One-Woman Play Celebrates Wisdom of "Crazy" Ladies in Two Cultures

Actress Deborah Lubar will perform her acclaimed one-woman show, A Story's a Story, on March 26 at 7:30 pm in Chapin Auditorium. The show, a collection of stories written and performed by Lubar, takes audiences deep into the lives of Italian Catholic Luigina Ponzini and Polish Jew Rose Solomon. Each has been labeled a madwoman, but in reality they're outspoken, worldly-wise survivors whose stories touch audiences' hearts.

<<< Both Italian Catholic Luigina Ponzini and Polish Jew Rose Solomon (above) are played by chameleon-like actress Deborah Lubar in her moving one-woman show about immigrant women who are "survivors, dreamers, 'madwomen,' and 'wild women' who uncover the secret fires burning at the center of their lives."

In the show, two old immigrant women, longtime neighbors in New York's lower east side, unravel the stories that have shaped their lives. In telling these tales, they unearth the light inside the hardship and heartbreak of their experiences. Both women, in their own unique ways, brave the pain of being perceived as "other" in cultures that reject those who are different. Both face obstacles with humor, heart, grit, and each other's friendship. And both discover that, despite vast differences of character, background, and tradition, they are truly sisters in spirit.

A Story's a Story was called "a beautiful, painful, astonishing, and inspiring theatrical event" by the Valley Advocate. Its creator, actress/playwright Lubar, has previously toured with one-woman shows about the Holocaust, women in the Ozarks, and Israeli Jewish and Palestinian women grappling with the complexities of their shared history. She has taught theater across the country, most recently for twelve years at Smith College. She is also a professional practitioner of energy healing, and focuses her work on exploring the confluence of healing and performance.

Lubar will also lead a lunchtime discussion for students on how techniques from the worlds of theatre and healing can work together to help people understand the life stories of people different from themselves. The performance is part of Mount Holyoke's ongoing Inclusiveness Program. (See calendar section for details.)