Since childhood, most of us have been told “words can hurt.”
But performers Jenna White and Eden Novak DeGenova have set out to show that “words can heal.”
Collaborating together, White and Novak DeGenova have created “She Comes Undone: Meditations from Women Mustering the Audacity to Make Themselves Happy.”
The show, which debuts Wednesday July 20, 7:30 p.m. at FitzGerald's Nightclub in Berwyn, “is a lively original performance portraying local women’s powerful and humorous stories of the dark nights of the soul and the metamorphosis that follows,” White says.
For the project, White and Novak DeGenova interviewed area women who were, or have been, in the midst of a life-changing event. They also wrote original essays about themselves and their subjects and curated submissions from other artists. These works will be performed by the co-collaborators and others during the multi-media show, which also incorporate film, puppetry and live music.
White, 33, who will sign her final divorce papers in July, spent the past year going through a period of major transformation and growth. Inspired by the pain of her dissolving marriage and hungry for the solace of connecting with women “who had been through the fire and radically set their life on a new course,” she began work last year on a book about women and happiness.
“Women are often raised to think happiness exists externally – in Prince Charming, in relationships, in children," says White, who is also a development director for Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications.
“I believe our happiness is our own number one responsibility. We must fiercely cultivate and defend our own well-being if we are to lead the lives we were meant to, or to be of any use to anyone else.”‖
White is participating in Landmark Education’s Self Expression and Leadership course, which requires participants to create a community project. Drawing on the material White had set in motion with her book, she began envisioning a live theater piece that might be a forum for other women to share their stories and find empowerment and community.
Meanwhile, Novak DeGenova, a seasoned musician, actress and writer, with many dark nights and spiritual journeys of her own, was at work on a similar project focusing on older women. Mutual acquaintances encouraged the two multi-talented women to connect.
“Jenna’s concept for her project was so close to mine, I saw the perfect link between both of our ideas,” says Novak DeGenova, who also owns the Forest Park lingerie shop Baubo’s Garden. “I have always believed that telling your story is healing for both the writer as well as those who listen.
“Hearing another woman’s vulnerability and honesty can be cathartic for the audience members – to know that it’s okay to feel like this, to know that you are not alone.”
“She Comes Undone: Meditations from Women Mustering the Audacity to Make Themselves Happy.”
Wednesday July 20, 7:30 p.m.
FitzGerald's Nightclub
6615 Roosevelt Road
Berwyn, IL 60402
(708) 788-2118
Admission: $10 at door
A discussion with the artists will follow the performance. Men are welcome!
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