Join Laurel Ollstein and her students for a captivating program in the Wende’s West Gallery, where the rich tapestry of history comes alive through the power of storytelling. Immerse yourself in the fascinating narratives of Vietnam veterans, a Holocaust survivor, and immigrants from Mexico and Panama, as shared by thirty talented students of Laurel Ollstein from OTIS College of Art and Design.
Through their creative interviews, they have crafted six remarkable books, blending captivating life stories with their own expressive artwork. Experience the magic as performers recite excerpts from these oral histories, while viewing the thought-provoking artwork of the students. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to connect with history, art, and the human spirit.
For the past sevn years, Otis Liberal Arts and Sciences faculty member and established playwright and director Laurel Ollstein has taught the True Stories course she created. This Otis College Creative Action Integrated Learning (CAIL) course connects generations young and old through story-telling, art and creativity. Read about the 2022 True Stories here.
Find out more about this extraordinary program at The Wende Museum.
Last Year’s True Stories Presentation at the Wende
Lit Angels: LA’s New Online Literary Journal, hosted by Francesca Lia Block and Linda Davis
Saturday June 10th, 2023 @ 5:00PM – 6:00 PM
Lit Angelsis a new online literary journal that carefully curates short fiction, novel excerpts, memoir excerpts, essays and poetry, by new and established writers.
Lyrical & witty, light & dark, magical & gritty, dreamy & informative writing —to inspire delight connect —to make you laugh cry think and ultimately, we hope, help us all survive in this crazy world.
FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS
Sera Gamble is the Creator and Executive Producer, with Greg Berlanti, of “YOU” (Netflix). She is also developing a a series adaptation of the beloved Francesca Lia Block book “Weetzie Bat” for Peacock. Gamble wrote and executive produced “The Magicians” (Syfy). She also Executive Produced the Apple series “Physical.” She served as writer and executive producer of the NBC series “Aquarius,” and wrote and produced the cult CW series “Supernatural” for its first seven seasons. Gamble also writes essays, poetry and fiction. Two of her stories have appeared in the Best American Erotica series, and other work has appeared in journals such as Washington Square and Nerve. She lives in Los Angeles, and, most importantly she is a dog person.
Semaj Saint Garbuttis a queer social death theorist and MFA candidate residing in Los Angeles CA. They write in bouts of lucidity, merging theory and fantasy to birth narratives of resistance and renewal. Some of their work can be found at River Furnace, Patreon, and Lunch Ticket.
Lezlie Mitchell is a freelance writer and editor for brands like Reebok, Livestrong, and Best of Vegan. She co-wrote Lovers, a stylized short film and wrote and published her first children’s book, Some Of Us, All Of Us during the pandemic. Her work is featured in the anthology, Energy Healing & Soul Medicine, as well as Permanent Markers: Race, Ancestry and the Body aer the Genome. Lezlie writes a weekly newsletter, Moon Drops, for her company Mooniun. And when she isn’t writing, she’s busy acting and spending time with her husband, three small children and cat, Coco. Find her at https://www.mooniun.com/ and on Instagram @lovelezlie
Laurel Ollsteinis an award-winning playwright/director based in Los Angeles who also directs playwriting programs, writing and arts education in schools, and creates plays on social justice themes. Most recently, her play – They Promised Her the Moon – had its critically-acclaimed West Coast premiere at the Old Globe theatre in San Diego – and almost (just before shut down) a fabulous production at TheatreWorks, in Silicon Valley. She’s had commissions from The Getty Villa, About Productions, New Jersey Repertory, and Playwrights’ Arena, and developed plays with The Actors’ Gang.
Gleah Powers is the author of the multi-award-winning books Million Dollar Red: a Memoir, and Edna and Luna, a novella. She is a Pushcart nominee, a finalist in the 2017 and 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, shortlisted in the non-fiction category for Million Dollar Red in the Rubery International Book Awards 2021, and a recipient of an award from the California Relief Fund for artists. Her work has appeared in print and online in various outlets. She completed her formal art training at the California Institute of the Arts and has worked professionally as a painter, actor and dancer in New York, Los Angeles, and Mexico City. She recently completed a collection of art pieces entitled Elvis’Graffiti, inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s film, Elvis. Visit her website at www.gleahpowers.com.
