The Braid

Meet Writer Robin Russin! ✍🏼

Robin Russin is a professor of dramatic writing and chair of the Department of Theatre, Film & Digital Production, at UC Riverside. Robin directed the multi-award-winning indie feature films “When I Sing” and “The Anxiety of Laughing” and co-wrote the studio feature “2 Hearts” starring Jacob Elordi, all currently streaming.

He is currently working on “The Rescuers: The Mystery of Goodness” - a documentary series about the diplomats who saved Jewish lives during the Holocaust. 

On stage, his play “Painted Eggs” was reviewed by the LA Times as “ambitious, heart-felt and hypnotic,” and his play “The Face in the Reeds” had a sold-out four-month run at the Ruskin Group Theater. He is co-author with William Missouri Downs of “Naked Playwriting and Screenplay: Writing the Picture.” Robin is a Rhodes Scholar with degrees from Harvard, Oxford, RISD, and UCLA, and is proud to be an Artist-in-Residence with The Braid. 

Robin’s riveting true story “The Man from Laramie”, about growing up as the only Jewish boy born in Laramie, Wyoming, is part of our stellar line up in our current Salon show “L’Chaim America!” - a celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday. Through poignant and humorous contemporary stories, the show illuminates the richness and diversity of Jewish experience, and the America we hold in our hearts. 🇺🇸🫶

At a time when the world feels intent on dividing us, this show offers a meaningful respite from the rhetoric. We look forward to seeing you there!  For the full schedule and tickets, visit https://the-braid.org/calendar/  🎟️

Meet Writer Natalya Bogopolskaya! ✍🏼

Natalya has a unique origin story having emigrated from Yalta, Ukraine to San Francisco after the fall of the Soviet Union—when she was just seven years old. Multilingual in over three languages, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Claremont McKenna College, a master’s degree from the Teachers College, Columbia University, and a doctorate in school psychology from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Natalya is a full-time public school psychologist, a board member of the American Foundation for Su***de Prevention Greater Los Angeles, and a mentor/facilitator for Oxiana Fellowship, a virtual teen program based in Uzbekistan. She’s also an active member of Temple Isaiah and lives in Los Angeles with her partner and three children.

We’re thrilled to feature Natalya’s beautiful story “Identity Shift” in our current Salon show “L’Chaim America!” Her story was adapted from interviews conducted by The Braid’s Artistic Director Ronda Spinak and our Marketing Manager and writer David Chiu.

🎉 A celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday, “L’Chaim America!” illuminates the richness and diversity of Jewish experience, and the America we hold in our hearts, through poignant, humorous, true contemporary stories.

At a time when the world feels intent on dividing us, this show offers a meaningful respite from the rhetoric. We look forward to seeing you there! 🎭

For the full schedule and tickets, visit https://the-braid.org/calendar/ 🎟️

Meet Actor/Singer/Writer Lillian Mimi McKenzie! 🎭✍🏼🎶

We’re so excited to have Lillian back with us on The Braid stage! Lillian had her Los Angeles debut with The Braid in our acclaimed Salon show “What Do I Do With All This Heritage.” 

A vocalist, actor, and dancer raised in Santa Barbara, Lillian graduated from Berklee College of Music.  Lillian is also the lead singer and co-founder of the Lil Jazz Group, and song leader for the LUNAR Collective. You can listen to her on all streaming platforms! Fun fact: Lillian is featured as a dancing nose in the award-winning short film “Catalogue of Noses” written/produced by another Braid actor Lauren Schaffel.

Lillian will be performing in our Bay Area shows of “LChaim America!” - a celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday. Through poignant and humorous contemporary stories, this show illuminates the richness and diversity of Jewish experience, and the America we know in our hearts.  

When the world is trying to divide us, this show gives us a respite from the rhetoric! We look forward to seeing you there. For the full schedule, and tickets, visit https://the-braid.org/calendar/    .jews