jenniferblaine

Does Woody Allen only employ shiksas?

I am Jewish, I am a woman, I am a comedian. Like Tracey Ullman or Lily Tomlin I do multiple characters. Yet what is my future as a performer in a Woody Allen film? Zilch.

Woody Allen employs shiksas* as his leading ladies. Mia Farrow, Diane Keaton, Diane Wiest, Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz, Helen Hunt are all shiksas. I love them all. I bow at their feet. They are amazing. But when oh when will he use one of us?

I know I am not famous, I have not been discovered yet. I know I am 40 in May. I am mostly concerned with raising my three year-old. So I am largely distracted from my career. (Many days I cannot remember to attend to my own basic needs; did I eat? Did I sleep? Did I shower? Which Disney character am I playing in this particular role play?) I may not exactly be in the running for a Woody Allen film.

But there are many many other women Jewish comedians. When will Woody write for one of us? Youd think by now hed use Sara Silverman. The most famous of our tribe. But no. Or maybe even Rain Pryor, Richard Pryors daughter who is half Jewish, but no. Fran Drescher’s whine has never been recorded in an Allen film. Can you even conceive of that? And why didnt he jump at the chance to employ Barbra? Barbra! Come on Woody.

Ill make it easy for you. Just let me be Ruth, my old Jewish woman who tells dirty jokes. You could squeeze her into a scene where we go comparison shopping on cataract treatments. Ruth can supply some comic relief. Then again, that wouldnt exactly be a role for a leading lady.

Maybe we Jewish women comedians are not leading ladies. We are uppity, we are hard to pigeon hole, we steal focus.

So you know what, just let us be ourselves Woody. Put all of us together in one of your movies. I swear whatever amazing material you write for us, even if we adlib — well give you full credit.

*shiksa non-Jewish woman, a gentile

My friend John Cregar took this shot of me. I hope you enjoy it. I am holding some glowing orbs called “Oggz.” The light changes and changes inside them. Here’s my invitation to you…. What do you notice glowing around you? Perhaps a neon sign, maybe the sun, or your friend’s face when they smile. What do you appreciate that is glowing in your life today?

Lately I find myself coaching mothers, artists, and people in the financial world. Quite a blend, isnt it? Believe it or not, there is a common thread amongst them. There are limiting stories about each of these domains: the starving artist, the economy is bad, Im just a Mom so Im not important. What is key in transforming these stories is reinventing how we think of ourselves. Consider the notion that you get to decide how you want it to behow you want YOU to be. Isnt that cool? And yet, how do we really get out of our environmental, inherited, or self-created prisons?

I teach acting and creativity workshops to women in prison. The women are there due to prostitution, drug dealing, assault even murder. What I found to be the most freeing, unifying, and energizing act was to inspire these women to create. Some women thought they were worthless, some that they had nothing to say, some that they had been violated so horribly that all that was left were howls of horror. And yet the women created a play together and they did it in a week! And not just a play, a play that changed their lives, because they remembered they had a voice, and their voices matter. They performed for the other women in the prison and affected them too. Everyone reconsidered how they thought of their lives, their value in the world, their hearts.

I look at myself and other people as being trapped in metaphorical prisons at times. Some tough thoughts which construct the prison are: I cant do it, I wont achieve my dreams, my dreams dont matter, I am not good enough. The women in prison liberated their minds by being creative, and once they did that they created change, hope and were permanently altered. They knew better things were possible for themselves.

In what way do you dare to be creative today?

Creative Spark:

If you want a simple way to be creative right now, try this exercise:

My daughter will say things that are contrary to the truth. Okay, yes. I do mean they are a lie. But she and I both know its not true. Its fun because its imagined. What color is the snow? Pink! she exclaims. And so we pretend the snow is pink. And that concept infects our imagination and colors our world. And it is energizing, liberating, and joyful. Try it. What do you dare to think differently, do differently? Guess what? If you do it, you will be using your imagination, and you will instantaneously be creative.