Rachel Resnick is a Los Angeles Times bestseller and Yale grad. She holds an M.F.A. from Vermont College. Rachel is also a creative entrepreneur and transformationalcoach who’s run her own storytelling business (rachelresnick.com) since 2006. Her most recent book is Love Junkie: A Memoir. This piece is an excerpt from a new book — a hybrid of memoir, personal growth and writing inspiration. Rachel lives in Twentynine Palms, California. You can find her at instagram.com/rachelresnick and facebook.com/StoryCoachRachelResnick
Jessamyn Violetis a writer and musician, born and raised in Massachusetts. She received her BFA in Writing, Literature and Publishing from Emerson College, and her MFA in Creative Writing from San Francisco’s California College of the Arts. Her poetry collection, Organ Thieves, was published by Gauss PDF. Her full-length screenplay “Exit Strategies” was a quarterfinalist in Scriptapalooza. Her short stories have been published in Ploughshares, Lit Angels and more. Jessamyn plays drums for the band Movie Club. Secret Rules to being a Rockstar is her debut novel. She currently lives in Venice Beach, California.
This new play will be presented as a reading. Readings are an essential part of the play development process. Cheese, the Musical! is part of theOn The Radar (OTR) New Works Program that aims to support the creation of diverse new stories by emerging U.S. playwrights. Click here to learn more about OTR.
Adapted from the critically acclaimed and darkly comedic play by Laurel Ollstein.
Welcome to Tillamook, Oregon, “the land of cheese, trees, and ocean breezes.” Griffin, a cheese sculptor, struggles in his marriage to Cindy, who lives in denial over the loss of their young son. Enter Billie, Cindy’s best friend — and a knocked-up, wanna-be Hollywood actress — running from her failures. The secrets they keep and the lies that they tell fester and spoil like the rotting cheese that surrounds them. Can they find a way to move on and create a new kind of family?
2023 OTR Reading Series Sponsors
The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation National Endowment for the Arts Jennifer Ruckman & Ken Favell
We’re doing a workshop with one pubic performance – so get ready! It’ll be amazing!
This fab art work is an oil painting by the talented Christie Mellor!
Adapted from the critically acclaimed and darkly comedic play by Laurel Ollstein.
Welcome to Tillamook, Oregon, “the land of cheese, trees, and ocean breezes.” Griffin, a cheese sculptor, struggles in his marriage to Cindy, who lives in denial over the loss of their young son. Enter Billie, Cindy’s best friend — and a knocked-up, wanna-be Hollywood actress — running from her failures. The secrets they keep and the lies that they tell fester and spoil like the rotting cheese that surrounds them. Can they find a way to move on and create a new kind of family?
This week on State of Art we’re talking about Anchorage Community Theater’s current production “They Promised her the Moon.” It centers on the real life of Jerrie Cobb, part of an all-women space program in the 60s, who not only completed the same tests and screenings as the first male astronauts, but ranked among the highest of both women and men. She never made it to space, but paved the way for the women who followed. The play opened on March 3rd and runs through the 26th. We’re joined by visiting playwright Laurel Ollstein, who wrote the story and is directing this run.
The goal of OTR is to create a deep and long-term commitment to playwrights by offering them access to a community of artists and audiences, a supportive environment, and the freedom to explore their own boundaries and interests.
2023 OTR Reading Series Sponsors
The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation National Endowment for the Arts Jennifer Ruckman & Ken Favell
“Chance is serving a vital role in American theater, creating the kind of access point that allows people to attend, and participate, and take ownership of what’s on stage in a way that other, larger institutions just can’t begin to match.” –Jenny Connell Davis, 2016ResidentPlaywright
“Chance audiences are experienced, focused and eager to support experimental and challenging work. It was so useful just to hear the play in front of them – their engagement and reactions taught me so much.” –JessicaHuang,2019 ResidentPlaywright
“The Chance has been a warm and welcoming home to my work in Orange County and has been the launching pad to numerous works that have had a continued life across the country.” –LaurenYee, 2015ResidentPlaywright
Auditions have just been completed for the upcoming Anchorage Community Theatre Production of They Promised Her the Moon.
Laurel has been invited to Anchorage to direct this production with rehearsals beginning the end of January.
They Promised Her the Moon
Written and Directed by Laurel Ollstein
based on a true story March 3 – 26, 2023
The first American woman to test for space flight, Jerrie Cobb steps into an isolation tank for a record-breaking nine hours as her memories unfold before her, from learning to fly a plane as a child in Oklahoma to testifying in Congressional hearings about the under-the-radar all-female Mercury 13 space program.
They Promised Her the Moon is a compelling drama about the challenges of sisterhood and fighting for the greater good, based on a true story
Join Laurel Ollstein and her students for a captivating program in the Wende’s West Gallery, where the rich tapestry of history comes alive through the power of storytelling. Immerse yourself in the fascinating narratives of Vietnam veterans, a Holocaust survivor, and immigrants from Mexico and Panama, as shared by thirty talented students of Laurel Ollstein from OTIS College of Art and Design.
