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DIAGNOSIS: JEW PAIN, written by comic performer Michael Feldman, is a coming of age story that explores ethnicity and sexual identity. Feldman inhabits over fifteen characters as he recounts growing up bisexual in a conservative Brooklyn Jewish family. Using parody, satire, inner reflection, slapstick, and song, we are led on a brutally honest journey into the life and mind Michael Feldman. JEW PAIN helps us to examine the way we think, the people who influence our lives, and the expectations we must live up to. A must-see for any human being regardless of race, religion, or orientation. Laugh and cry with Michael, a native of Brooklyn, New York, as he delves into issues of religion, sexuality, politics and growing up with the most neurotic people this side of Borough Park. SHOW HISTORY After developing his one-man show THE DECONSTRUCTION OF A JEW at New York University, which explored Jewish stereotypes through a close look at the members of his family, Michael decided to turn his attention to the person he had not yet explored: himself. JEW PAIN was born. The show enjoyed a successful run at the Barn Theatre in Florida, and in the summer of 2003 Feldman was selected to perform at the New York City Fringe Festival. JEW PAIN was chosen as one of the top 25 Picks of the NYC Fringe by Show Business Weekly, and subsequently welcomed into the San Francisco Fringe Festival, where Feldman performed to critical acclaim. WHERE WE ARE GOING JEW PAIN, like Feldman himself, is still growing and developing. Next stop: Israel. Quo Vadimus feels that taking Jew Pain to Israel will be an important cross-cultural experience for both performer and audience. It will not only highlight for the audience similarities and differences between Israeli life and life in the Jewish diaspora, but it will also give Feldman an opportunity to explore an aspect of his Jewishness that will undoubtedly inform his future work. Both in Israel and in America, Feldman hopes to take JEW PAIN to different schools and colleges to raise awareness about sexuality and the pressure society places on students. It is important to Feldman also plan to bring the piece to Jewish communities and Jewish teen groups, not only revealing a fresh angle to the Jewish experience of living, but also to share his experience, and ultimate success, of reconciling his faith and bisexuality in his own life. 'Humor is very important to me. Making people
laugh is one of my deepest passions. I believe that humor is not only
a great tool for entertainment, but also for disseminating information
and knowledge. I am committed to raising awareness through humor in live
performance. I believe that the more you make people laugh, the more they
listen. And through Diagnosis: Jew Pain, I have been able to live
out my mission.' |