Catalogue of Noses
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy, Musical
Catalogue of Noses is a short musical comedy film with "Fiddler on the Roof" parody songs that illustrate the sacrifices Jewish women make to assimilate. Inspired by Writer/Producer Lauren Schaffel's own life story of growing up as a child actor in Hollywood and getting a nose job at sixteen.
Catalogue of Noses
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy, Musical
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $23,468 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
200 supporters | followers
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Catalogue of Noses is a short musical comedy film with "Fiddler on the Roof" parody songs that illustrate the sacrifices Jewish women make to assimilate. Inspired by Writer/Producer Lauren Schaffel's own life story of growing up as a child actor in Hollywood and getting a nose job at sixteen.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
CATALOGUE OF NOSES tells the story of Jewish teen actor Emily, who faces off with her mother and her Jewish plastic surgeon on the day of her scheduled nose surgery. Emily must navigate this emotional decision and learn unsettling truths about the consequences of assimilation.
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Writer's Statement
Hi! I'm Lauren Schaffel, the writer and producer of the short comedic film CATALOGUE OF NOSES. I grew up as a child actor in Los Angeles and starred in many primetime comedies like Will and Grace, Still Standing, and several Peanuts films and series (as the voice of Lucy). My dream was to be a series regular on a sitcom, but most of the roles I auditioned for were things like “Freak Girl Number 2” and “Nerdy Little Rascal.” Exactly what every little girl dreams of being, right?
I kept being told that my BIG Jewish nose was holding me back...
CATALOGUE OF NOSES is a short film inspired by my own life experience of getting a nose job at 16. It incorporates Fiddler on the Roof parody music, which helps illustrate the sacrifices Jewish women (and all women) make to attain American standards of beauty.
HOW ALL THIS MISHIGAS* BEGAN
*Yiddish for craziness
This film has been in the works since Summer 2022. The script was originally commissioned and workshopped as a play for the LA-based theater company JewFace under ShPIeL Performing Identity and was part of their inaugural Short Play Development Lab in Fall 2023. Fueled by the positive reception from the JewFace public reading, I began adapting the script into a short film so I could to share the story with a wider audience.
In Spring 2024, the script was selected as a semifinalist for the Reboot Studios Grant, which has produced several award-winning Jewish comedies, including Alex Edelman's solo show Just For Us and the short film The Anne Frank Gift Shop. In Summer 2024, the Jewish Plays Project recognized the play script as Commended Status, part of a select group of plays read and discussed thoroughly by a team of theatre professionals.
.jpg)
Photos from the JewFace Short Play Lab public reading at Der Nister in Los Angeles, Fall 2023. Images by Zafi Ahmed.
Why Now?
I wrote this film to combat 'Jewface'— the harmful, inauthentic portrayal of Jews in entertainment including the stereotypes of a large nose prosthetic and an affected Yiddish accent. These stereotypes still exist in Hollywood today and are built on centuries of underlying antisemitism. Since the antidote to hate is comedy, we’re raising funds to make a film that pokes fun at beauty standards and Jewish stereotypes with an educational twist.
Having been a child actor in Hollywood, I’ve faced the pressures of having to change my appearance (specifically my nose) to achieve American beauty standards. These ideas have become more topical with celebrities like Sarah Silverman speaking out about a more recent definition of "Jewface" in the casting of non-Jewish performers to play Jewish characters. On her podcast, Sarah Silverman speaks openly about some recent examples of Jewface, including Bradley Cooper and Helen Mirren wearing large prosthetic noses to portray Leonard Bernstein and Golda Meir, respectively, Rachel Brosnahan in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel adopting a 'Jewish-sounding' dialect, and Kathryn Hahn (not Jewish) being cast to play Joan Rivers.
I'm proud to be working with a team of predominantly Jewish women in front of and behind the camera to tell this timely and relatable story. This film is for Jewish women who have made sacrifices to assimilate into western culture, whether they've undergone surgery to make their nose appear more gentile, or as in the story of Fiddler on the Roof, given up traditions and religious practices as a means of survival.
However, this story is not unique to Jews. People of all backgrounds are pressured to assimilate, especially now with increased reliance on social media. On Instagram, there are a variety of filters available to "touch up" one's appearance, including the infamous nose filter to alter the size of one's snout. My goal is to shed light on the universality of the need to achieve unrealistic standards of beauty as a means of survival and acceptance.
