cocktales: |
shame on me! |
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Santa Monica Playhouse Benefit Series, in conjunction with Meadowbrook Entertainment presents |
Based on true stories of up close and personal encounters with those very complicated members of the opposite sex, Cock Tales: Shame on Me! explores self-discovery, betrayal, guilt, pleasure and love
“Ehrhardt’s flair and charisma as a performer are matched by the strength and brilliance of her writing.” Total Theater Los Angeles
Celebrated performer Debra Ehrhardt (Jamaica Farewell, Mango, Mango) and renowned director Joel Zwick (My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Fat Albert) have teamed up once again to bring Ehrhardt’s latest play Cock Tales: Shame on Me! to the stage.
From her early years as a girl raised by a religious family through her sexual awakening as a young woman, she takes us on a bumpy ride over a funny, sexy and emotionally rocky road.
“Guaranteed laughter.” Broadway World
“When I began writing Cock Tales, I thought I was writing about sex. But, I soon came to realize that sex is an entirely different subject.” says Ehrhardt, whose colorful history of a lifetime of encounters with a world full of testosterone-fueled gentlemen - and not-so-gentle men - has given her plenty of source material from which to create a memorable evening of theater.
“There is nothing new in Cock Tales about sex. I can’t shed any light on human sexuality. But, when it comes to guilt—that is an area where I am an expert. Guilt is something that we’ve all experienced. Cock Tales is about abandoning shame and that is huge for women. To the degree that we can more fully liberate ourselves from the shame that strangles our most joyous impulses, we are able to live our lives as more fully realized human beings.”
Cock Tales: Shame on Me! begins and ends with humor and sexual liberation.
“Unforgettable performance! A must see!” Jamaicans.com
Debra Ehrhardt (Writer/Performer) At the tender age of seven, Kingston, Jamaica native, Debra Ehrhardt, knew her dream was to come to America. By 18, her dream was realized. After a brief sojourn in Miami, she headed north to New York. She studied acting with Katherine Kerr from the Playwrights Horizons and Suzanne Esper at the William Esper Studios in New York City. After honing her craft on the east coast she concluded that her tropical blood would never get used to the east coast winters. She threw away the ice scraper and moved west. Los Angeles has been her home base for the past fifteen years. Ehrhardt, with her strong Jamaican accent found that there were very few roles in theater, film or television that she could play. She was encouraged to change her accent but opted against it. Instead she began writing her own plays based on her life experiences in Jamaica and has been working ever since. Cock Tales: Shame on Me! is her fourth one-woman show. Previous productions include Mango, Mango which received two NAACP Awards, Invisible Chairs, which was produced by David Strasberg at the Marilyn Monroe Theatre in West Hollywood and later optioned as a situation comedy by Fox and JAMAICA, FAREWELL which was optioned and produced by Rita Wilson and Garry Marshall at the Falcon theatre. She received a 2007 Proclamation from the City of New York for JAMAICA, FAREWELL for her “Outstanding Contribution to the Jamaican community” and was named one of Jamaica’s top ten news makers for 2010. JAMAICA, FAREWELL was named one of the top shows in the Fall of 2016 when it was produced by Hershey Felder at the Royal George theatre in Chicago. She is currently working on turning JAMAICA, FAREWELL into a film.
Joel Zwick (Director) directed My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time. Recent films include Fat Albert and Elvis Has Left the Building. Zwick also directed Ehrhardt’s JAMAICA, FAREWELL, the Broadway production of Hershey Felder’s George Gershwin Alone at the Helen Hayes Theatre, as well as Felder’s Monsieur Chopin, Beethoven as I Knew Him, and Maestro Bernstein. He began his theatrical career at La Mama E.T.C. as director of the La Mama Plexus. He has directed on Broadway, Off-Broadway and for Broadway touring companies. Zwick is recognized as one of Hollywood’s most prolific directors of episodic television, having the direction of 550 episodes to his credit. He is currently directing Shake It Up for the Disney Channel. Zwick has taught drama at Yale University, Brooklyn College, Queens College, Wheaton College and USC and has made his home in Hollywood for the past decade.
Sunday, June 24, 2018 at 6:30pm
General Admission: $40
All seats include a post-show champagne reception with Ms. Ehrhardt. Proceeds support the Santa Monica Playhouse Benefit Campaign.
All seats include a post-show champagne reception with Ms. Ehrhardt. Proceeds support the Santa Monica Playhouse Benefit Campaign.
Santa Monica Playhouse Reserves the Right to Cancel or Reschedule Performances Without Prior Notice. Please Call to Confirm Show Dates and Times.