Episodes

  • Why We Theater Now: April 2022

    Why We Theater Now: April 2022
    Apr 9 2022
    In this Season 2 finale, Ruthie recommends currently running Broadway and Off-Broadway shows that speak to Why We Theater. Paradise Square, now on Broadway Alex Edelman's Just For Us Ruthie Fierberg, Host Ruthiefierberg.com  IG: @whywetheater / T: @whywetheater IG: @ruthiefierceberg / T: @RuthiesATrain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    12 mins
  • ADDRESSLESS meets Choose-Your-Own Activity

    ADDRESSLESS meets Choose-Your-Own Activity
    Apr 1 2022
    In this week’s mini-episode, Ruthie recommends books—some novels, some memoirs—and television episodes that tell stories about homelessness. Then, taking a page out of Addressless’ book, Ruthie offers guides listeners through three at-home activities to better emotionally comprehend what it means to be at risk for homelessness and to experience it. Organize a Sleep Out of your own. Try Covenant House's "What Would You Do?" Activity. Instructions for Losing Your Identity courtesy of Covenant House Instructions for Privilege For Sale courtesy of Covenant House Recommended Reads: My Abandonment by Peter Rock The Motel Life by Willy Vlautin Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey From Homeless to Harvard by Liz Murray From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle Find your local independent bookstore. Grey's Anatomy, Season 9, Ep 6 Station 19, Season 5, Ep 12 Create the change: Learn more at the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) View homelessness statistics by state Volunteer with or donate to Covenant House; Organize a Sleep Out in your community Tell Congress to fund Homeless Assistance Grants (Click to sign a letter) Read up on current legislation that would impact homelessness How do we deal with our legislators? Improve conditions in homeless shelters: Hire well-trained staff, and hire enough of them Bring mental health services to the shelters (i.e. have AA meetings on the premises, have mental health counselors on the premises) What 4 experts have to say Find a mentorship opportunity Make cards with contact info to promote nearby shelters to hand out to those who are in need and asking for help Donate clothes, especially socks, to nearby shelters Participate in your city’s point-in-time count (signups are generally in Nov/Dec for the upcoming year - Google to find the PIT in your neighborhood) Try rapid re-housing in your community Learn about permanent supportive housing Increase employment opportunities (adjust job applications so they do not require listing a permanent address) Read the obstacles to solving the homelessness crisis—then counter them Understand why homelessness is rising Directory of Homeless Service Organizations by state Sign up for Advocacy Alerts from the NAEH Ruthie Fierberg, Host Ruthiefierberg.com  IG: @whywetheater / T: @whywetheater IG: @ruthiefierceberg / T: @RuthiesATrain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    21 mins
  • ADDRESSLESS and Homelessness

    ADDRESSLESS and Homelessness
    Mar 29 2022
    ADDRESSLESS: A Walk in Our Shoes played Off-Broadway at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in February 2022 as a virtual, interactive production. The play intimately and personally illustrated what it means to live homeless in New York City. Hungarian director Martin Boross and playwright Jonathan Payne explored this plight through three individuals living unhoused, each on a mission to acquire $1,500 while staying as healthy as they could. Experts Shams Da Baron (aka Da Homeless Hero), Covenant House International President Kevin Ryan, and playwright Jonathan Payne join host Ruthie Fierberg to dissect the play and offer answers to the solvable homelessness crisis in the U.S. View the Digital Program for ADDRESSLESS. Create the change: Learn more at the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) View homelessness statistics by state Volunteer with or donate to Covenant House; Organize a Sleep Out in your community Tell Congress to fund Homeless Assistance Grants (Click to sign a letter) Read up on current legislation that would impact homelessness Improve conditions in homeless shelters: Hire well-trained staff, and hire enough of them Bring mental health services to the shelters (i.e. have AA meetings on the premises, have mental health counselors on the premises) What 4 experts have to say Find a mentorship opportunity Make cards with contact info to promote nearby shelters to hand out to those who are in need and asking for help Donate clothes, especially socks, & personal hygience items to nearby shelters Participate in your city’s point-in-time count (signups are generally in Nov/Dec for the following year - Google to find the PIT in your neighborhood) Try rapid re-housing in your community Learn about permanent supportive housing Increase employment opportunities for those without housing (don't make a permanent address a requirement on job applications) Read: Obstacles to solving the homelessness crisis—then counter them Understand why homelessness is rising Directory of Homeless Service Organizations by state Sign up for Advocacy Alerts from the NAEH Referred to in this episode: What is StereoAKT? What is Covenant House? 2020 Point-in-Time Count About the foster care system What is a group home? Foster care vs. Group home What is transitional housing? Human trafficking and homelessness Privilege Sleep Out exercise Legislation for Wifi in all shelters Shams fact-check: Shams said, “In Harlem, 40% of the students that are in school here are, are in, are either homeless or housing or facing housing instability.” Reports show 1 in 10 NYC public school students is homeless, up to 1 in 5 depending on the area. Read more on homelessness of NYC public school students & CUNY students Greater risk of Black and brown, LGBTQ+ youth What is Community Access? How real estate development impacts homelessness How redlining impacts homelessness (more on redlining) What is the Lucerne and what was the controversy?  Addressless’ How Can I Help? Worksheet (items incorporated in CTT) The Childcare Tax Credit: How does it reduce child poverty? How does that help alleviate homelessness? What is the Poor People’s Movements? What are Public Assistance Programs? Open Hearts in NYC Does shelter living cost money? Short answer: YES. About Our Guests: Ruthie Fierberg, Host Ruthiefierberg.com  IG: @whywetheater / T: @whywetheater IG: @ruthiefierceberg / T: @RuthiesATrain Jonathan Payne, Playwright @JPayneWrites Shams DaBaron, Performer/Script consultant, Activist @homeless_hero Kevin M. Ryan, President of Covenant House International @CovHousePrez Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 16 mins
  • DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA meets The Prophet

    DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA meets The Prophet
    Mar 18 2022
    Last week, American Utopia performer Tendayi Kuumba and experts Drs. Vinoo Alluri and Alejandro Lleras helped host Ruthie Fierberg take step back and welcome a broader perspective to problem-solving, beyond “What are the next steps to create change?” to “How do we find the next steps to create change?”  The human brain is not a muscle, but it does need exercise—so to speak. To change the way we solve problems, we must change the way we approach problems. Change the very way we think. Actor and producer Salma Hayek had this same idea when she produced the 2014 animated film The Prophet, a movie adaptation of Kahlil Gibran’s 1923 eponymous book. Hayek also believed: “We need a new generation that goes into the unknown and finds solutions that we have not seen or heard.” So this week, Ruthie recommends The Prophet as the companion piece to American Utopia—currently on Broadway through April 3, 2022. Listen to David Byrne’s American Utopia on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music. Get tickets to David Byrne’s American Utopia on Broadway. Watch David Byrne’s American Utopia on HBOMax. Watch the animated movie The Prophet. Purchase the book The Prophet from your local independent bookstore. Sign up for Ruthie’s monthly newsletter at ruthiefierberg.com. Referred to in this episode Read: Ways to help those in Ukraine Help refugees throughout the world Kahlil Gibran’s book The Prophet Ruthie’s Parents.com interview with Salma Hayek  Connect with your host! Ruthiefierberg.com  IG: @whywetheater / T: @whywetheater IG: @ruthiefierceberg / T: @RuthiesATrain Why We Theater is a product of the Broadway Podcast Network produced by Alan Seales and edited by Derek Gunther.  Our theme music is by Benjamin Velez. Hear more at BenjaminVelez.com. Special thanks to Genesis Johnson, Leigh Silverman, Suzanne Chipkin, Wesley Birdsall, Elena Mayer, Patrick Taylor, and Dori Berinstein.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    12 mins
  • DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA and Expanding Our Thinking to Solve Problems

    DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA and Expanding Our Thinking to Solve Problems
    Mar 11 2022
    You might think David Byrne’s American Utopia on Broadway is a concert. It’s not. Yet, it’s not exactly a play or a musical. It’s something else outside the box. The Talking Heads frontman— along with choreographer Annie-B Parsons’ and a band of international musicians, vocalists, and dancers—creates a show about exploring the unconventional, especially when it comes to unconventional thought and thought processes.  American Utopia made host Ruthie Fierberg wonder: How many solutions to society’s conflicts might we be overlooking because we think the way we have always thought? American Utopia performer Tendayi Kuumba and experts Dr. Vinoo Alluri and Dr. Alejandro Lleras join us to explore: What problems could we solve if we used more of our minds and used our minds differently? Could we achieve an American Utopia?  Listen to the album of David Byrne’s American Utopia. Watch David Byrne’s American Utopia on HBOMax. Create the Change Volunteer with Headcount to register voters at a performance of American Utopia Volunteer with Headcount in general Cultivate new and varied ways of thinking: Enhance your own synesthesia Try any of these “6 Ways to Rewire Your Brain” If your main way of processing and working is to sit in one spot and concentrate, try talking a walk, dancing, exercising to make your brain work differently by engaging different activity patterns in your brain. Develop your “openness” (one of the Big 5 personality traits) Read about how openness can help you see the world differently Read David Byrne’s How Music Works Listen to music outside of your normal playlist Dig into more research on music and cognition Listen to “happy” music to promote divergent thinking (which leads to increased creativity) Explore social justice through music, a curriculum Improve your allyship Referred to in this episode (in order of mention) Letter from David Byrne about American Utopia Listen to “Here” from American Utopia See American Utopia’s set and costumes Read about and watch Annie-B Parsons’ American Utopia choreography  Your brain on music Your brain listening to different genres of music Grooviness of music What is embodied cognition? What is embodied cognition to music? American Utopia’s partnership with Headcount Watch Janelle Monae’s official music video for “Hell You Talmbout” Your brain choreographed movement vs improvised movement Watch this video debunking the MYTH: “Humans use 10 percent of our brains.” What is pruning in the brain? Babies learning language What is synesthesia? Research by Berit Brogaard to unlock more of brain’s potential The truth about left brain vs. right brain What is dadaism? Listen to “I Zimbra” from American Utopia David Byrne Talks Being a Good Ally and American Utopia How making music can promote brain plasticity About Our Guests: Ruthie Fierberg, Host Ruthiefierberg.com  IG: @whywetheater / T: @whywetheater IG: @ruthiefierceberg / T: @RuthiesATrain Tendayi Kuumba, Performer @whostendayi Dr. Vinoo Alluri PhD, musicologist and neuroscientist Dr. Alejandro Lleras PhD, psychologist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 19 mins
  • Re-Release: IF I FORGET and American Jews, Anti-Semitism, and Tribalism

    Re-Release: IF I FORGET and American Jews, Anti-Semitism, and Tribalism
    Feb 17 2022
    With the recent controversy surrounding Whoopi Goldberg and her remarks about the Holocaust, with the recent hostage situation at a Texas synagogue, with generational trauma and anti-Semitism on the brain, Why We Theater re-releases this episode from Season 1 with a new intro and new context. Dig into Tony Award winner Steven Levenson's play IF I FORGET with Steven himself and experts Rabbi Shuli Passow (B'nai Jeshurun in New York City) and scholar Judah Isseroff. Watch IF I FORGET on BroadwayHD. Michael’s monologue, as performed by Tony Award nominee Jeremy Shamos, appears with the permission of Roundabout Theatre Company, which premiered IF I FORGET Off-Broadway in 2017, and Steven Levenson. Referred to in this new intro Watch: Whoopi Goldberg shares thoughts on the Holocaust on The View Debra Messing tweets a helpful response to Goldberg Banning of "Maus" in schools.... and the subsequent nationwide results Hostage situation at Texas synagogue Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA What is Zionism? Referred to in this episode “The Rise of Social Orthodoxy: A Personal Account” by Jay P. Lefkowitz “The Problem with ‘Social Orthodoxy’” by Joshua R. Fattal, a critical response to Lefkowitz “What is the Talmud? Definition and Comprehensive Guide”, Yehuda Shurpin Who is Theodore Herzl? Who is David Ben-Gurion? Who is Sheldon Adelson? Who is “Adolf Eichmann”? Who is Hannah Arendt Neveragain.com Anti-Defamation League: Fighting Hate for Good What is Jerusalem Syndrome”?   Create the change Learn more about Judaism — knowledge facilitates compassion with “Introduction to Judaism” OR “The Basics of Judaism” Name anti-Semitic incidents as such, report them, and speak out against them Use Ten Ways to Fight Hate: A Community Response Guide Learn about The New Israel Fund, which envisions a Jewish and democratic state Fight for justice guided by Jewish values with Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ) Be aware of your own bias — it’s evolutionarily built in us to be tribal and we need to self-examine our thoughts and introduce dissenting viewpoints If you are Jewish and looking for ways to become involved: Choose a small tradition and incorporate that into your home, like lighting candles on Friday night for Shabat or saying the “Shema” before bed each night Take inspiration from B’nai Jeshurun’s The Jewish Home Project In COVID, many synagogues have moved services online; explore to find a place that feels right to you   Why We Theater is a product of part of the Broadway Podcast Network, edited by Derek Gunther, and produced by Alan Seales. Follow us @whywetheater on Instagram & Twitter. Our theme music is by Benjamin Velez. Hear more at BenjaminVelez.com. Our logo is by Christina Minopoli. See more at MinopoliDesign.com. Special thanks to Genesis Johnson, Dori Berinstein, Leigh Silverman, Patrick Taylor, Tony Montenieri, Elena Mayer, Wesley Birdsall, and Suzanne Chipkin.   Connect with Ruthie! RuthieFierberg.com Instagram: @ruthiefierceberg / @whywetheater Twitter: @RuthiesATrain / @whywetheater Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 35 mins
  • THE COLOR PURPLE meets Prayer for the French Republic