.jpg)
CATALOGUE OF NOSES is a dark musical comedy inspired by the tones of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, and Schmigadoon. It also borrows elements of magical realism and absurdity from Pee Wee's Playhouse, such as dancers wearing large nose costumes and a wall of try-on prosthetic noses in the doctor's waiting room.
The dialogue is witty and fast-paced, drawn from multi-camera sitcoms from the early 2000s. However, the breakneck pace is interrupted by dramatic musical moments where we enter Emily's mind. In these musical numbers, we will fully experience Emily's larger-than-life emotions as she grapples with whether or not to go under the knife.
.jpg)
The film oscillates between two different worlds, which we'll create through lighting design: the 'real world' of the doctor's office and the 'musical world' in Emily's mind. The 'real world' will be evenly lit and have a naturalistic feel with a cool-toned color palette. The musical world will be stylized and surreal with bold, neon lights as Emily sings directly to camera.
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CATALOGUE OF NOSES is currently in pre-production with an exceptional team on board. We have a comprehensive projected budget, filming schedule, and crowdfunding strategy in place. As we aim to bring this film to life, securing funding is crucial. With your support, we plan to acquire the necessary camera and lighting equipment to create our two distinct worlds, accrue the necessary props for production design, record our awesome score and ensure that our budget can adequately compensate our talented crew and cast. Your support will be instrumental in getting CATALOGUE OF NOSES off the ground and running (pun intended)!
Timelime
May 2024 - Began Pre-Production
July 2024 - Kick Off Crowdfunding
August 2024 - Lock in Cast and Crew / Begin Tech Scouting / Record Music
September 2024 - Go Into Production
December 2024 - Enter Post-Production (Editing / Color / Score / Credits)
Early 2025 - Submit to Film Festivals
Summer 2025 - Have our LA Premiere!
Stretch Goals
We're hoping to raise $20,000 to kickstart film production. This goal is the bare minimum needed to get the film made at a production quality everyone involved can be proud of and avoid exploiting the work of all production members.
- If we raise $25,000, we'll be able to have contingency funds in place should anything go wrong, as well as cover our post-production costs.
- If we raise $30,000, we'll be able to cover our festival, distribution, and promotional costs for completing the film and getting it in front of a wider audience.
- If we raise $40,000, we'll be able to pay our director and producers (who are currently sacrificing pay for their work out of passion for the project and its message).
.jpg)
CONTRIBUTE AND PLEDGE!
You can contribute by making a pledge (we need to collect at least 80% of our crowdfunding goal to keep our funds). We have pretty awesome incentives you can choose from, or you can make a pledge to one of our specific wishlist items. No pledge is too small and every dollar makes a difference in making our film possible!
Our exciting incentives include an advanced link to the completed film, exclusive access to the film's original score (sung by me), and so much more! You can also become a producer and get your company or name broadcast widely. You truly will have brought this film to life and will have the screen and IMDb credits to prove it!
SPREAD THE WORD!
Please share this page with anyone you think would be interested in seeing our film come to life!
Follow our journey on Instagram and Facebook @CoNosesFilm to get updates. Repost our pictures and videos, DM us with questions, and comment on the posts you like! We promise to respond!
Thank you so much for checking out our campaign and for your support!
Poster design by John Noble Barrack
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Production Design
Costs $2,000
Help us create the world of this film, including a wall of try on, prosthetic noses!
Recording Studio
Costs $500
To record our original score, Fiddler on the Roof parody songs composed by Broadway musician Adam Macdonald.
Paying our Cast and Crew
Costs $10,500
To pay our actors and crew, including our camera department, grip & electric department, art department, sound, prop stylist for 2 full days
Props
Costs $10
Our film is set in 2004. Looking for a Razor or Blackberry (does not need to work!)
Meals!
Costs $1,500
We all need it, we all love it! Help keep our cast and crew happy and well fed.
Rehearsal Space
Costs $490
Help us pay for rehearsal space for our choreographer and dancers! And yes, they will be wearing large nose heads.
Equipment and Lighting
Costs $5,000
Help us create the “real world” and the “musical world” in Emily's head!
