See

Live Theater And Fine Art Cross Paths At The Southampton Community Center

PATTY SERVIDIO

editorial@antonmediagroup.com

Anything born in a kitchen is always a good thing. Take, for example, a comforting homecooked meal, a delectable slice of homemade bread hot from the oven or even a fabulous idea for something new and unrelated to anything that came out of the pantry. In the case of Barbara Herel, the kitchen was the birthplace of her original show and later podcast, Every Family’s Got One.

Every Family’s Got One, or EFGO, was an idea conceived by Herel after the close of a show she had done with a New York City producing team several years ago. She had just come off the show, Listen to Your Mother, in which she performed and assisted in curating the show. Listen to Your Mother enabled Herel, a stand-up improvisational comedian, to find her roots. “I loved being part of something that allowed me to write and be part of something that seemed relatable,” she explained. “Once that show ended, I wanted to figure out how I could start my own show in my own community. I began to think about family experiences. I come from a family with a lot of personality, and I wondered how I could create something that would get people talking. Basically, the idea just came to me in my kitchen. It felt right.”

In 2018, the first production of Every Family’s Got One launched. The traveling troupe found a stage in Huntington as well as the stage at My Father’s Place in Roslyn. When the pandemic hit, Herel still wanted to get stories out to her audience, so she started a podcast with the same name. EFGO is currently in its third year.

“We have long-time and first-time storytellers in our cast. We do a writer’s workshop to help cast members refine their stories,” she said. “We have MOTH and RISK! storytellers in the show as well. They are basically just telling a story about their personal experiences. The hope is that someone in the audience will relate to it. And by relating to it, this will get people talking and off their phones.” The importance of socializing in a world where most folks live on electronic devices helps to connect members of society and helps to ward off the feeling of isolation.

“It’s also about how people define their own ‘family’,” Herel pointed out. “Is it a group of friends? Is it the people with whom you work? Could ‘family’ be your pets? These are truly passionate stories that we pass down through generations and we want to feel like we’re related to those stories.” MOTH Storytelling is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the art of storytelling, while RISK! Storytellers tell true stories that they never thought they would share with the public. EFGO brings true family stories from storytellers that are heartwarming, at times hilarious, cringe-worthy and even unexpected.

Herel always wanted to collaborate and work with her best friend of 45 years, Dawn Nagle, a local artist. Nagle, who was born in New York and lived in Colorado for more than a decade, curated art shows in Denver. When she moved back to New York, she focused on her own artwork.

“I was part of an exhibition at the Southampton Community Center and it got me thinking about how much I love to draw people in with events,” Nagle said. “I wanted to get artists together and give them a sense of community. When I saw the beautiful stage at SHCC with a gallery for artwork, I couldn’t wait to talk to Barbara about it. A band was playing in the background, and I thought that it would have been a great idea if we had collaborated to get people in to see both the band and the artists at the gallery.” Dawn discussed the idea of combining both the art community with Barbara’s show. The idea took off from there.

Nagle did a call for artists for the show and 17 local artists from as far away as New York City responded. Two college students and two high school students were included in the group because Dawn wanted to give them a positive experience and be involved with the more seasoned artists who would be part of the exhibition. “We have a dynamic, diverse group of local talent,” Nagle said. “They are getting to know each other through social media and are becoming a ‘family’ of sorts. This is the thing that I missed most about curating shows: the sense of camaraderie. It’s my hope that I can keep this group together and build upon it. I would also like to do something online with this group. It’s so important to give back to the community.”

Herel and Nagle found great joy in the planning stages of the event. According to Herel, “What I love most about our show is finding the best stories. When you get up on stage and tell a story about your family, it’s relatable. We help the cast with their performance through coaching, which enables them to really connect with the audience. We’ve allowed people to use notes so they aren’t stressed about memorizing lines. It’s about a really great story, and we have those great stories in this show.” Some topics range from romantic stories that ended hilariously in a massage parlor to the nightmare of a Thanksgiving dinner gone bad to family secrets that were never shared publicly.

“We have heartwarming stories in EFGO and we have people who have found their voice,” Herel said. “These are well-crafted stories that I absolutely love because it gets people to talk to each other and relate to the performers with their own experiences. And then we have the artwork, which is stunning. I can’t find another word for it, because we have such diverse artists who will have their work in the gallery. And I am having so much fun planning this with Dawn.” The idea of combining both the art in the gallery and the storytelling was to build an art community that supported each other as well as connecting people together in a relatable and heartwarming way.

The eventual plan for both Herel and Nagel is to find a home for their collaborative show. As Herel observed, “We’re trying to get the momentum going so people know about the show. The fun of it is just putting it out there. Dawn is so connected to people in the art world, and I’m so grateful for the experience. People love to perform. I love bringing this show to the community.”

The event will be held on June 25 at the Southampton Community Center. The gallery will open with a reception from 4 pm to 8 p.m. that will include hors-d’oeuvres and beverages with a meet-andgreet of 17 accomplished, dynamic New York artists and more than 65 exceptional pieces of art. The exhibition, “Live and In Person: A Celebration of NY Artists” will run from June 25 through July 17. At 7 p.m., ticketholders will be invited to meet with artists and cast members in the gallery with light snacks and drinks. Every Family’s Got One will begin at 8 p.m. and will run for approximately 90 minutes. There will also be raffles for two giveaways during the event.

Visit www.everyfamilysgot one.com for more information about this upcoming show. Visit www.dawnnaglegallery. com, her Instagram at @ dawnnaglegallery or www. scc-arts.org/current-art-exhi bitions for more information about Dawn Nagle and her artwork.

“Low Tide” by Dawn Nagle

(Photo courtesy of Dawn Nagle)

From left: Best friends and producing partners, Barbara Herel and Dawn Nagle

(Photo courtesy of Barbara Herel and Dawn Nagle)