‘TRYmester: Jewish Fertility Journeys Out Loud’ play about infertility comes to Oceanside
Performers in "TRYmester: Jewish Fertility Journeys Out Loud," a play about fertility struggles. Credit: Ariel Warmflash
Most people going through fertility challenges don’t break into song about the process, but that’s what will be happening on March 3 when a new play called “TRYmester: Jewish Fertility Journeys Out Loud” comes to Long Island for one night only.
One piece, for instance, is called “Thank God I Went to Kindergarten,” lyrics exploring acronyms associated with fertility journeys, says Ariel Warmflash, community programs manager for the In[heir]itance Project, the theater group that co-created the show. It features mainstream acronyms such as IVF as well as acronyms such as TPR — third party reproduction, such as when a donor egg gets involved — and TTC — trying to conceive, she says.
“That is a moment of levity in the piece,” Warmflash says. “It’s not a comedy; it’s not a tragedy. The goal of our project has been to create an original piece of theater that would get audiences and the community talking about fertility.”
The one-hour show, which will also include dance, poetry and storytelling, is scheduled for 8 p.m. at the Barry & Florence Friedberg JCC in Oceanside. Afterwards, there’ll be a 30-minute panel discussion, says Marcy Hallerman, senior program director at the JCC.
The event is a kickoff for follow-up support groups and related programming to be offered at the Oceanside JCC as well as through the Mid-Island Y JCC in Plainview and the Marion & Aaron Gural JCC in Cedarhurst. The project is spearheaded and co-created by Uprooted: A Jewish Response to Fertility Journeys, an organization that works with Jewish families on their experiences with fertility. It is funded by the UJA Federation of New York.
“It showcases the challenges that individuals going through fertility issues go through, the emotions,” Hallerman says of the show. “It’s a very different way of bringing awareness to this. When we heard about the opportunity to get involved with this, we jumped.”
After playing in Oceanside, the show will repeat on March 4 in Westchester and March 7 in Manhattan, Warmflash says.
Tickets are $18 each. The Friedberg JCC is at 15 Neil Ct., Oceanside. For more information, call 516-766-4341 or visit friedbergjcc.org. To buy tickets, visit https://www.wizevents.com/register/register_add.php?sessid=9794&id=5765
Beth Whitehouse writes about families, parenting and great things to do with the kids on Long Island. She’s been a Newsday editor and shared a 1997 Newsday staff Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the crash of TWA Flight 800.
