“Shpilkes” (the Yiddish equivalent of the phrase “ants in your pants”), a new comedy written by local playwright Barbara Gural in collaboration with dramaturg Erik Hansen, will have its debut reading , 6-9 p.m. Thursday, May 2 at the Music Academy of the West, 1070 Fairway Road, Santa Barbara.
Directed by Santa Barbara theater veteran Jonathan Fox, the story follows Lauren, a recent divorcee whose restless energy (a.k.a. shpilkes) propels her to find ways to keep life interesting.
Her return to New York City to be with her sister Jane, and post-marital journey to self-discovery, takes funny, sweet and touching twists and turns. Her adventurousness leads her to form bonds with people whose worlds are new to her.
Tickets for the performance and fundraiser are $118 per person and include a welcome reception and a dessert reception. Proceeds support the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara’s cultural, educational, and social services programs.
“During the pandemic, I decided to write fiction for the first time in my life at 70 years old. I was happy to find that I could write ‘funny,’ and have now completed three comedies,” Gural said.
“This comedy was inspired by my close relationship with my sister and best friend Jane,” Gural said. “There is nothing better than a sister who is there for you in good times or when you feel low and life isn’t fair. Plus, I have shpilkes.”
“I enjoy collaborating with playwrights on developing their work, so I’m thrilled that Jewish Federation executive director Cyndi Silverman introduced me to Barbara, and that I was invited to produce a reading of the play as a fundraiser for the federation’s important mission,” Fox said.
“I’m especially delighted to be a part of this venture since it’s also given me the opportunity to work with a group of very talented actors to bring the play to life,” he said.
Gural hopes the audience will gain a new understanding of acceptance, a major theme in her plays. “Sometimes, we don’t recognize our flaws, but once we accept who we are and what is wrong with us, we are on the road to understanding others,” she said. “Judging others before getting to know them and meddling in their lives never works out well.”
Visit jewishsantabarbara.org/shpilkes for more information and to purchase tickets. Sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting Cyndi Silverman at csilverman@sbjf.org or 805-957-1115.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara, a nonprofit 501(c)3, is dedicated to building a vibrant and inclusive local Jewish community, to enhancing the well-being of Jews in Santa Barbara, Israel and throughout the world, and to strengthening the relationship between the Jewish community and the community at large.
For more, visit jewishsantabarbara.org.