An on-going series with Joanna Rush

Today we are #LiveintheHive with our special guest, actor, activist and playwright, Joanna Rush. Joanna and I share similar experiences in our career trajectories. Our first chapter was spent performing, in our 2nd chapter we added becoming a seminary trained and ordained Interfaith Minister, and in our 3rd act, we’ve layered on the roles of activist and political junkie, loudly sharing our own voice in our artistic expression.

I had Joanna on #TheEdgeofEverydayPodcast in April of 2024 for Episode 8: The Edge of Artistry, Aegism, and Activism, during which we talked about her most recent one woman show, No Malarkey!, directed by the late great Lynn Taylor-Corbett.

We recently decided to hold a series of conversations around the topic of how ARTISTS serve in challenging times. What is the role of the ARTIST and the need for the arts in the rise of authoritarianism?

Artists are facing censorship, funding cuts, and fear under DJTs second term - as political repression reshapes the cultural landscape. How are artists of all ages and genders showing up to move the needle forward and address the issues of today?

This is the foundational first of what we hope will be many conversations exploring the many tendrils of resistance and how, in these times of revolution, artists can serve in supporting the emerging narrative about culture, populism, social resentment and economic scarcity.

We touch on…

• Her show, No Malarkey! shifted during the campaign, when Biden passed the torch to VP Kamala Harris and ultimately, she set down the project, due to a confluence of issues.
• She is creating a unique celebration of life for Taylor – Corbet, which includes a portion of No Malarkey!
• Mining comedy in painful, dark times.
• Her dual citizenship – the beauty of Ireland vs the strife in the US.
• Came home from Ireland to perform a reading of Sinclair Lewis’ It Can’t Happen Here on October 27th, the exact date that #MAGA was gathering in Madison Square Garden, mimicking the NAZI gathering in MSG in 1939.
• The power of Tik Tok is another artist format in which to share your voice. She is creating a series of monologues for Tik Tok.
• We open the door on understanding how defunding The National Endowment of the Arts is affecting all Americans.
• Technocracy and the Tech bros – beginning to understand this vision for a new global order.
• The ability of AI to locate on-line resisters is causing fear and anxiety.
• Resource: www.ArtisticFreedomInitiative.com
• All this and so much more.

Full bio and information:

www.JoannaRush.com

@Joanna.Rush71

@NoMalarkeyPlay

Connect with your host Sandra Bargman:

• Website
• YouTube
• Instagram
• LinkedIn