FINDING MIRIAM
Written and Created by Joyce Miriam Friedman
Directed by Margie Zohn
Author's Note
This show found me. My original intention was to create a cabaret of my favorite songs. To my surprise, what unfolded was a two-year exploration which led to Finding Miriam.
This show found me. My original intention was to create a cabaret of my favorite songs. To my surprise, what unfolded was a two-year exploration which led to Finding Miriam.
This show is an
autobiographical journey told through magic, time travel, story telling and
music. At its core, it is about the interrelationship between the ancestral,
archetypal and personal. I am curious about how these forces impact our lives
in deep, sometimes imperceptible ways.
The creation of Finding
Miriam had a life and timeline of its own. Bits of it came in dreams,
meditation, and walks in the woods. Sometimes I'd hear the same song on the
radio over and over again until I realized it fed the story line and fit
perfectly. The material about my great-grandmother evolved through shamanic
theater work. My hospital clown character, Frizzle, influenced the shaping of
the show as well. For the rest, I relied on a storehouse of memory.
Margie Zohn has developed and directed solo performance as well as taught communication skills, acting and improvisation for the past 20 years. She is a founding partner of Dramatic Insight (www.dramaticinsight.com), an organization devoted to bringing together the arts and psychology for human development. Margie has facilitated leadership development programs worldwide for The Ariel Group, Inc., and has guest-lectured and conducted residencies at Emerson College, Boston University, MIT, Suffolk University, and Wellesley College. As a performer, she has appeared with Shakespeare & Company, The Lyric Stage and The Merrimack Repertory Theatre, among others. An accomplished solo artist, Margie has written and performed three full-length one-woman shows produced in Boston as well as numerous shorter solo works. Margie holds a degree in Theatre Arts from Brown University, and an Ed.M from Harvard University focusing on the arts and education.
Pianist
Doug Hammer is a veteran musician, composer, producer, arranger, and engineer, with clients ranging from corporations to singers to songwriters. He founded, developed and runs Dreamworld Productions, a full service music production company and recording studio. He has composed and produced music for commercials, film, video, and theater. He works with many vocalists as pianist, arranger, musical director, and CD producer. Doug has released five solo piano CD's of his own compositions and a Guatemalan film score. His latest release, Travels, just won "2011 Album of the Year" by Whisperings Solo Piano Radio. It was also nominated for "Album of the Year" by Reviews New Age and SoloPIano.com. He is a scholarship graduate of Berklee College of Music.