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer/Producer/Actor
LAUREN SCHAFFEL is an actor, writer, and producer. Most recently, she guest starred on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and has appeared in several feature films, with scenes opposite Tina Fey and Heather Graham. She is a recent graduate of the Improv and Writing Lab tracks at the Groundlings School and currently studies and performs at Upright Citizens Brigade. As a filmmaker, she co-produced and starred in the short film “Launch at Paradise,” which has over 40 festival acceptances and counting! Lauren is also a co-founder of LMC Productions, which supports new script development and focuses on amplifying female voices. She’s also on the board of JewFace Theater Company, which produced the play version of Catalogue of Noses in their inaugural short play lab development in 2023.
Director/Producer
JOSIE ANDREWS began performing professionally at the age of eight, touring with Broadway musicals and appearing in countless Off-Broadway and regional productions before going on to write and record her own music. By thirteen, she was opening for Radio Disney acts including Raven Symoné and the Naked Brothers Band. A double Trojan, Josie graduated as the Salutatorian of USC's class of 2018, continuing on at USC to earn her M.F.A. in production. Her thesis film WANNABE, which she wrote, directed, and created original music for, debuted at LA Shorts, garnering many wins and nominations across the globe including Nashville Film Festival, Arizona Film Festival, Melech Tel Aviv, and Sydney Women's International Film Festival. Her debut documentary tracking live theatre’s comeback amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, WAITING IN THE WINGS, played Santa Fe International Film Festival, won best doc at Noho Cinefest, and can now be seen on the PBS app through their Fine Cut series. Now an adjunct professor at USC, she teaches a producing/development course and heads Dumm Blonde Productions, where she recently completed a short starring Sidney Flanigan (Never Rarely Sometimes Always) and Academy Award® Nominee Cathy Moriarty (Raging Bull) titled LINE OF FIRE. She is slated to make her feature directorial debut with MIRIAM, one of five projects selected for WIF/Sundance finance intensive, as well as the AWD Rising Director fellowship.
Producer
TALISA FRIEDMAN is the author of several plays and screenplays. Her play WHO BY FIRE won the 2021 National Jewish Playwriting Competition, the Tel Aviv Jewish Playwriting Competition, and was one of three finalists for Monumental Theater’s New Work Series at the Kennedy Center. WHO BY FIRE had a workshop production at The Road Theatre in LA spring 2023, directed by Emmy winner John Frank Levey. She has produced the shorts: MATINEE (starring Jack Falahee and Jack Cutmore-Scott), KING ALPHA, and AT 30 WE THROW DINNER PARTIES, all of which have gone on to success in the festival circuit. As an actor, Talisa has appeared at The Old Globe, Arena Stage, the A.R.T., Off-Broadway, and on TV and film. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons.
Producer
DAVID M. NIGHT MAIRE is cosmopolitan in nature and a creative independent filmmaker whose gritty, character-driven films have received endorsements and worldwide acclaim. A bilingual alumnus of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Night Maire earned his B.A. with honors in Film & T.V. with a focus on Directing, and Minors in Psychology and Producing. This native Alpine’s passion for storytelling led him to pursue a Masters in Directing at the School of Visual Arts, where he’s since returned on several occasions to guest lecture on an array of production topics to the program’s graduate students. He was subsequently accepted into Royal Holloway’s University of London’s M.A. in Screenwriting for Television & Film program. David has premiered music videos on MTV and Glamour and produced content or the likes of Moët Hennessy, Louis Vuitton, Red Bull, and the Leslie-Lohman Museum, amongst others. Moreover, Night Maire has garnered thousands of laurels and awards for the many short films he’s directed and produced, including both the New Industry Selection Award from Oaxaca FilmFest and the Zeno Mountain Award from Miami Film Festival for “My Daughter Yoshiko” (2019) by BAFTA-nominated director Brian Blum. David’s cultivated persona and visual aesthetic have also precipitated invitations to program and judge diverse film festivals across the United States, including Shriekfest Horror Film Festival, DC Shorts International Film Festival & Screenplay Competition, Blackbird Film Festival, and the PA Indie Shorts Film Festival.
