Arts & Entertainment

Photo by Kyle Ancowitz
214k_ ell

Former Detroiter brings
autobiographical storyte
performance home.

Josh Lefkowitz: "It's important for me to share my story with the community from which I came."

Suzanne Chessler
Special to the Jewish News

osh Leflcowitz doesn't believe in
keeping secrets, not about him-
self anyway.
In a monologue defined as 95 percent
truth and 5 percent boost, the writer-per-
former tells about his life, mostly the part
that happened after graduating from the
University of Michigan.
Lefkowitz has performed Help Wanted:
A Personal Search for Meaningful
Employment at the Start of the 21st
Century in New York, Baltimore, Chicago
and Washington, D.C., before deciding
to take it home. He will appear 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 19, at Congregation Shir
Tikvah in Troy.
"I think I went through what a lot of
grads go through — an initial freak-out
phase says Lefkowitz, 25, whose main
props are a desk and a chair that keep him
seated throughout the performance. "I
questioned a lot about life, mostly how I
would make a living.
"My piece is of a comedic nature, but
there certainly are moments of melan-
choly. My birthday is Sept. 11, and that
becomes part of the monologue early on."
Lefkowitz, the son of Janice and Paul

j

Lefkowitz of Farmington Hills, became
interested in comic writing and perform-
ing as a student at Hillel Day School,
where an incident that could have been
disastrous turned into a personal triumph.
"My class had been asked to give book
reports, but I hadn't read the assigned
book:' he recalls. "I had to get up in front
of everyone and feign that I had. I read the
back of the book and got the gist of the
story, and what I said was well received.
I got an 'A on the assignment, and my
teacher asked if I had acting training.
"That made me think I could be a law-
yer or an actor, until I went to West Hills
Middle School. The teachers there got me
involved with the forensics program, and
it became a nice outlet for developing an
interest in the performing arts!"
Lefkowitz's interest in the stage con-
tinued through Andover High School,
where he advanced his forensics skills
as he began working on plays. He also
became a competitive storyteller in a pro-
gram sponsored by the B'nai B'rith Youth
Organization.
"When it came time for me to apply
to college, I was influenced by some
older students who had studied in the
University of Michigan theater program:'
says Lefkowitz, whose religious education

and bar mitzvah were at Congregation
Shaarey Zedek.
"During the four years, I took acting and
writing classes. In my last semester, I met
performance artist Holly Hughes, who had a
strong influence on me. She recommended
tons of books, essays and articles to read"
After graduation, Lefkowitz was asked
to perform in a production in Washington,
D.C., where a former professor was director.
Lefkowitz decided to stay in Washington,
earning money as a waiter and temp work-
er while writing Help Wanted.
With a move to New York, Lefkowitz
pursued performance opportunities for
his monologue and kept it as his focus for
two years.
"My hero was Spalding Gray, who is the
father of this form of autobiographical
monologues:' says Lefkowitz, whose local
appearance was suggested by his parents,
Shir Tikvah members. "I went to see him
perform and, unfortunately, it was very
disappointing. He had been in a car crash
and apparently committed suicide four
weeks after I saw him!'
With Help Wanted at the center of his
interests for the past two years, the writer-
actor has been glad of new opportunities
over the past six months. He did some
acting at a theater festival in Kentucky and

has begun working on a new monologue.
"We're extremely proud that Josh has
done all of this completely on his own
and had success in a short time Janice
Leflcowitz says. "We knew he was funny,
but this has emphasized it more. I'm
amazed at the detail of his recall!'
Lefkowitz, who feels fortunate to live as an
artist, shares his life with Anika Habermas-
Scher, an actress he met in college.
"I write, see plays and take advantage of
all New York has to offer:' says Lefkowitz,
who gets back to Michigan once or twice
a year. "I'm excited to do the Shir Tikvah
show because it's increasingly important
for me to share my story with the commu-
nity from which I came."
Leflcowitz hopes family, former neigh-
bors and friends will see his performance.
If they have any questions about what he's
been up to, it's very likely they'll get the
answers in Help Wanted. I I

Josh Lefkowitz performs Help
Wanted: A Personal Search for
Meaningful Employment at the
Start of the 21st Century 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 19, at Congregation
Shir Tikvah, 3900 Northfield
Parkway, in Troy. $20-$25. (248)
649-4418.

May 10 * 2007

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