MY STORY (Renny Grynblatt as told to Janet S. Tiger) 
                                            (c) 2005
  RENNY'S STORY -The war years of Renny Grynblatt 
                  a one-act by Janet S. Tiger  (c) 2005


Janet S. Tiger's 2005 commission* was to put onto paper - and stage - the life story of Renny Grynblatt, a survivor of World War II Poland.  This amazing lady fought in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and made a daring escape from a Nazi death camp.  The unique side of this - Renny's story is available  in book form- and a one-woman show of her life premiered in 2006, reprised in 2007.


For those interested in more information or press releases regarding this event, please email tigerteam1@gmail.com.

www.rennysstory.com
        *(from Howard Kurshenbaum, Renny's son)

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Review-
by Pat Launer, KPBS


 FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY THE SHOW:


Renny's Story, written by San Diego playwright Janet S. Tiger, premiered locally in 2006. It was commissioned by Dr. Howard Kurshenbaum, Renny's son, a local physician. Renny Greenblatt Trajman was born in Warsaw, Poland, in the 1920s. She was a spirited and courageous young Jewish woman. When the Nazis occupied her country, she became an actress of sorts. She dumbed down her intelligence and disguised herself as a Catholic farmgirl, hiding out as a houseworker. She fought in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. She even managed to escape from a death camp, though her husband, sister, brother-in-law and their three children weren't so lucky. She had a young son, Joseph, born in 1941. She never found out what happened to him. After she moved to America, remarried, and had a second family, she continued to search for any record of her firstborn child, last seen when he was two years old. Besides telling the story of this remarkable woman, who died just six weeks ago, the play is a plea for assistance in obtaining further information, for use of the internet to spread the word and maybe locate Joseph after all these years. The website for information is given out at the end, as part of the text: www.rennysstory.com. The play is set from 1939 to the present, chronicling Renny's life and her philosophy of life: upbeat, filled with compassion and hope. There was a bit of backstage drama, too. Last year, the play was performed by local actor Kimberly Kaplan. But for the last few performances this month, she was constrained by laryngitis and couldn't appear. Understudy to the rescue: Laurie Lehman-Gray, whose father was a German Jew also forced to come to America to avoid the Nazis. She did an excellent job in this one-woman show, making us feel like we were visiting in her parlor as she told her tale of fear and fabrications, terror and narrow escape. The script, the actor and director Diane Shea make every effort, as it's likely Renny herself would (Tiger spent many hours interviewing her), not to become maudlin, self-serving or self-pitying. But by avoiding sentimentality, there is some loss of sentiment. There's often a bittersweet smile on Lehman-Gray's face and it isn't always perceptibly backed by pain. But, in the face of Holocaust deniers, these stories must be told. The principals are dying off; the relatives still haven't been found. This is one brief, telling tale that should be seen and heard. THE LOCATION: Temple Ohr Shalom (3rd & Laurel), April 21, 8:15pm (858-274-9678). Kimberly Kaplan is set to perform, but Laurie's ready in the wings in case she's still ill.




LOOKING FOR SPONSORS

More plays by Janet S. Tiger will be coming soon - she has a drawer full of over 100 plays/screenplays/books that are 10-70% completed.  If you or your group/foundation is interested in more information about any of these plays - or a new project of your choosing - by Janet S. Tiger, please e-mail tigerteam1@gmail.com.



COFFEE SHOP OF FOOLS - full-length
THE END OF DEATH - full-length
INFINITY PLUS ONE - full-length
SOUL SURVIVOR - one-act
TALKING TO MYSELF- full-length