The Black Jew Dialogues

Badger Country!

2009-05-07T08:40:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a paradise Madison, Wisconsin in! We performed the show last night in the beautiful auditorium of The Wisconsin Historical Society. The crowd was terrific and well represented by the Black Student Union, Hillel, students, faculty, and some locals. The discussion after the show went for an hour and we could have went all night, but they had to close the building. The discussion hit on how we tend to sit with our groups and congregate within our own group and how hard it is to mix-it-up and go where we may be a bit more uncomfortable. Also that multi-culturalism and diversity is more than just sitting in an auditorium black, white, black, latino. Jew, Muslim, white, etc. We have to talk! Dialogue! And get to know one another. We grow in life from challenging adversity and overcoming it. We grow in our own humanity from challenging discomfort with those who are not like us and engaging in dialogue. Thank you Badgers for welcoming us to your gorgeous campus and taking such good care of us while we were here. Gotta Go! Catching a plane home to Cambridge this morning. Keep on keepi' on and fighting the good fight!

The Rolling Plains of Iowa!

2009-03-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

Cedar Rapids and Iowa and the incredible students of Coe College! Performed last night in The Pub to a wonderfully mixed group of students. So many came out and braved the snowstorm. We thought we left the piles of snow back in New England, but alas, even mother nature poured down on us in Iowa! We already had to cancel one show this winter back in early March at Suffolk University. We didn't expect to have such a large percentage of African- Americans in attendance, but they came out! We had a roaring good time and heartfelt discussion following the performance. Let's hope Spring has finally sprung and the snow will no longer cause us tsuris (trouble in yiddish) while we continue to tour. Ron's off to Rochester, Minnesota to be at NACA Northern Plains and I head back to Cambridge today. Keep on keepin' on!

Californ-i-hooray!

2009-03-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

We have finally brought the show to the West Coast and performed it last night at the gorgeous campus of the University of California - Stanislaus! The show was extremely well received and we had an incredible dialogue following the performance. Wherever we go there is hate, racism, and intolerance. It just seems to have different colors, religions, cultures, but all in all, human beings seem to be involved in being afraid and intolerant of other human beings because they are either different from you or are thought to threaten your way of life. Here in the Central Valley of California where Mexicans are a huge percentage of the population, the dominant white majority are on their Latino cases because they think the Mexicans are taking their jobs.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but America was founded on the principle that we are open to everyone who wants to "work" for a better life. What don't people understand about that??? If you're losing your job to a Mexican, it's probably because the Mexican is doing a better job. (And perhaps for less money.)

Who do you hire? The white worker who doesn't do as good a job and begrudges the dirty work he is doing or the Mexican who is appreciative he has a job and can feed his family tonight?

The more we travel and perform and talk to our audience the more I realize how much the hate and a lack of understanding we have for each other is at epidemic proportions.

There were many Latinos in our audience last night and many spoke about the injustice they feel. And after the show a woman came up to me and said that she has trouble sharing these feelings in a big group because they are so painful and she needs a more intimate setting to share them, but was so thankful that we had came and performed the show and got people talking about their pain.

I am writing from a coffee shop in the Castro district of San Francisco which is where gay men and woman were tormented in the early 70's. This morning my friend Andrew and I walked over to the spot where Harvey Milk's camera shop and apartment were. It takes courage, determination and the forbearance that Harvey Milk showed to win over this dark, devilish side of human nature. The battle can be won, and as Ron and I like to say, we're trying to change the world "one show at a time."

By laughing together at the stupidity of hate and racism we seem to release the fetters that hold our tongues and are able to share, and sharing or dialogue, is the first step to understanding and healing.

We just keep on keepin' on and look forward to touring more of California in the future.

