Eight Southern California storytellers will share tales about fatherhood on June 23 at The Colony Theatre.
The “Manecdotes” show starts at 6:30 p.m. with music from father-daughter duo Ray and Sage Mac, who will add delightful ditties throughout the evening.
Storytellers include Pilar Alessandra, Brent Beerman, Ron Hart, Alexandra Helfrich, Carlos Kotkin, Victoria Male, Juanita Mantz and Jonathan Tipton Meyers.
The event benefits Family Service Agency of Burbank, a nonprofit providing community mental health services since 1958, including critically important work with children, families, veterans, domestic violence survivors and students in local schools.
“Supporting the work of Burbank’s Family Service Agency is the best part of participating in Jam Creative’s Storytelling productions,” said Helfrich, a Burbank arts advocate who first took the stage in 2023. “FSA’s programs for children, foster youth and mental health are an essential lifeline for much of our community.”
Mantz, a multi-hyphenated writer, podcaster and lawyer, added: “The opportunity to perform a story about my deceased father is such a joy and knowing the show benefits mental health services is deeply significant to me as a deputy public defender specializing in mental health.”
Kotkin, a 14-time Moth story slam winner, is looking forward to being part of “Manecdotes” because “it’s for a great cause in a spacious, comfortable theater with a warm, welcoming audience and stories that bring us together through laughter, tears and everything in between. Sharing those connections is more important than ever these days.”
This is the fourth “Manecdotes” production by JAM Creative, and the 15th storytelling production. Jam Creative’s previous shows have raised more than $43,000 for local nonprofits.
“Our audiences really love the fatherhood theme making tickets to ‘Manecdotes’ a perfect extended celebration of Father’s Day,” said JAM Creative’s producing artistic director Suzanne Weerts. “It will be a delightful evening of music and stories that will have our audience laughing, relating and reflecting on the father figures in our lives while helping raise money for an immensely important cause.”
Tickets are available at jamcreativestories.com/general-8-1.
First published in the June 22 print issue of the Burbank Leader.
