Press for Project Life Stories

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Tanya Taylor Rubinstein
Tanya@ProjectLifeStories.org
505-470-5267 December 11, 2007

Creative Santa Fe Business Expands It’s Services by Offering Classes to People Looking to Write a Book or Perform a One- Person Show”

Seven years ago, local writer and actor, Tanya Taylor Rubinstein came up with a concept of inviting people to write and perform autobiographical monologues about their experiences with cancer. Her inspiration led to many performances of “The Cancer Monologues’ both in New Mexico and beyond as well as a book of the same name. Her “group monologue” shows became a phenomenon and in the ensuing years she has produced shows at the Lensic Theater, Sweeney Center, James A Little Theater and practically every other theater venue in Santa Fe, as well as shows in Dallas, NYC, L.A and San Diego. This past year, she taught “Storytelling for an Emerging World” at the Bioneers Conference in Marin. Her Santa Fe shows have included: Mothering: The Monologues (with Many Mothers and Mothering Magazine), The Soul of Aging (with Egis and Elders from the Santa Fe community), The Soul of Peace: Monologues(with Israeli and Palestinian teens from Creativity for Peace) and Gender Bender (Gay and Lesbian Voices with The College of Santa Fe and United World College).

In the past 18 months ,the organization Rubinstein founded, Project Life Stories has moved from having a “monologues only” focus to becoming a training ground for writers, actors and other creative people to develop full length one- person shows for performance and non fiction books/memoirs for publication. She continues to produce monologue shows, but has found the additional classes to be enlivening and expansive for the organization.

Two of the shows that were developed in last years Solo Performance class, “Girl Facing West” with Susana Guilloume and “Solo Survivors” with Michelle Vest were produced at the Armory for the Arts to critical acclaim. Several books are in development from the 2007 non-fiction/memoir class.

Rubinstein is offering year long classes beginning in January, 2008 on both topics. Project Life Stories is devoted to “stories of the soul” and offers professionally geared classes to people who want the support and structure to complete a long term writing and/or performance project. The book writing class includes an extra weekend for writing a proposal geared towards agents and publishers and the Solo Performance class culminates in a public performance that showcases portions of each student’s one person show. The 2008 showcase will be inviting agents and casting directors to intersect with the burgeoning NM film industry.

Project Life Stories is moving toward becoming the first acting studio in the world specializing in the Art of Solo Performance and Group Monologues.

Rubinstein says about the work she offers :“Never before has it been more important for people to raise their voices in authentic and transformational expression.. The future of humanity and our planet depend on us learning to speak openly and transparently about all kinds of experiences and issues. Solo performance has the possibility of being the most immediate and intimate form of theater in the world. It breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the audience and carries with it a uniquely personal vision as the performer is the writer and has invited the audience into the world she has created. I see it as the “Theater of Now” as it breaks down the artifice that is inherently structured in traditional theater and offers the audience (if it is done well) a deeper and sustaining intimacy. It does not rely on cleverness or other contrivances. Rather, it depends on the power of simple stories and the characters that both live inside us and in our world. It is the most creative of forms because there is no limitation placed upon it except for the writer’s imagination. It is a place where authenticity of life and the way we process that experience intersect to create something as unique as each person who embarks upon the creative journey.”

“As for memoir; I feel that our cultural disconnect from our life stories and family stories have created a deep pain that runs through this society at this time in history. Memoir is a way to examine our lives and pull the disparate pieces together for ourselves and our readers. It is no surprise to me, after the work I have been doing for the past 20 years to see memoir and non-fiction continue to rise in popularity. We are all craving authentic experience and looking for examples of the hero’s journey within ourselves and other’s stories”

“ For me, Solo Performance and Non-Fiction/ Memoir writing are vehicles for the claiming and expression of our souls. This is the work I love and it is my greatest privilege to serve others in uncovering the organic structure and creative intent for the stories of their lives.”

For More information on Project Life Stories, please call 505-470-5267