By Kathy Carlson
Jon Adam Ross
Actor Jon Adam Ross will draw on his Tennessee roots and his experience in creating one-man shows when he performs in Nashville on Sun., Jan. 29, at Our World’s Fair, which kicks off the Jewish Federation of Nashville’s 2012 Annual Campaign.
Ross will present a specially commissioned show in which local community members Metro Councilman Fabian Bedne, Helen Yazdian Hanai, Dr. Vlada Melekhin, Amanda and David Schwartz, Lana Sorin Pargh, and Dora Sorin tell about their lives in Jewish communities around the world.
“I can tell you it’s a one-of-a-kind experience,” Ross said from New York in a telephone interview.
“We expect a huge crowd,” said Federation Campaign director Naomi Limor Sedek, “and I highly recommend people make their reservations early.”
Sedek approached Ross about a possible performance based on four-minute video interviews with people from all over the world who have settled and become part of Nashville’s vibrant Jewish community, he recalled. “The challenge … is to tell one story out of all of the stories – five very specific, very unique narratives,” said Ross.
One option was for Ross to simply act as narrator, imparting information and acting as a master of ceremonies between the videos.
But, he said, “The way into people’s hearts is through character, emotion.” He then had to decide, “Am I going to create a piece based on a character in one of the videos, a new character, more than one character? In solo theater, you have that option.”
At Our World’s Fair, he’ll take the videos and other parameters, such as the mission of Federation and the goals for the event, and create a dramatic arc to satisfy all of the goals, he said.
World’s Fair Co-chair Karen Yazdian has heard snippets of the script Ross has crafted. “I think people will have a good feeling in their heart” from his performance, she said. “It’s going to send a good message. It will touch all people, young and old. Even children are going to get the message” of the possibilities and opportunities that gifts to Federation create for Jews here in Nashville and around the world.
Ross gained his training in solo shows at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in acting. Seeing veteran actress Elaine Stritch perform her Tony Award-winning solo show “At Liberty” on Broadway in December 2001 fixed his goals on solo theater while he was still an undergraduate.
His professors at NYU told him to “maybe wait a few decades” and grow in his craft before tackling one-man shows, but Ross was undeterred. The school eventually hired someone to teach a class on the art of solo theater, and Ross’s career was launched.
His first solo show, “Walking in Memphis: The Life of a Southern Jew,” drew on his own experiences growing up in Memphis. (He presented the show at the Gordon Jewish Community Center, among other venues.) At the time of his interview, Ross was between stops in touring with his new solo show, “God of Our Fathers,” in which he plays all the members of a fictional Jewish family living through a generation of assimilation. That’s 10 people – three women and seven men – over the course of 26 years, he said.
Meanwhile, Ross continues to prepare for his upcoming performance here. “The stories on their own are extremely compelling, which makes my job as an artist just that much more exciting,” he said. “I try to reach their bar (of) intensity,” the emotional reality of the Nashville community members’ stories. “It gives me a lot to go on, a lot to play with, a lot to aim for.”
Attend Our World’s Fair
Who: Open to the entire Jewish community
What: Our World’s Fair focuses on Jewish communities from around the world, with exhibits, food tastings, children’s activities with Vanderbilt Hillel, and a specially commissioned show by actor Jon Adam Ross highlighting personal stories of community members.
When: Sun., Jan. 29, from 4-6 p.m.
Where: Gordon Jewish Community Center
Why: Our World’s Fair kicks of the Jewish Federation of Nashville’s 2012 annual campaign, which supports the Jewish community of Nashville and Middle Tennessee and our fellow Jewish communities around the world and in Israel. You will have the opportunity to make your 2012 Jewish Federation Annual Campaign gift.
How: For more information or to RSVP, go to www.jewishnashville.org, or contact Barbara Schwarcz, Events Coordinator, barbara@jewishnashville.org or 615-354-1630. Please RSVP by Jan. 20.