cheers,

Larry

New York and the Frigid Theater Festival

2009-03-13T07:38:00.000-07:00

What a week in New York City! First of all, I was sick as a sick dog. I had this flu/cold/cough thing when we left Cambridge at 8:30am on Tuesday, March 3. Then, as though, the universe was testing me (us), the timing chain in Ron's Cruiser went on the Merritt Parkway in Greenwich, CT - about 60 miles from the Kraine Theater on East 4th in The Village! The car just died. We had to push the car up a hill to a safe spot, because the snow had covered the shoulder and we were sitting in the right lane of the Merritt. Not a safe place to be stuck. That 50 yard push exasperted my cold and wiped me out. Then I called my wife in Cambridge and my friend Jeff in California to get on the web and find us a mechanic in Manhattan to tow the car to. AAA needs an address to tow the car. We found a place on West 29th street in Manhattan. We waited about 45 minutes for the tow truck, the it took 90 minutes to get us to the mechanic in Manhattan. By now it's 3:30pm. Our tech was from 1 to 4 and we open at 6pm! Plus, I haven't eaten! There was no place to get a snack. My cold yearns for food. The plan was to get to Manhattan at noon. Chill, eat, tech, eat, rest, perform... HAH! That plan went up in timing chain smoke! We got to the theater at 4. Teched from 4 to 5:30. Show went up at 6. Great show! When it was all over I felt like death. I have never felt so wrung out in my life. Even hiking the Grand Canyon in one day when I was 18 paled against how tired and sick I felt. I almost passed out. Ron and I went to eat something nearby the theater. When the chicken soup hit my lips at 7:48pm my life jumped and I regained some of my soul. Whew! What a first day at the Frigid.

We performed the show to small, but mighty houses for the next four nights and then came back to Massachusetts on the evening of March 7 at about 12:30am. Monday the 9th we performed a show at Western New England College in Springfield, Mass, to a great crowd of students and faculty. Tomorrow I'm off to San Francisco and we perform the show at the University of California at Stanislaus on Monday in Turlock, CA. Onward and upward. Still have a little cough but am surely on the mend. One good thing that came out of our New York City run was a nice review by NYU. Here it is: http://www.nyunews.com/arts/theater/frigid_shows_offer_a_variety_of_monologues_and_dialogues-1.1605118

University of Maryland, New York City, Springfield College

2009-02-28T06:32:00.000-08:00

We have been on the move! And it seems the road has finally taken its toll on my over 40 ass. I have gotten a little sick. Cough, runny nose thing. Trying to rest this weekend because next week is our New York City premiere! (My hometown yo! Born in Brighton BEACH, Brooklyn and raised in Howard BEACH, Queens... no wonder we moved to Miami when I was 11... I'm all about the BEACHES!) After New Haven last Saturday I came back to Cambridge to spend time with my family while Ron headed down to DC to see his family. I met up with him at University of Maryland on Saturday. I flew down. The show was in the Jewish Student Center and the audience was mostly Jewish. Maryland has about 6,000 Jewish students! About 25% of the students are Jewish! Never knew that.

We had a great show and discussion, crashed at the Quality Inn they put us up in, and drove to New York City the next morning to see the Kraine Theater where we be performing most of next week - March 3 - 7. Tremendous space right in the heart of the East Village just up the street from NYU. Really nice folks run it too. Very much behind the artist's they host. We put up some posters and walked over to NYU to promote the show too. We crashed at Ron's friend's house in South Orange, New Jersey. (Nice house! Right on the golf course and a monster view of Manhattan!) Next day, Thursday we drove to Springfield College to perform in the chapel. (see pic) Annie from the Student Activity Center took great care of us and the students we met were so incredibly nice and seeking to laugh and learn. The dean of students came as well as the wife of the school's president. It was a tremendous show! And the post show dialogue had some students sharing some heartfelt experiences that brought tears to many.

Very incredible time. I pray and wish I can give these students whatever I can so that they take a bigger step in their lives and always stand up to authority, racism, and hate with justice and courage. I feel so fortunate to be in a position to do this through art with my dear friend and show partner Ron Jones at my side. Ron spares nothing of himself to encourage youth. He inspires me to do the same constantly.

Lesley, Hudson Valley Community College, New Haven

2009-02-22T05:07:00.000-08:00

What a week! The show was well received at both or the schools we returned to for encore performances - Lesley University in Cambridge (near home!) and Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York. We performed the show at both of these wonderful learning institutions about 18 months ago in the Fall of 07. That's the great thing about playing colleges, they keep refreshing their student body so our show is fresh again and again!

I'm writing from a sweet room at the Courtyard Marriot in Orange, Connecticutt, where we played last night just up Route 1 at The University of New Haven. What a great bunch of students! Our first time here and we hope to come back. Heading home this morning to spend some time with the fam'. I told my daughter Ana that I would stop at Rein's Deli in Vernon and pick up some yummy nosh for brunch. We love that place! It's the closest thing to a real NY deli to us. Brookline just doesn't cut the mustard, nor the knish. Cheers!

The Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA

2009-02-14T07:43:00.000-08:00

Great show last night in Boston! "A small but mighty audience" as Ron called them. We never got the press we needed to get butts-in-seats, but as it showed me again, you can't count on the press. You can count on HUGE advertising budgets though. That's why 1/3 of film budgets go to marketing. We will not do another theater show without the advertising support. There really no other way to get the word out, unless Ron and I run through the streets of Boston, naked in the 29 degree weather! That's probably better than a full page ad in the Globe, but much colder. And to all of you who braved the cold to come out a see our show... thank you!

