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:

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• LinkedIn

Today we continue with Part II of our special 2-part series dedicated to Mothers.

We are #LIVEintheHive with my special guests, 3 women I adore, to continue talking about the complexities and paradoxes of MOTHERHOOD, the complicated mother-daughter relationship, care-giving a parent, the joy of having children, the choice not to have children, the care taking of Mother Earth and the mentoring of young people.

Meg Flather is a two-time Bistro Award winner and a four-time Manhattan Association of Cabaret and Clubs (MAC) Award winner. Meg has released eight CDs of her original music, authored Home Shopping Diva. . . Lessons, Lyrics and Lipstick - and Hold On Tight . . . a love story. Her one-woman musical, Hold On Tight, partners her original songs and stories from her book of the same name about caring for a parent with dementia, for which she received the award for Best Storytelling Show from The United Solo Theatre Festival.

https://megflather.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@megflatherable

Ann Kittredge has worked on and off Broadway, TV, concert halls, and regional theaters nationwide, hes been a parent advocate and leader in the NYC Public School System, and as a cabaret performer has won multiple awards, including a 2025 Bistro for her album, Romantic Notions

https://www.annkittredge.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@AnnKittredge

Harriet Shugarman is one of the leading voices in the global parent climate movement, the founder of ClimateMama, and the award-winning author of "How to Talk to Your Kids About Climate, Turning Angst into Action." Harriet is the chair of the Advisory Council for Our Kids Climate, an anchor organization connecting national and grassroots groups from more than 50 countries working on intergenerational organizing and engagement strategies. Harriet is a mentor and leader with the Climate Reality Project and the recipient of the prestigious Climate Reality Alfredo Sirkis Memorial Green Ring Award.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrietshugarman/

https://www.instagram.com/climatemama/?hl=en

“Let us dedicate this new era to mothers around the world, and, also to the mother of all mothers — Mother Earth. It is up to us to keep building bridges to bring the world closer together and not destroy them to divide us further apart.” – Suzy Kassem

Connect with your host Sandra Bargman:

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Today is May 15th and we just celebrated Mother’s Day here in the US – and this special two-part series is dedicated to Mothers.

Today we are #LIVEintheHive with my special guests, 3 women I adore, to talk about and to HONOR the wonderful complexities and paradoxes of MOTHERHOOD, the complicated mother-daughter relationship, care-giving a parent, the joy of having children, the choice not to have children - and the mentoring and nurturing of young people.

So many stories told, so many surprises, so much vulnerability, and so much laughter. You’ll just have to listen, because I have no notes. 😊

Meg Flather is a two-time Bistro Award winner and a four-time Manhattan Association of Cabaret and Clubs (MAC) Award winner.Meg has released eight CDs of her original music (all of which are available on Apple music). Meg has also authored two books that are now available on Amazon: Home Shopping Diva. . . Lessons, Lyrics and Lipstick - and Hold On Tight . . . a love story. Her one-woman musical, Hold On Tight, partners her original songs and stories from her book of the same name about caring for a parent with dementia, for which she received the award for Best Storytelling Show from The United Solo Theatre Festival.

https://megflather.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@megflatherable

linktr.ee/megflather

Ann Kittredge is keenly aware of the chapters she has lived: in chapter 1 she enjoyed working on and off Broadway, TV, concert halls, and regional theaters nationwide. Chapter 2 was spent as a parent advocate and leader in the NYC Public School System, taking time off from pursuing her career to raise her children. In chapter 3, Ann returned to performing and immersed herself in the cabaret world where she has won multiple awards, including a 2025 Bistro for her album, Romantic Notions, and was also chosen as a top 5 albums of 2024 by The Broadway Radio Show.

https://www.annkittredge.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@AnnKittredge
t.ly/PPxXF

Harriet Shugarman is one of the leading voices in the global parent climate movement, the founder of ClimateMama, and the award-winning author of "How to Talk to Your Kids About Climate, Turning Angst into Action." Harriet is the chair of the Advisory Council for Our Kids Climate, an anchor organization connecting national and grassroots groups from more than 50 countries working on intergenerational organizing and engagement strategies. Harriet is a mentor and leader with the Climate Reality Project and the recipient of the prestigious Climate Reality Alfredo Sirkis Memorial Green Ring Award.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrietshugarman/

https://www.instagram.com/climatemama/?hl=en

Quote at end of show by – Suzy Kassem

Connect with your host Sandra Bargman:

• Website
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• LinkedIn