BREED OR BUST PRESS RELEASE
Breed or Bust
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 27, 2022
Press Contact:
Joyful Raven
[email protected]
(415) 517 -6421
BREED OR BUST
A woman’s right to make her own damn mistakes
Comes to the Hollywood Fringe Festival
from the Bay Area
May 20, 2022, Hollywood, CA. To breed or not to breed: that is the question award winning solo show artist Joyful Raven wrestles with in her new solo show. Blending standup and storytelling, Raven recounts her difficult reproductive “choices” and contends with her primal baby making instincts. Should she surrender to the role of weird aunty OR start a GoFundMe to freeze her geriatric eggs? With her breeding window rapidly shrinking, she reflects on her abortions, the father of her abortions and the complexity of modern womanhood. A very timely dark comedy with deep heart. Come for the laughs and stay for the sex education…in case you forgot how babies were made. Opens June 3rd at 8:00 pm at the Zephyr Theatre – 7456 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90046.
Through very dark humor, Joyful Raven offers a unique and nuanced perspective on a women’s right to choose, which is painfully relevant due to the recent news about the Supreme Court’s impending repeal of Roe. This show does not preach, but instead uses her personal story and humor to illuminate the complexity of a very polarizing issues.
Breed or Bust is fresh off a successful world premiere at the Playground Solo Performance Festival in San Francisco where it played to sold out houses. Raven is a veteran solo performer; her last show “Tales of a Sexual Tomboy” appeared in the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival in 2017, won best of the Fringe at the San Francisco International Fringe Festival in 2016, had an Off-Broadway run on 42nd St in New York City and was dubbed“…one of the funniest shows now on display on Bay Area stages” by the SF Chronicle.
Who: Written and Performed by Joyful Raven, Directed by Jael Weisman, Produced by Jessica Lynn Johnson
Where: Zephyr Theatre – 7456 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90046
When: Friday, June 3 @ 8:00 PM preview
Saturday, June 11 @ 9:45 PM
Sunday, June 19 @ 8:45 PM
Running time 60 minutes
Tickets: $15.00 hff22.co/7505 – Adult content 18 +
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Artist Bio: Joyful Raven, whose parents ran a political theater company, grew up on the radical stage where she was forced into political positions and animal leotards long before she was a consenting adult. Due to this unusual childhood, she brings to her work a unique body of experience gained from decades of collaborating with iconic members of the San Francisco Mime Troupe and Dell’ Arte International. Her last solo comedy Tales of a Sexual Tomboy was dubbed “…one of the funniest shows now on display on Bay Area stages” by the SF Chronicle. Tomboy won Best of the Fringe at the 2016 San Francisco Fringe Festival, was awarded an Encore Performance at the 2017 United Solo Festival in NYC and appeared at the Los Angeles Women’s Theater Festival in 2018. Her additional theatre credits include lead actor and co-author of four plays for Prize of Hope winning company Human Nature and co-founder of the ensemble-driven theatre company Rococo Risqué, winner of SF Weekly Best Theater Ensemble. Joyful has also appeared as an actor in many projects on stage and film, including Odyssey Works, an immersive theatre project; The Pursuit of Happiness, with Will Smith; and Spring Awakening, directed by Broadway and West End director Stafford Arima. She studied theater at Sarah Lawrence College in NY and holds an MFA in theater from UC Davis. She is a well respected teacher of solo performance and storytelling in the Bay Area where she holds regular classes at the Berkeley Rep School of Theater.
Director Bio: Jael Weisman is a founding member of the Dell’Arte Players Co. and during his tenure there he directed most of their early works, received multiple ‘Drama-logue Awards’ and toured extensively throughout South America and Europe to international acclaim. He later directed many productions at the San Diego Repertory Co. including the American premiere of Peter Barnes Red Noses which received numerous awards including the ‘Best Production Award’ from San Diego Critics Circle. He has had the honor to co-direct and collaborate with such notables as Carlo Mazzone-Clementi and Joe Chaikin and directed the original production of The Dragon Lady’s Revenge, which traveled to NY and was awarded an Obie.
Producer Bio: Jessica Lynn Johnson Produces, she is a published playwright, recipient of BEST NATIONAL SOLO ARTIST AWARD, Advisory Board Member of the LA Women’s Theatre Festival, Director for Whitefire Theatre, and Founder & CEO of Soaring Solo Studios. Jessica has aided in the development of over 100 solo shows (and still going strong)! As a performer, Jessica has “edu-tained” international audiences touring her own one person shows ZE and OBLIVIOUS TO EVERYONE for over 15 years. Jessica’s projects have taken home awards such as TOP OF FRINGE, HFF ENCORE PRODUCER AWARDS, TVOLUTION BEST SOLO PERFORMANCE, LARRY CORNWALL AWARD FOR MUSICAL EXCELLENCE & several other accolades! Jessica was also nominated for the Female Director of Distinction in Theatre by Girl Trip LLC at the 2018 Hollywood Fringe Festival. Jessica is so honored to collaborate on this wonderful solo show!
Comps available for members of the press upon request. Please contact: Joyful Raven @ [email protected] or (415) 517 -6421
Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/joyful.raven
Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/joyfulraven
###