Onward and upward. Cheers.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

2009-02-12T05:35:00.000-08:00

Love "tech" schools! We always get the greatest lighting and audio when we play these schools. They had a whole army of students supporting our set-up and tech of the show. We had a terrific audience, and a very honest and funny post show discussion. Next stop, Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA in Boston tomorrow night. 8pm show to celebrate Black History Month. Tix sales have been sluggish, but we have some press coming out today in the Globe and on the radio. We'll see how it goes. Not giving up until the last moment in promoting the show. Cheers.

Western Carolina University and Home!

2009-02-10T03:48:00.000-08:00

Our final stop on our seven college in nine days tour of the South. What an incredible trip! Cullowhee, North Carolina where WCU is located is gorgeous. The college is parked between mountains. I was here in 1987 when my brother Kenny graduated from here. It's been built up a lot since then. As one of the students commented, "They were living in tents back then." Puts my age in perspective too. Our show at WCU was wedged between two showings of Dark Knight. Yes, the Batman flick. As Ron said, "we were the intermission." It was the only place they could put us.

Attendance was pretty good and the post show discussion was enlightening as usual. We stayed after and spoke to a few students for over an hour. One student really had a seeking mind towards his own expression as a writer and how his professor had said he crossed the line in terms of being blasphemous. Ron and I share the same sentiment as far as sparing nothing to encourage youth. They are so precious and truly are the future of humanity. The next morning we left Cullowhee at 9am, breakfast at Cracker Barrel at 10am (love that place for breakfast, and had my last grits for a while) and made the 15 hour trek back to Cambridge. We arrived at Ron's place in Lexington at 1:30am on Saturday night. I really wanted to get home to be with my wife, daughter, and dog. It was so nice to sleep at home!

Our tour of the South was a tremendous experience and feel very appreciative to have spent all that time with Ron as he continues to inspire and teach me about life and performing. He is truly an amazing man. Tonight we head to Worcester and perform at Worcester Polytech Institute. Cheers!

University of South Carolina - Beaufort

2009-02-06T06:01:00.000-08:00

Love this State! Another well attended appreciative mix of students and faculty in this golf paradise! We performed in their largest lecture hall on campus and had a heartfelt post-show dialogue. Some of what came us was how people here don't enjoy the stereotypes put on Southerners that they are stupid, slow, etc. It couldn't be further from the truth! As it was shared, the North won the war so they get to write the history. I always wondered why in the South there is Civil War museums, monuments, and tourist attractions, and in the North there is practically nothing about the Civil War anywhere. It's all Revolutionary War in the North.

It was also shared by a young man who came from California that the term "Don't Jew me," is used all the time here. He is Armenian, but is mistaken for a Jew. Then it came out in the discussion that that term is not that derogatory when used here. It's used so much that it isn't perceived as hurtful towards Jews. Like the term "jipped off" which comes from gypsies. never knew that! Anyway, gotta run. Have a six hour drive to Western Carolina University in Cullowee, North Carolina.

College of Charleston, South Carolina

2009-02-05T11:56:00.000-08:00

Roaring on through the south! Starting to fatigue a bit, but I'm able to catch a short cat nap each afternoon to get my juices awake for the show. Charleston is gorgeous! An incredible American city, and the students at the College of Charleston reflect that. We were in a huge auditorium and had a really nice crowd for the show. The students with CAB (Cougars Activity Board) took wonderful care of us and took us out for a delicious dinner following the performance. We had meaningful but short discussion after the show because we had to be out of there by 9pm. Religion was th etopic that came up and how religions speak about being kind to others and all of us are God's children, however this group or that group doe snot belong and it's our way or the highway. Great discussion. We're breaking down barriers by laughing and learning, and then having an honest dialogue together. I love this work we are doing! Using theatre, comedy and dialogue to change the world, "one show at a time." Tonight we are in Beaufort, South Carolina, a small coastal town in South Carolina. We're near Savannah, Georgia and Hilton Head, South Carolina. (Would love to get a round of golf in, but that's not happenin' this trip.) Cheers.

Johnson & Wales Charlotte, North Carolina!

