May 28 // 7:30PM // $18

96-year-old Jewish drag queer grandmother, Nana Schewitz, is ready to live out her final days in Florida, but is Florida ready for her?

Florida! Ya Kill Me! is a one-woman theater show, following Berlin-based 96-year-old drag queen Nana Schewitz on the journey back to her ancestral home of South Florida to find a slice of retirement paradise. As Nana retells her true experiences touring South and Central Florida’s most eclectic and glamorous retirement abodes, she begins to uncover the equally glamorous stories and lives that reside in these purpose-built palaces of paradises. The 90-minute theatrical production in addition to the post-show discussion, will begin and expand a dialogue throughout Canada about the nuances and challenges of aging and its effects on Jewish and Senior communities.

Part documentary, part travelog and part drag show – Nana takes her guests on a tour around the various retirement homes throughout Florida. As she meets fellow retirees, she encounters the joys, challenges, and struggles of these folks as they search for the best way to live out their days in Paradise. From purpose-built golf cart towns to the most active swinger community in the USA, these varied neighborhoods redefine what aging looks like. Can this fantasy last forever, or will the walls of paradise eventually crumble under their own weight?

PERFORMER BIOS

Nana Schewitz (she/her) is Berlin’s premiere 96-year old Jewish Drag Queen Grandmother. She is the product of artist Bryan Schall, who also works as an independent lighting designer for performance in Berlin. Some of Nana’s favorite productions include her one-woman show titled The Nana Schewitz Pass-Me-Over Party, a one-woman rehearsal of Nana’s funeral. Nana went on to perform this piece at the Prague Fringe Festival as well as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Nana also performed with Taylor Mac at Taylor Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music, at the Berliner Festspiele. She’s performed in venues such as the Maxim Gorki Theater of Berlin, Volksbühne Berlin, Institut für Zukunft Leipzig, Kampnagel Hamburg, and numerous others. One of Nana’s favorite events to co-produce is her Minori-tease Cabaret titled Jews! Jews! Jews! alongside co-producer Lolita Vavoom. Jews! Jews! Jews! prides itself on highlighting the queer and active Jewish cultural scene that Berlin has to offer. They aim to present Judiasim in Berlin as being alive and complicated, bringing in Jewish and minority talent from around the globe. Aside from their many productions in Berlin revolving around the different Jewish holidays, Jews! Jews! Jews! has performed at the FestivALT in Krakow, Poland, the LABA Institute of Berlin, as well as the Jüdischen Gemeinde in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Instagram: @dontfuckyournana

Josh Walker (josh/he/him) is a producer, filmmaker and craftsperson based in Philadelphia. Josh is driven to cultivate empathy through radical imagination, storytelling, and silliness. He is a longtime partner and collaborator of Nana’s. They have developed several pieces around Berlin together including the Nana Schewitz Pass Me Over Party and Florida! Ya Kill Me! Together, they headlined Berlin’s Maxim Gorki Theater’s In Exile festival. Recent works include: jawbone: an animated film (Director/Producer), Florida! You Kill me! (Director and Co-Creator), Ellsworth (Producer), The Spirit God Gave Us (Associate Producer), “We’re So In Tune” – Kississippi Music Video (Puppet Designer), Pass Me Over Party (Prague Fringe and Edinburgh Fringe), Edison (Edinburgh Fringe), Clouds in the Kitchen (Painted Bride), lemons (United Solo & NYC Summerfest).
Instagram: @howareyoubud

This production is graciously sponsored by the Goethe-Institut Toronto and is a co-production with JQT Vancouver, as part of their JQT Mental Health Support Series in partnership with JFS Vancouver. Learn more at : www.jqtvancouver.ca