The Jew in the Ashram at Whitefire Theatre’s Solofest 2020

The Jew in the Ashram is a poignant, funny, and lightly interactive solo show about spiritual healing and identity. As a young woman, Amanda Miller travels from New York City to an ashram in India to overcome her struggles with mental health. Under the guidance of an exuberant Indian guru, Amanda is immersed in traditional yoga practices that provoke reflections on prayer, Jewish summer camp, and the role of Judaism in the lives of her late father and his biological mother, a Holocaust survivor he never met. At select moments, the audience is invited to move, chant, and reflect on their own spiritual journeys and identities—the ones we inherit and the ones we make for ourselves. www.thejewintheashram.com

Created & Performed by Amanda Erin Miller, an NYC-based writer, actor and Jewish educator. Amanda has performed The Jew in the Ashram in a variety of settings including Temple Beth Shalom of Hastings, NY; The Kings Bay Y in Brooklyn, NY; and Brandeis Collegiate Institute in Simi Valley, CA. Amanda has also toured several Fringes with her solo shows How To Suffer Better (Edmonton Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, Pittsburgh Fringe Best Actress Award Winner), Camp Smile Power: Curing Anger One Smile at a Time (PortFringe) and One Breath, Then Another: An Interactive Yoga Show, an earlier iteration of The Jew in the Ashram (San Francisco Fringe, PortFringe, Rochester Fringe). In 2013, her memoir One Breath, Then Another was published on Lucid River Press. Since 2010, Amanda has been combining theater arts, yoga and Jewish education in her work with synagogues and camps including Lab/Shul, Kolot Chayeinu, Temple Emanu-El, Union Temple and Sprout Brooklyn. She holds an MFA Creative Writing from The New School and a BFA in Acting from NYU.

Directed by Rachel Evans, a theatre maker, drama teacher and Jewish educator. Rachel has acted Off Broadway and regionally with various theatre companies, including Irondale Theatre and Mirror Repertory Company. Her one woman show, Jew Wish, debuted in the NY Fringe Festival and subsequently was performed at Eldridge Street Synagogue. In 2017, she directed the staged reading of R Culture followed by a facilitated conversation with the audience. She has taught and performed at Kolot Chayeinu, Lab/Shul, PJ Library and JCC Harlem. She has collaborated with Amanda Miller on sketch comedy, Purim spiels, and theater for social change, and is very excited to be tackling this exciting and important show. MA Applied Theatre, CUNY. BA English and Theatre, Tufts.

“The Jew in the Ashram is devastating, hilarious, comfortably interactive and piercingly real. Amanda’s story is all of ours in its relatability and also unique to her own journey. Jew or not, adult or teen, all will enjoy this piece is as both a stand-alone work of art and an educational experience, setting the stage for further exploration.“ Sarah Sokolic, Executive Director, Lab/Shul