2009-02-04T05:24:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a night! Whenever we have a house with at least 25% African American the house comes down! The laughter, hollerin', singing, and post-show discussion that went on last night was unbelievable. The space we were in was extraordinary too. We were in auditorium that has stadium seating and is used for cooking presentations. Behind our set were numerous Viking ovens and burners, sinks, a fridge etc. It looked liked Emeril Legasse's kitchen on steroids. (By the way, he's an alum of Johnson & Wales.) There were about 140 students in attendance as well as some faculty and the dean of students. This is the kind of show that, as a performer, brings you back to the stage for years to come. Using golf as a metaphor, it's like a 2-iron hit on a line 210 yards to within five feet of the cup. No matter how the rest of the round goes, the feeling in your hands, arms, body, and mind from that one shot, brings you back to the golf course. The students at Johnson & Wales study all kinds of culinary arts, hotel and restaurant management, sports management, etc. Kids from all over the country and world some to study here. Off to the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina today. About 3 1/2 hours away. Not sleeping all that well as I'm in a different bed every night. The road can take a toll on you, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world right now. We are travelin' and spreading the good word and laughter that is The Black Jew Dialogues. Cheers.

Concord University, Athens, West Virginia

2009-02-03T07:09:00.000-08:00

Mountains and ravines and WOW! it's pretty up here! First time in West Virginia. We got slammed again with some snow and ice when we were making our way here from Farmville.

We stopped on the way in Salem, Virginia to visit Ron's Aunt Beck and her son Michael. Ron spent most of his summers in Salem growing up and went to school here too for a few years when he was a boy. Aunt Beck was the kindest and most energetic woman you are ever going to meet. And she loves to laugh. Ron had her in tears many times. They were reminissing about years gone by, and telling stories about when Ron and Michael was a boy. Then before we hit the road she treated us to some mac & cheese, green beans, and mashed potatoes. That's what I'm talkin' about! A hot meal. She said she would have made chicken but we kind of just popped in. Nothing like home cookin' when you are on the road. Michael, her son, is a troubled soul. A big good lookin' man, but 20 years ago he ha an accident on the job, hurt his back, was prescribed the wrong meds, and was soon a path to addiction. Nice guy. I guess he could play guitar pretty well at one time too. We got to Athens and Concord University and set up in the Subway Theatre. Nothing like the Staples Center. It is literally a theatre in the food court of the Student Union building. The food court is basically Subway.

This was our 100th show! A great milestone for Ron and I. Now it's on to 200!

We had a terrific show. I could feel the "100th Show!" juices flowing through me.

Not very well attended though. Maybe 45 students. The weather, basketball game, and last night's Super Bowl were to blame, as expressed by Marshall, who hired us to come.

Off to Charlotte, NC and Johnson & Wales today.

Longwood University Rocks!

2009-02-01T11:40:00.000-08:00

It's here. That day when America stops and bear's witness to the final game of the season. How much chips, dip, pretzels, wings, and beer is consumed today?

We had a tremendous day yesterday on the campus of Longwood University. The workshop, though poorly attended, was enjoyed by all and the discussion of race, bias, and social conscience vs self interest seemed to inspire the students into thinking more deeply about these issues. Then it was on to a yummy dinner of sliced steak chimichurri (don't know, never had it before, but it was good... it had some sort of relish on top of the meat), sauteed snow peas, roasted red potatoes, and white & dark Chocolate Mousse Cake with the Lancer Productions students. These are the ones who plan and facilitate all the entertainment and lecturers that come to campus. We had a nice nosh and chat with about eight students. Then we went over to the Jarman Auditorium, a gigantic 1,100 seat venue, to set up for the evenings performance. Lots of Lancer Production members helped us set-up so we were ready to go in snap. It looked like about 300 folks showed up for the show. A mix of students, faculty, and locals. The show was very well received and the post show discussion went on for about 45 minutes. We cut it off at 10pm. Most of the audience stuck around for the discussion. Not many black folk in attendance, which was surprising to me, but as it turns out Longwood has very few African Americans, except as one student called out, "they're on the basketball team." He wasn't trying to make a stereotypical comment (although it came out that way) it just happens to be the truth of the matter. Chillin' today in the hotel and really beginning to miss my family. The hurt usually gets pretty acute about day 5 or 6 on the road. You start to feel that those little hugs and kisses you take for granted each day aren't there. The laughter, the love. The excitement and novelty of traveling to new places, performing, and meeting new people is still acute too, but nothing feels like home and the ones you love. Onward and upward!

