The Amish Project

I have to plug this show.  Shamelessly, as it was amazing.

The script was written by a gal I did theater with many moons ago, when she was sixteen and I was in my early twenties.  Jessie was always one of my favorite young people to work with and we did "The Sound of Music" and "My Fair Lady" together.  She was (and is) just a bright spark of a personality with a quick smile and quicker wit.

As theater goes, we lose track of people eventually and that is what happened for me with Jessie.  I did catch her on a guest appearance on "Law and Order" once and remember being tickled to death that she was working in the business.  She has since been teaching acting and voice in NYC at the ripe old age of 29.  She is amazing still.

Her play "The Amish Project" premiered at the Fringe Festival in 2008 and The Cherry Lane Theater in NYC was planning on giving the show it's first off Broadway run this Spring.  However, due to the financial crisis right now, and shows shutting down in NYC right and left, The Cherry Hill Theater has placed The Amish Project on hold.  Jessie is now trying to fund her own opening by a Barn Raising fundraiser, which is what the performance I saw today was all about.  Ten bucks a ticket to see a show worth way more than that. 

Based losely on the Nickel Mine shootings, Jessie has created amazing and memorable characters in this one woman show; each character possessing a different dialect and persona and there is never any question of who is talking in her work.  The show brings a message of hope that the world sorely needs in these troubled times.  It speaks about both truth and grace. 

If the show comes to your city, go see it.  If you are a theater supporter, please consider making a donation.  Whether it be five dollars or fifty, every penny counts.  I believe in the power of this show and I believe in Jessie.  Please see the links below for more information.

The Amish Project

Jessie's Site