The NEXT generation is taking over The Braid for its latest Salon Show, opening May 1.
“Wide Open,” curated and adapted by NEXT Fellowship alumni filmmaker Vicki Schairer, screenwriter David Chiu (Braid Marketing & Communications), and photographer Daphna Shull (Braid Creative Producer/ NEXT Literary Manager), highlights true Jewish stories around the theme of opening yourself to the unknown.
“’Wide Open’ is full of authentic, vulnerable stories that strike at the heart of taking risks and connecting to something bigger than ourselves,” Shull said.
Shull first joined the NEXT council, which provides professional development, networking opportunities and a platform to Jewish creatives in their 20s and 30s, as a member of the literary team. She now teaches other young professionals to adapt the written word to the stage.
“I love this theme so much because fear and courage are universal,” she said. “And these stories allow the audience to step into the character’s shoes with real empathy.”
“These stories allow the audience to step into the character’s shoes with real empathy.” – Daphna Shull
A four-person cast – former NEXT fellow Chelsea London Lloyd (also a writer in the show), Natasha McCrea, Jill Remez and Joshua Silverstein – will bring 10 incredible tales to life.
David Chiu, who also wrote one of the stories, is amazed at how this show lives inside of you.
“I never imagined how the theme of ‘Wide Open’ could take our writers and actors to such soulful places,” Chiu told the Journal. “But maybe that’s what being wide open is all about: moments that break apart your outer shell and reveal your deepest self.”
Chiu, whose journey with The Braid began when a story of his was performed in “True Colors,” about the lives of Jews of Color, went on to become a two-time NEXT at The Braid Emerging Artists fellow.
“Wide Open” highlights pivot points explored through a Jewish lens. Diversity is also at the forefront, as is the curatorial team. Schairer and Shull are Jewish women, and Shull is a member of the LGBTQ community. Chiu is an Asian-American Jew of Color.
Chiu, Shull and Schairer first teamed up, guided by The Braid’s Artistic Director Ronda Spinak, in fall 2020, when The Braid decided to do a NEXT Masterclass of alumni from previous fellowships. Together they curated, adapted and edited the material for the show “The Rest is History,” which shared true stories of Jews living through historic times.
The team got along so well, Spinak made an unprecedented decision to invite these NEXT fellow alums to take over one of the main shows.
The Braid’s producing director, Susan Morgenstern, has mentored these and the other NEXT fellows with Spinak. Morgenstern is now set to direct “Wide Open.”
“The theme, wide open, explores the ways in which we respond to opportunity, big or small,” Schairer told the Journal. “Everyone has experienced moments of uncertainty where they need to muster courage. But often we don’t talk about these moments, especially when they don’t go the way we hoped or expected.”
Schairer has felt welcomed into this community since her first meeting with Spinak and Morgenstern. This is her fourth show with The Braid.
“The stories featured in this and other shows from The Braid continue to widen my worldview of what it means to be Jewish,” Schairer said. “Even though I may have different experiences and practices than someone else, these stories make me feel connected on a human and emotional level. [They’re] connecting us all in the vibrant tapestry of Judaism and across faiths, beliefs and circumstances.”
“Wide Open” will be staged in person at various Southern California locations from May 1 to 19, live on Zoom on May 15 and in person in the Bay Area on May 23. For details and tickets, visit the-braid.org/wideopen.
