Emerson Theater Collaborative to Present PICKING UP STONES in April

Emerson Theater Collaborative will produce Picking Up Stones: An American Jew's Moral Dilemma, a play written by Sandra Laub on April 29, 2023 at the United Theatre in Westerly, RI. This production blends wry humor, tragedy, and voices of differing cultural and religious stripes to create a fresh commentary on what it means to be a liberal Jew in America today - balancing allegiance to Israel, taking a stand against antisemitism and trying to act out of a morality based on Jewish values. Playwright and actress, Sandra Laub commands the stage in this one-woman show. Marla Ladd produces, and Emma Palzere-Rae directs this production that was made possible by a gracious grant from CT Humanities.

Picking Up Stones will be showcased at United Theatre in Westerly, Rhode Island on April 29th, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. with a discussion after each show with Ms. Sandra Laub, playwright and actress, Ms. Vivian Zoë, artist and retired museum director of Slater Mill, and Mr. Faisal Selah, founder and director of the Palestine Museum US. Tickets are $25.00. Go to www.unitedtheatre.org for ticket information or call United Theatre at (401) 388-8208.

Actor's Bio: Sandra Laub

Sandra Laub has combined theater, education, and community outreach for over 30 years. A graduate of Northwestern University (where she was mentored by acclaimed adapter and director, Frank Galati) and the American Conservatory Theater, she has acted in dozens of productions, including musicals, classic and contemporary plays, and premieres of new work. Off Broadway credits include Circle Rep, WPA, Dance Theater Workshop, Equity Library Theater, Ensemble Studio Theater, La Mama, and Joseph Papp's Shakespeare In the Park (Richard III with Kevin Kline). Off-off Broadway, Sandra starred in her own well-received adaptation of Flaubert's Madame Bovary (Wild Desires) and co-founded a theater company devoted to Shakespeare and Restoration Comedies. Regionally, she appeared at the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, Capitol Rep (Albany, NY), Wisdom Bridge (Chicago), Colorado Springs Performing Arts Center and Theater West (Los Angeles), among others. Moving from NYC (where she taught acting at Eugene Lang College/New School For Social Research and at various acting studios) to Rhode Island 25 years ago, Sandra became an adjunct instructor at Brown University and at URI, teaching acting and voice and movement classes. In Rhode Island she performed at Perishable Theater (Women's Playwriting Festival) the Brown Summer Theater Festival (Last Night At Ballyhoo; As Bees In Honey Drown), The Gamm (Festen, The Grapes of Wrath, Betrayal), The Granite Theater (Lost In Yonkers), Courthouse for the Arts (The Graduate), and with The Island Theater Company, which she formed with URI colleagues (The Seagull, Dear Liar, Candida, and Mrs. Campbell! Mr. Shaw! -her own adaptation of the G.B Shaw-Campbell letters). In 2013, she was tapped by the artistic director of 2nd Story Theater to perform the Tony award winning play, Golda's Balcony. It had a well-received run of 22 performances. In 2014 she was invited to perform another theatrical run of the show at The Contemporary Theater in RI. Since then, and currently she performs Golda's Balcony in regional theaters, high schools, synagogues, community centers, and private homes across the country. She also tours her two-hander play, "Mrs. Campbell! Mr. Shaw" and her adaptation of Nora Ephron's Imaginary Friends. Sandra specializes in adapting material for the stage. She has been a certified teacher of English and Drama at Chariho Regional High School in Rhode Island for 20 years, where she also coaches the Shakespeare Club. "Picking Up Stones: An American Jew's Moral Dilemma" is her latest solo work, with productions slated for Rhode Island and Connecticut in 2023. Sandra is a member of The Dramatists Guild.

Director's Bio: Emma Palzere-Rae

Emma Palzere-Rae is thrilled to return to Emerson Theater Collaborative, where she is proud to have been a co-founder. A playwright, actor, director, producer and non-profit administrator, Emma spent 15 years as part of the NYC theater community, where she created Be Well Productions and began producing one-woman plays. Emma's solo plays include "Aunt Hattie's House"; "Live from the Milky Way... It's Gilda Radner!"; "The Woodhull Project"; and "Breaking Glass". Emma serves on the steering committee of the League of Professional Theatre Women (CT Chapter); and co-chairs the New London Arts Council. She is a member of Actors Equity Association and the Dramatists Guild, where she serves as the regional representative for New England-West. Emma holds a B.F.A in Acting with minors in Creative Writing and Speech from Emerson College, Boston. In 2021, Emma was awarded an Artist Fellowship from the CT Office of the Arts. She is the Associate Director at Artreach, Inc. (Norwich, CT).

Producer's Bio: Marla Ladd

Marla Ladd is recently transplanted from Southern California where she has been the producing artistic director of the Mysterium Theater for the past 13 years. Through Mysterium, Marla is proud to have produced 15-21 thought-provoking, entertaining theater experiences each season. Ladd has worked more than 40 years in performing arts serving as a director, producer and educator and she is credited in more than 300 directorial projects shows around the globe. She has been fortunate enough to have been to 27 countries and is looking forward to working in many more in the near future. She currently teaches theater at Mitchell College. Marla is thrilled to collaborate with Emerson Theater Collaborative. Marla thanks Camilla, Sandra, Emma and Lisa for opening the world of Connecticut Theater.

Talkback Speaker's Bio: Vivian Zoë

Vivian Zoë is a retired museum director and artist. She has undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Connecticut and the Ohio State University. Since retirement, in addition to spending time in her studio, she has been researching her family's Holocaust-era history and following the news with great interest and no small amount of dismay.

Talkback Speaker's Bio: Faisal Saleh

Faisal Saleh is founder and director of the Palestine Museum US. He is an American businessman who, after over 40 years of entrepreneurial work, has turned his attention to managing the most ambitious Palestinian media project in the United States. Located in Woodbridge, Connecticut. The Palestine Museum opened its doors on April 22, 2018.

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