Nine of LA’s best storytellers will take the stage for one night only, sharing true stories about being a father or about their own dad in this early celebration of Father’s Day in MANECDOTES on Sunday, June 11th at 7:00pm at The Colony Theatre in Burbank.
The 90-minute collection of tales from the trenches of fatherhood will open at 6:30pm with LIVE music by the Americana Band BISHOP. The band features father John Bishop on guitar and his daughters Fiona and Ivy on ukelele.
The storytellers taking the stage are Charles Carney, Rafeal Clements, Zahra Dowlatabadi, Cathy Dreyfuss, Paul Edwards, Sean Ewert, Joe Smith, Frank Traynor and Suzanne Weerts. They will be sharing a rich blend of raw, humorous, surprising and touching true tales about their own fathers or about experiences in the throes of fatherhood.
The production is a benefit for Burbank’s Family Service Agency, an organization that has been providing mental health and counseling services for students, families, couples, and veterans for 70 years. The agency also operates three shelters in Burbank for victims of domestic violence, homeless families and emancipated teens.
The show is produced and directed by Suzanne Weerts, a local writer and storyteller who has brought two seasons of the national show Listen To Your Mother as well as her own shows MOMNIPRESENT, DIVERSITY: Stories of Connection in an Urban Jungle, Go There and Jingle Tales to The Colony Stage. As Producing Artistic Director for JAM Creative, Weerts develops storytelling productions as benefits for worthy causes. To date, JAM Creative has raised over $33,000 for local charities since 2016. Though she has shared stories on stages across LA, this is the first time Weerts is telling a story in one of her own shows.
“We couldn’t do it without people like Suzanne. People who have a passion for community, who have a passion for health and welfare of those that live here, and for folks like you who share your gifts to raise money,” said Laurie Bleick from the Family Service Agency of Burbank, who visited The Colony Theatre and chatted with the storytellers before rehearsal earlier in the week.
General admission tickets are $25 and can be purchased at jamcreativestories.com. Sponsors for MANECDOTES are NBC Universal’s Discover a Star, Chris Rizzotti Real Estate, UMe Federal Credit Union, Color Images Copy and Print, Video Ventures Productions, Susy Shearer Photography. Story curators Suzanne Skrabak helped to select the stories that grace The Colony Theatre stage.
Drinks and snacks will be will available for purchase at the Colony Theatre during the event. For more information about MANECDOTES contact Suzanne Weerts jamcreativestories@gmail.com. Additional information, cast bios and tickets are available on the website: jamcreativestories.com.
