Jennifer Blaine

Performances at Annenberg Center on March 6 and 7 as part of Women’s History Month

Jennifer Blaine, Philadelphia’s acclaimed solo performer, comedienne, and playwright “whose comic genius is like Lily Tomlin and Tracey Ullman” (Philadelphia Daily News) will perform her one-woman show Dirty Joke as part of the 2014-2015 By Local series at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. 

Performances will take place at 8 p.m. Friday, March 6 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday, March 7, 2015, at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA. Tickets are $20-30 and available at www.AnnenbergCenter.org or by calling 215-898-3900. The Annenberg Center for the ‘Performing Arts’ by Local Series spotlights artistic talent that thrives within the Philadelphia community.

Jennifer Blaine has performed with the likes of Chris Rock, George Carlin, and Joe Piscopo, and has brought her smart, irreverent humor to premier venues and festivals nationwide. Jennifer is renowned for her extraordinary ability to shift between characters across age and ethnicity; her shows are a balm for those craving some comedy, candor, and inspiration.

Jennifer is thrilled to bring Dirty Joke back to her hometown of Philadelphia, after premiering the show to sold-out audiences at the 2013 Philadelphia Fringe Festival. According to the Philadelphia City Paper in their review, “It’s comedy with a conscience…Blaine is warm and thoughtful, never pushy or pedantic, and of course there’s all those dirty jokes.” 

Dirty Joke centers on one of Jennifer’s most popular characters: Ruth, an elderly Jewish woman with a penchant for off-color humor. Ruth sings, dances, tells jokes, and makes light out of the dark moment in which she finds herself — struggling to hold onto her apartment. As Ruth convenes the first live “Superwoman Conference,” Jennifer portrays 7 real-life changemakers who have made a significant impact on our world:

• Madeleine Albright: The first female U.S. Secretary of State, who advocated for democracy and human rights;

• Arianna Huffington: Chair, president and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group and author of 14 books;

• Caroline Casey: Blind Irish activist who rode 1,000 kilometers across India on an elephant to raise funds for Sightsavers;

• Kiran Bir Sethi: Pioneering Indian educator who founded the Riverside School in Ahmedabad, focused on engaging young people and making cities more child-friendly.
• Majora Carter: Founder of Sustainable South Bronx who coined the term “Green The Ghetto,” and the recipient of the MacArthur “genius” Fellowship;

• Cindy Sheehan: American anti-war activist who protested outside of President George W. Bush’s Texas ranch after her son was killed during the Iraq War;

• Wangari Maathai: Nobel Prize-winning Kenyan activist who, as founder of the Green Belt Movement, planted millions of trees with women’s groups.

As Jennifer explains, “When I craft a character, I start from an inner sense of who the person is and what motivates them. I study their history, listen to them speak and zero in on their gestures, posture and gait. Then there comes that shift from being just a snippet of a person into a living, breathing tribute.”

Dirty Joke marks Jennifer’s fourth collaboration with director and fellow Wesleyan University graduate Vashti Dubois — who produced the critically acclaimed Philadelphia performance EvictionProof PeepShow Home. Vashti co-founded the Mumbo Jumbo Theatre Company in New York City, championing female artists of color such as playwrights Lynn Nottage and Adrienne Kennedy and actresses Lisa Gay Hamilton and Hazel Goodman.

It’s no coincidence that Jennifer’s latest show features a “Conference of Superwomen.” In addition to keeping a busy schedule as a solo performer and comedienne, Jennifer is the founder of The 5,000 Women Festival – which showcases the creativity of women artists in all media. For more information about Jennifer Blaine and The 5,000 Women Festival, visit www.jenniferblaine.com.

“So, when did you break your tailbone?” Linda asks while palpating the lowermost reaches of my spine.  I flash to a possible moment, more than twenty years earlier when I’d fallen down a steep flight of steps in Amsterdam.  The pain at the time had been excruciating, but my parents tend to err on the conservative side when it comes to physical discomfort, so they didn’t take me to a doctor.  It wasn’t personal though. My Dad once shrugged off a bad cold for weeks, only to finally realize it was pneumonia. No one in my family ever realized that I’d broken my tailbone. Now it all made sense.

Linda Grace is my Rolfer. I have a long history of both practicing and patronizing the healing arts. I have been to brilliant massage therapists, chiropractors and shiatsu masters, but Linda has provided the most singular and reliable remedy for anything my family or I have ever thrown at her.

When my husband overdid it exercising and rest did nothing to resolve the anguish of his lower back, Linda even came to our home.  She asked him to walk around. When he howled as he tried to move, she stated matter-of-factly “I’m not touchin’ that.”  She recommended consulting orthopedic doctors, predicting (correctly) that it would heal on its own if given at least 7 weeks.  As she left, knowing how driven my husband is and that rest would be his best prescription she looked me in the eye and said, “Good luck keepin’ him down.”

When our daughter, Lily, was tiny we decided to have Linda Grace work on her.  Linda would hold the infant patient, cradling her head to coax her neck to release tension, or working the insteps of her feet to give her greater mobility. There was nothing wrong with Lily but the transition to life from the womb can be a challenge for any of us and Lily benefitted from the magical touch. Thanks to Linda, with each visit there was more and more that was right.

I have referred countless friends and coaching clients to Linda. Whoever follows her advice sees amazing results. My friend had an issue with her sciatic nerve which cortisone shots and physical therapy would not resolve. After just 2 sessions with Linda, she was completely healed. I am not overstating Linda’s powers.

Last month I was somewhat immobilized by a few false moves at yoga on Monday. Linda had me lay on my side. She worked around the iliac crest, attended to where my thoracic and lumbar spine meet, and completed the session by applying pressure and then friction to one of the insertion points for my psoas muscle. With her hand firmly inside my upper thigh I asked if she ever tried this move with anyone on the first date. “No, and with some people I wouldn’t ever dare to do it at all!”

Being the primary caregiver plus being a full-time life coach and one-woman show, it’s hard for me to call out sick. Many of my responsibilities cannot be done by someone else. Linda gives me back my time, my well-being, and best of all myself, so I can accomplish what needs to be done and go on with my life.

My profound gratitude for the incredible Linda Grace!!!!

Two Heroines

For her birthday my 10 year old niece from Colorado asked her friends to donate to Doctors Without Borders instead of giving her a wrapped gift. And, if you’re wondering,   this was all her idea.

Coincidentally I happen to to coach someone who works for the French counterpart of this organization, médecins sans frontières, or MSF. I mentioned to my client that my niece had come up with this thoughtful gift which honors devotion, service, and the altruistic spirit. So my client asked if she could write a note of appreciation to my niece…

My client sent an amazing letter. She reported that she’s been in CAR (Central African Republic) and that she has an incredible team that assists her with distributing essential supplies. She did not mention that she spent last year continuing this work in the middle of a war in which 700,000 Muslims either fled or were massacred, some right in front of her, and that her staff chose to walk through the carnage everyday to get to the hospital and assist in saving lives. Hearing this I was profoundly inspired by their bravery.

My niece has since asked whether my client gets to choose which country in which is placed. I wonder how my client will field that one.

I am very touched by my niece’s kind-heartedness, thoughtful questions and generous gesture. I am also impressed by the fact that my client has devoted her life to helping heal the world. In my book they are both heroines.

Who are some heroines in your life?