WHAT'S YOUR STORY, JAMAICA? joins the exciting
“Black History [every] Month” project at Santa Monica Playhouse
“Black History [every] Month” project at Santa Monica Playhouse
With generous support from the We Are Santa Monica Fund, the City of Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Arts Commission, and Playhouse PALS, Santa Monica Playhouse is excited to present Vasthy and Friends for the Black History [every] Month project, a year-long celebration of works that highlight the rich heritage of Black arts, artists and culture.
To empower voices from the Jamaican diaspora and local community, fostering connection and highlighting authentic, non-scripted life experiences, Debra Ehrhardt founded the What’s Your Story Jamaica competition. Now, she brings these stories to Santa Monica and beyond in a film that shares true, personal stories, creating a powerful space for connection, empathy, and healing, reminding audiences that while our experiences may differ, our emotions are universal. The film features Jamaican storytellers Justin Awn, Rasheed Lewis, Jerome King-Johnson, Suzette Shaw Reid, Jada Campbell, Jamar Grant, Marlon Thompson, Tanisha Bent.
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At the tender age of seven, Kingston, Jamaica native, DEBRA EHRHARDT started telling stories in a Mango tree to entertain herself and her friends. As she grew up, she dreamed of coming to America to study theatre. After graduating drama school in New York, she was advised by Producers and agents to lose her strong Jamaican accent as that would limit work for her. Easier said than done. Instead, she decided to write and perform her own stories based on her colorful life in Jamaica and has performed all over the world. Previous solo productions include Mango, Mango which received two NAACP Awards and Invisible Chairs, produced by David Strasberg at the Marilyn Monroe Theatre in West Hollywood and later optioned as a situation comedy by Fox and Cock Tales: Shame on Me! which garnered rave reviews. Her play, JAMAICA FAREWELL was optioned and produced by Rita Wilson (Tom Hanks wife) and Oscar-winner, Garry Marshall at the Falcon theatre and is currently optioned for film by Oscar winning Producer, Jeremy Thomas in London.
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