The Witches of Lublin!

Some crazygood news:  Our feminist-shtetl-magic realist musical audio drama has gotten 2 Audie Award nominations!

And some other honors, as well.

And it's being offered again this year free to public radio stations, so please go HERE and tell them you want it in your town!

For the deets, I really can't do better than to cut and paste this announcement by co-author Elizabeth Schwartz:

I'm so excited to share some wonderful updates about our klezmer-feminist-historical audio drama, "The Witches of Lublin", starring the extraordinary Tovah Feldshuh and featuring Broadway's Simon Jones and Barbara Rosenblat... and even author Neil Gaiman (along with a host of generous and talented voice actors).  "The Witches of Lublin" is set in 18th-Century Poland, when a family of women -- all talented musicians -- struggle to live and love in a time of peril and daily hardship. 

Our show has been racking up a nice list of nominations and awards:

Nominee, Best Audio Drama, 2012 Audie Awards

Nominee, Best Packaging, 2012 Audie Awards

Winner, 2011 Earphone award, Audible.com

Top Ten "Most playlisted piece", 2011 Zeitfunk Awards, PRX.org

2011 "Best Books for Women", Booklist Online

2011 Top Ten Best Full Cast Audio Drama, Audiofile Magazine

Quarterfinalist, Scriptapalooza writing contest

Needless to say, notice and recognition for original Jewish art (featuring lots of klezmer and Yiddish) is beyond gratifying -- and when that original Jewish art also includes obscure Jewish history, feminism, Polish history and magical realism... it's beyond even that!

What's more, the play's companion music CD, "The Devil's Brides" (Arc Music UK) is garnering terrific reviews - "The Devil's Brides" features traditional and original klezmer and Yiddish songs from "The Witches of Lublin", along with beloved favorites.  Aside from the wonderful music (cough, cough, ahem), the CD features some truly marvelous hosting by the great Miriam Margolyes.

"The Witches of Lublin" is available FREE to radio stations for Passover/spring broadcast.  If your local public radio affiliate didn't air the show last year (or if they did and you want to hear it again), you can personally contact them to request the show.  Now is the time to help spread the word for 2012 - please check the website, www.thewitchesoflublin.com, to see if your affiliate is among those who have already scheduled it for this year. [ACTUALLY, DON'T: WE HAVEN'T UPDATED IT YET!]

(The fine print: We honestly don't make a penny from this.  We created "The Witches of Lublin" to help keep klezmer culture and Jewish art alive and moving ever forward.  In this, we had the support of some amazing and generous artists.  Sometimes it doesn't take a village... it takes a shtetl).

On behalf of the Witches team (Director-Producer Sue Zizza and my co-authors Ellen Kushner and Yale Strom), a hartsikn, sheynem dank!

XO, Elizabeth

Elizabeth Schwartz
VoiceOfKlezmer.com
HotPstromi.com
CommonChordsMusic.com