborated with the Vancouver Film School,” they said. “We pitched our ideas to them, leading to the organization of a competition involving five different groups. Each group listened to our concepts and then presented us with small animations. After careful consideration, we selected the group that we believed best captured the essence of the work and the nuances of the music. They went on to create the animations that will be showcased during the performance.”

Listed on Dance//Novella’s website are producer Jill Tao, designer/animators Kanako Takashima and Cecilia Cortes, animation lead Arturo Acevedo and storyboard artist/designer Heena Yoon.

An integral part of this project has been Anna-Belle Hébert.

“She is a CODA (child of Deaf adult), fluent in ASL, QSL, English and French,” explained her mother. “Anna-Belle understands who I am and the story I want to share because it’s partly her story too. In the beginning, I recommended that Racheal and Brandon reach out to Anna-Belle to see if she would like to join the process, which they enthusiastically agreed to. In the performance, she is my voice over actor, but has also been a huge part of the creative process. She really helps bridge the gap between our ideas and how they can connect to hearing and Deaf people at the same time.”

Both Prince and Alley talk about how much they have learned while creating WTWCD. “One significant revelation for us,” they said, “was the realization that ASL and English are two distinct languages. Initially, we attempted to transcribe everything in an effort to ensure clarity, but this approach only seemed to confuse Caroline further. With the guidance of a specialized ASL coach, Caroline developed a unique method for documenting the script on paper. This breakthrough allowed her to memorize and retain everything effortlessly while making it her own.”

Prince and Alley had nothing but good things to say about Hébert.

“Caroline is an incredibly generous and patient collaborator,” they said. “During our rehearsals, we frequently paused our creative process to listen to stories from Caroline’s life. Each story offered us a glimpse into the experiences of a Deaf child, mother and student, which ultimately became the core of our creative journey. The exchange of knowledge and personal narratives became the driving force behind our work, giving it profound meaning for our team.”

When the Walls Come Down is at the Rothstein Theatre Nov. 8 and 10, at 8 p.m., and there is a special matinée for school groups grades 6 and up on Nov. 9, 11 a.m. (contact [email protected] for more information about that). The show runs 60 minutes with no intermission. For tickets, visit chutzpahfestival.com.