Writer, teacher, therapist, lobbyist and actor Danna Schaeffer will present her one-woman show, You in Midair, from October 5 through 15, at New Expressive Works. You in Midair is directed by Julie Akers. Previously titled My Little Jezebel, this full production follows a January 2017 staged reading with PDX Playwrights in the Fertile Ground Festival New Works.
On July 18, 1989, Danna Schaeffer received the worst news a parent can hear: a phone call from a stranger telling her that her only child has been murdered. Rebecca Schaeffer, a young Hollywood star headed for a successful career in television and film, had been shot on her doorstep. In the years that followed, her parents endured the murder trial and then channeled their grief into social action. You in Midair is an intimate, harrowing, sometimes funny and ultimately joyful story that examines the searing pain of loss, the consolation of memory and the triumph of hard-won wisdom.
"I'm doing this show because the time had come for me to tell Rebecca's story from my perspective," said Danna Schaeffer. "I am acutely aware of the universe of tragedy and loss we witness and read about every day. This is but one of those stories."
Shawn Levy, author of Dolce Vita Confidential, said, "You in Midair combines horror, pathos and comedy in ways you've never seen before. You will laugh and you will cry, often at the same time."
"Danna Schaeffer's performance is extraordinary, at once tragic, smart, and just flat out entertaining. And throughout, of course, you wonder how this woman has not simply survived the loss of her beloved child, but has also managed to thrive," said Karen Karbo, author of The Stuff of Life.
More information: www.youinmidair.com
Photo Credit: Owen Carey
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