Farmville, Virginia

2009-01-31T05:36:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Farmville, Virginia yesterday. The home of Longwood University. Today we present a 2pm workshop on Social Conscience vs Self Interest, then dinner with some of the students at 5:30 and 8pm we perform the show. Full wonderful day! Farmville is a small town with a Main Street USA cutting down the middle of its downtown. We are about two hours east of Ferrum. Ron said he got some looks from some white folks at the nice restaurant we eat at last night. (I had tuna stuffed with crab, good eats.) I was surprised that Ron said that and he was surprised that I was surprised and he said to me, "Remember where we are. This is where the South surrendered its way of life." And I said, "Yeah, but that was a 140 years ago!" I looked around and Ron was the only black guy in the joint. (And as I mentioned later, I was sure I was the only Jew too.) I told Ron that in the Northeast we don't really talk much about the Civil War. It's old news. In the South they still remember it like it was yesterday. There are signs around Farmville that take you to "Lee's Retreat." Like the ones in Boston that take you to the "Freedom Trail." Ron said the North doesn't talk much about it because they won. I guess they did, but as I travel through the South and see how amazingly beautiful our country is as a whole, I think we all won. Last night over dinner we worked on a new bit for the show that Obama inspired. Since Obama became President we've had to do some editing of the show because some things don't ring as true since we now have a black President. We wrote the show three years ago when having a black president still seemed a long way away. We are now writing new material to take the place of the thing we cut.

Time to go to the gym. Gotta work off road food and snacks. The picture is the sunset last night from my hotel room. Cheers.

Getting Used to this Whole Blog Thing

2009-01-29T12:06:00.000-08:00

I thought I could write stuff that happened a few days past and post it now, since I didn't write it then, and you would think I was writing it then, not now, but alas, forgetaboutit!

It's the hear and now, and that's what blogging is all about! So, it's Thursday afternoon at about 3:10pm an dI am writing from the desk in the Comfort Inn in Rocky Mount, Virginia. Had catfish for lunch with sweet potato and hush puppies. The toughest thing about being on the road is keeping nourishing food flowing into your body. I do miss Whole Foods a whole lot. Yesterday I had an Arby's Chicken sandwich. I'm not sure it was chicken. It tasted like a cross between chicken and tofu and cardboard. But it went down the hatch. Need calories. Oy, what I would do for some brown rice and kale right now. And we're only on day three! Tonight Ron will give an improv workshop for some students at Ferrum who started their own improv troupe. I will partake as a participant as Ron is "the man" when it comes to teaching improv. I always learn from him. Overheard a trucker on the phone yesterday morning with his wife and he was telling her to watch what she spends as he had to get off the road due to weather and his paycheck would be low this week. He was telling her that he's not sure how they would pay the mortgage this month. My heart went out to him. Like most folks who work everyday and just get by, it's a struggle. Anyway, I thought how hard it has to be to get up and drive an 18-wheeler 400 to 500 miles a day and just get by every week. We are surely all in this thing together, and I hope that we all come out of it together, with more fortune, more time to spend with family and friends, and more time for leisure and the things we love to do. Drive on!

Ferrum College

2009-01-29T10:38:00.000-08:00

We left for Ferrum after I spent 30 minutes chipping the ice off of our rented Kia. I've never seen ice so thick on a car. Ron had told me about the ice in Virginia as he grew up here for much of his youth. It's just cold enough to freeze and not quite cold enough for it to snow much. Weird.

The show at Ferrum was fantastic. Great attendance and very mixed black/white audience. Maybe two Jews. Pretty good for Ferrum, Virginia! The talk/back dialogue following the show went on for over an hour and could have went all night, but we stopped it at about 11 we could pack up and Justin who brought us in could go home. Here's a picture of some of the students who hung around until we left. cheers.

Southern Tour Jan/Feb 09

2009-01-29T09:45:00.000-08:00

1.27.09

We are off from Lexington, Mass to Ferrum, Virginia! Our first stop on our seven college tour in ten days! We were going to go all the way to Ferrum College in Ferrum Virginia but we got caught in that ice/snow storm in Maryland. So we pulled off the road, eat dinner at a Ruby Tuesday, got in the car and pressed "Lodging" on our new shiny handy-dandy Garmin GPS and viola! we found a Super8 Motel 10 minutes away. We like Super8 since they are generally well managed, clean well lighted places with wifi and something they call "breakfast" that usually consists of Raisin Bran that falls from a plastic machine into a styrofoam bowl, toast, lousy OJ, and coffee that makes Dunkin Donuts coffee seem like Starbucks. Breakfast not withstanding, we like the place. Oh yeah, don't forget the "scratchy towels." Good night.