Dearest Theatre Goers,
I decided to share Surviving Mother’s Day with you for two reasons:
1. There are far fewer stories about the experiences of children with mentally ill parents than there are about parents of mentally ill children. Yet the National Institute of Health says that 2.7 million parents (3.8%) had a serious mental illness in 2017. That means that countless kids grow up experiencing some version of what is depicted in Surviving Mother’s Day. This show aims to bring the experiences of those children (and grown children) out of the darkness so that they know that they are not alone, and that there is hope for a bright and happy future.
2. This is the story of a Jewish family that narrowly escaped the Holocaust by leaving 1930s Germany just before the US stopped accepting Jewish immigrants. It is critical to remember those dark times, as today’s leaders seem to have forgotten our nation’s role as a refuge for those under threat. “Never again” is a powerful vow that is usually associated with the Holocaust. But its essence expands to all peoples, groups, and cultures that know the pain of oppression, violence, discrimination, and marginalization. Now is the time to use art, in all its forms, to act in the interest of those who don’t feel safe speaking up for themselves.
Thank you so much for coming to the show, and for sharing in a journey that I hope will enlighten, embolden and, ultimately, make a difference.
With Love,
Michele Tannen
Bios
Michele Tannen
(writer/performer)
Michele is an actress and solo-show writer from Los Angeles, California. Her experience includes 25 years on Los Angeles stages, including leading and supporting roles at the Stella Adler Theater Hollywood, Two Roads Theater, and The Secret Rose. She is an active member of Towne Street Theatre, Los Angeles’ premier African American Theatre Company, and The Decameron Project. In November 2024, Michele traveled with Decameron to Tokyo Japan, where she performed in 10 plays in their audience favorite The One-Minute Play Festival along with performers from Japan and the United States. She won the Best Actress Award from the New York Equity Library Festival for playing Abby in Felix Racelis’ My Shayna Punim. She has also appeared in numerous films, television shows and commercials.
Jonathan Levit
(director)
Jonathan is a directing member of The Actors Studio West, and he has served as director and assistant director for straight plays and musicals at numerous theaters throughout Los Angeles. He has also worked in television on multi-cam sitcoms as associate director and script supervisor since 1996. Jonathan holds an MFA in Film/Animation from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, as well as a BA from the University of Michigan Residential College. Jonathan is pleased to direct and collaborate with Michele on her solo show. It’s been an enriching and valuable experience, and he hopes you all enjoy the show.
Darrel Guilbeau
(voiceovers)
Darrel Guilbeau has perfomed in multiple theater productions throughout Los Angeles, including several years with the Independent Shakespere Company. Film & TV credits include LBJ, Windtalkers, Minx, Alias, Victorious among others. He can also be heard in voiceovers for video games, anime and podcast series. Darrel is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic arts.
Ellen Bienenfeld
(production manager)
Ellen has performed in many stage productions, as well as at the Groundlings Theatre with Austin’s Dog Bread improv troop led by Gary Austin, Founder of The Groundlings. She has studied with Gary Austin, Valerie Landsburg, David Hall, Judy Kain, Wenndy MacKenzie, Kinna Macenroe and Kaz Matumura. Additionally, she studied in New York with Artistic New Directions. Ellen has directed stage productions, written and performed live monologues and short plays in theaters around Los Angeles. She has played characters from early 50s to late 70s in comedies and dramas, and she hopes to do much more.
Reviews
Surviving Mother’s Day is a truly great example of how we should treat each other. How we should see past the crazy and the sad and into the heart of the unknowable. How we can embrace our own histories, and most importantly, we can forgive. Michele Tannen has written something meaningful, purposeful and important. She has shared her darkest moments and has only done this to find connections and to give us the ability to say, “that is me,” “that was us.”
