The new comedy “Spirkes” (Yiddish phrase for “ants in your pants”), written by local playwright Barbara Goulart in collaboration with playwright Eric Hansen, will be shown on Thursday, May 2 from 6 to 9 p.m. The first reading will be held at the theater until then. Music Academy of the West, 1070 Fairway Road, Santa Barbara.
Directed by Santa Barbara theater veteran Jonathan Fox, the story follows newly divorced Lauren as she searches for ways to keep her life interesting, driven by her restless energy (also known as Spirks). I am.
When she returns to New York City to be with her sister Jane, her journey of self-discovery after marriage takes twists and turns that are funny, tender, and touching. Her sense of adventure leads her to form bonds with people whose worlds are foreign to her.
Tickets for the performance and fundraiser are $118 per person and include a welcome reception and dessert reception. Proceeds benefit the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara's cultural, educational and social services programs.
“During the pandemic, at the age of 70, I decided to write a novel for the first time in my life. I was happy to find out that I could write something 'funny', and now I have completed three comedies,” said Gural. Told.
“This comedy was inspired by my close relationship with my sister and best friend, Jane,” Gural said. “There's nothing like a sister who's there for you when you're feeling good, when you're feeling down, when life isn't fair. And then there's Spielke.”
“I love collaborating with playwrights to develop their work, so Cindy Silverman, executive director of the Jewish Federation, introduced me to Barbara as a fundraiser for the Federation's important mission. I am thrilled to have been invited to produce a reading of the play,” Fox said.
“I'm particularly pleased to be a part of this venture because it also gives me the opportunity to work with a group of extremely talented actors to bring the play to life,” he said.
Gural hopes audiences will gain a new understanding of acceptance, a major theme in her plays. “Sometimes we don't recognize our own flaws, but once we accept who we are and what we're doing wrong, we can understand others,” she says. I did. “Judging others or interfering in their lives before you know them never works.”
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit jewishsantabarbara.org/shpilkes. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Cyndi Silverman at csilverman@sbjf.org or 805-957-1115.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is dedicated to building a vibrant and inclusive local Jewish community, advancing the well-being of Jews in Santa Barbara, Israel, and around the world, and is dedicated to strengthening the welfare of the people. The relationship between the Jewish community and the community at large.
For more information, visit jewishsantabarbara.org.