    THE COLOR PURPLE meets Prayer for the French Republic
    Feb 10 2022
    Continuing our discussion about the musical The Color Purple (which is also about to become a movie musical starring Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, and Corey Hakwins), this week Ruthie recommends Joshua Harmon’s new Off-Broadway play Prayer for the French Republic.  The Color Purple—originally a novel by Alice Walker—was adapted into a musical and first opened on Broadway in 2005 and revived in 2015 and depicts the abusive relationship between Celie and Mister (among many other things). But is it as simple as “Mister is a bad guy?” Last week in “THE COLOR PURPLE and Generational Trauma,” we spoke about what it was like for actor Isaiah Johnson to play Mister—why he wanted to, how it was healing, and how it was challenging. Isaiah also pointed out that generational trauma is not unique to Black Americans and Prayer for the French Republic reminded me of that.   Prayer takes place in 2015-2016 Paris and 1945-1946 Paris, depicting multiple generations of French Jews in the same family. Rising anti-Semitism in Paris confronts the present-day Benhamou family, stoking fear and worry, and forcing them to wonder “When do you leave? When are the signs enough to tell you to leave? And where do you go? Where is safe?” Listen to this full episode for the connections between these two theatrical pieces, the communities they portray, and why you should run to see both. Buy tickets to Prayer for the French Republic at Manhattan Theatre Club. Visit the website of International Center for Multigenerational Legacies of Trauma Read the International Handbook of Multigenerational Legacies of Trauma Explore the work of Dr. Maria Yellow Horse Braveheart Read On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong Connect with your host! Ruthiefierberg.com  IG: @whywetheater / T: @whywetheater IG: @ruthiefierceberg / T: @RuthiesATrain Why We Theater is a product of the Broadway Podcast Network produced by Alan Seales and edited by Derek Gunther.  Our theme music is by Benjamin Velez. Hear more at BenjaminVelez.com. Special thanks to Genesis Johnson, Leigh Silverman, Suzanne Chipkin, Wesley Birdsall, Elena Mayer, Patrick Taylor, and Dori Berinstein.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    13 mins
  • THE COLOR PURPLE and Generational Trauma

    THE COLOR PURPLE and Generational Trauma
    Feb 3 2022
    In all its forms, The Color Purple is a powerful account of generational trauma in the Black community. The novel by Alice Walker was published in 1982 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983 before being adapted into a movie by Steven Spielberg starring Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey. In 2005, the musical version opened on Broadway starring LaChanze with a book by Marsha Norman and a score by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray. Ten years later, the musical came back to Broadway in a 2015 revival and won the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical.  Actor Isaiah Johnson, who played the role of Mister in the original Broadway cast of the 2015 revival production, opposite Cynthia Erivo, joins us to discuss the musical as we look at the character of Mister and generational trauma. What does it mean to carry the trauma of your ancestors? How does this type of trauma affect people, specifically Black Americans? What tools are there to heal this trauma for those experiencing it? And how can non Black people support Black healing? Experts Curtis Smith, Cymone Fuller, and Dr. Schekeva Hall weigh in, as well. Create the Change Begin or deepen your mindfulness practice (resources from Moment of Mindfulness here) Seek out a therapist with cultural competency training Search Therapy for Black Girls, Psychology Today, Alma, etc. Consider a restorative justice process to heal pain and trauma in lieu of punitive justice For members of the Black community: Build relationships and unify Black people  Check out the youth organization Jack and Jill of America or any of the 10 on this list Discover the Black Feminist Project Tell your truths, your stories, express yourself For members of non-Black communities: LISTEN.  Read Dr. Yael Danieli’s book International Handbook of Multigenerational Legacies of Trauma Find more research on generational trauma via the International Center for Multigenerational Legacies of Trauma Read “Breaking the Chains of Generational Trauma” Learn more about generational trauma Explore the work of Dr. Joy DeGruy Referred to in this episode Michaela Angela Davis Clips from the Schomburg Center Color Purple panel “Lynching Memorial” aka The National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama What is generational trauma? What is mindfulness? Moment of Mindfulness LLC What is restorative justice? Impact Justice Statistic: Children of Holocaust survivors over-represented 300 percent Generational Trauma in Indigenous communities and its impact Ruthie Fierberg, Host Ruthiefierberg.com  IG: @whywetheater / T: @whywetheater IG: @ruthiefierceberg / T: @RuthiesATrain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 26 mins