G. Dov Gertzweig (he, him, sir)
Producer, Writer, Actor
Hi Fringe ! I was first introduced to the festival a few years back when I saw a Steven Vlasak play and was very impressed with the creative fun everyone was having and the joy in the audience at seeing something fresh and original. I took a few screenwriting classes since then, to expand my songwriting horizon. I do love musicals. It was the one thing that was on tv in the 60’s that caught my attention, Rogers and Hammerstein, and then in the movies too, and ever since, life is most like a musical.
I have been a performing musician for the bulk of my life, playing violin in numerous orchestras, including musical orchestras like fiddler, brigadoon, live in concert for performers like Sammy Davis Jr., Tony Bennet, and recording on record for Celine Dion, Herb Alpert, and Vanessa Williams, right when she recorded Colors of the Wind. I have played in many different bands, performing many festivals and even at Crossroads of the World, and I have released my own new age CD’s and became a docent at a nature park where I learned a lot about nature, which drove me to become an activist for species and environmental protection. I was asked to create tracks of my songs for presentations at the upcoming concerts and followed through by attending the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio De Janiero, Brazil, where I brought my guitar and violin and was part of a group of people from across the world calling for a sea change in human habits to to protect our earth. I met and played with many artists including John Denver, opening for then Senator Al Gore, and my songs were the last bit of music with a live band at the final concert during a full moon eclipse.
This experience actually is what I plan to bring to life as part of the musical I am submitting for the Fringe. The musical includes romance and mystery, as well as a quest to help the monarch butterflies and the web of life itself.
Finally, I am an LA native, growing up here in the valley and have painted many eco-murals in alleys and wa hired to paint at schools, also planting plants and trees to give life to an urban environment. My grandparents and parents lived in Hollywood, and my aunt was mayor of Gower Gulch and owned a bookstore right in that area so it would be nice to be part of this Hollywood tradition.
