Chutzpah! Festival: 3 must-see theatre and storytelling events
The annual fest offers unforgettable performances through a lens of Jewish experiences and values
Ophira Eisenberg. Photo by Dan Dion
The Chutzpah! Festival is all-encompassing when it comes to the performing arts, with a diverse array of genres shared through a lens of Jewish experiences and values.
Storytelling and theatre are pillars of this year’s dynamic programming. Here are three must-see shows for people seeking unforgettable offerings.
Tamara Micner – Old Friends
November 8 to 12 at Sidney & Gertrude Zack Gallery, by donation
Image by Christa Holka, Danielle Painting
UK-based theatre artist Tamara Micner is a Chutzpah! Festival favourite. Here, she transforms her theatrical work-in-progress (workshopped at the 2020 festival) into an audio installation, creating an intimate, one-on-one experience. Audience members will be invited into the Zack Gallery to listen to Micner’s reading of letters written to Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, reflecting on how their music informs her feelings about friendship, activism, Jewishness, and art and to share their own thoughts. There will be opportunities to "meet" the artist via video stream for conversations about her work and ideas, including special guests representing the vibrancy and diversity of Vancouver’s arts scene.
Ophira Eisenberg
November 10 at 7 pm, Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre; digital stream available
Canadian-born New York-based stand-up comedian, storyteller, and writer Ophira Eisenberg (pictured at top) is host of NPR's comedy and trivia show Ask Me Another, which airs across the U.S. on more than 400 stations. She has appeared on Comedy Central, This Week at The Comedy Cellar, Kevin Hart’s LOL Network, HBO’s Girls, Gotham Live, The Late Late Show, The Today Show, and VH-1. The New York Times called her a skilled comedian and storyteller with “bleakly stylish” humour. She was also selected as one of New York Magazine’s “Top 10 Comics that Funny People Find Funny” and has been hailed by Forbes.com as one of the most engaging comics working today.
The Flame – Home at Chutzpah!
November 17 at 7 pm at the Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre
Deborah Williams.
Under the stewardship of artistic director Deborah Williams, The Flame is a fiery, Vancouver-based grassroots storytelling series where real people share their personal true stories in front of a live audience. This special edition created for Chutzpah! invites a multicultural group of storytellers, including Stephen Aberle, Glenda Zenoff, Eleanor Lipov, and Helen Schneiderman, with special musical guest Anton Lipovetsky. Williams will be offering an in-depth weekend workshop prior to the event to hone aspiring storytellers’ craft. A ticket to The Flame will be included for any participants.
For more information on the 2021 Chutzpah! Festival, please visit www.chutzpahfestival.com.
Post sponsored by Chutzpah! Festival.