Producer
EMILY NASH is a native New York Jew and a proud AEA and SAG-AFTRA actor, writer, and producer currently based in Los Angeles. After earning her BA in Drama from Vassar College, Emily spent several years in New York working in theatre, TV, and film before making the long trek cross-country. Emily strives to create hilariously honest and honestly hilarious work that addresses difficult topics in the hopes of bringing people together. Emily has appeared in "Growing Up" (Disney+), "Extrapolations" (Apple TV+), and dozens of national commercial campaigns. Her debut short film, "Judy-ism", a Jewish coming-of-age rom-com she wrote, executive produced, and starred in, has screened at the Oscar-qualifying LA Shorts, HollyShorts, and Cinequest Film Festivals and is a proof of concept for her feature film of the same name. Emily's play L'Door V'Door will premiere at the 2024 JewFace Short Play Lab, where Catalogue of Noses first debuted. @emilykatenash emilyknash.com
Producer/Social Media Manager
JOHN NOBLE BARRACK is an AEA and SAG-AFTRA actor, singer/songwriter, and producer living in Los Angeles. He received his MFA in acting from Brown University/Trinity Rep in 2018 before spending a few years in NYC. There he worked on numerous TV, film, and theatre productions such as "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel", "Julia", and the upcoming Artists Equity film "The Instigators". John's mission is to foster peace and empathy. A middle child at heart, he seeks to support funny, compassionate stories spotlighting sticky subject matter.
Producer
NICOLE FRIEDBERG is an actor, writer, and producer who believes that telling stories - whether fictional or true - is how humans can affect change and start important conversations. As a storyteller, her mission is to provide people with escapes and new ways to look at the world, as well as to foster connections that make them feel seen and less alone. Art is one of the biggest influences on the world and her life’s purpose is to be an artist who wields that power to make the world a better place.
Producer
YVONNE CONE is an LA- and NYC-based actor, writer, and producer. Her play The Subscriber is a 2024 Finalist for the Red Bull Short Play Festival. Off-Broadway: The Pearl Theatre Company, La MaMa ETC, The Barrow Group Theatre Company, HERE Arts, Shrunken Shakespeare. Regional: Shakespeare & Company, Maryland Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Orange County, Colonial Theatre-Shakespeare in the Park, American Shakespeare Center. TV/FILM: "Happy!" (SyFy Channel), "The Mysteries of Laura" (NBC), "As Long As They Both Shall Live" (Gravitas Films). Her first short film, "Take Me With You", about a family overcoming tragedy during a summer BBQ, screened at 13 festivals and was a Finalist or won Honorable Mention at several. Yvonne received her B.F.A. in Theatre from Chapman University. She is a co-founder of NYC theater/film production company THEE (The Hey Ensemble) and LA-based play development lab JewFace. Her newest play, Lete: a modern Greek myth, is being developed for the 2024 JewFace Short Play Cohort. www.yvonnecone.com
Producer
PINK TAX PRODUCTIONS is a female owned and operated production company dedicated to developing diverse, women-focused content. Pink Tax Productions came to fruition when Emily and Nicole met in Oklahoma City University’s MFA in Screen Acting program in Los Angeles. They quickly connected over their passion for exploring complex issues through a comedic lens and their commitment to learning and growing through the art of storytelling. Pink Tax Productions is committed to creating content that elevates women’s voices through honest, humorous, and heartfelt stories.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
CATALOGUE OF NOSES tells the story of Jewish teen actor Emily, who faces off with her mother and her Jewish plastic surgeon on the day of her scheduled nose surgery. Emily must navigate this emotional decision and learn unsettling truths about the consequences of assimilation.
Writer's Statement
Hi! I'm Lauren Schaffel, the writer and producer of the short comedic film CATALOGUE OF NOSES. I grew up as a child actor in Los Angeles and starred in many primetime comedies like Will and Grace, Still Standing, and several Peanuts films and series (as the voice of Lucy). My dream was to be a series regular on a sitcom, but most of the roles I auditioned for were things like “Freak Girl Number 2” and “Nerdy Little Rascal.” Exactly what every little girl dreams of being, right?
I kept being told that my BIG Jewish nose was holding me back...
CATALOGUE OF NOSES is a short film inspired by my own life experience of getting a nose job at 16. It incorporates Fiddler on the Roof parody music, which helps illustrate the sacrifices Jewish women (and all women) make to attain American standards of beauty.
HOW ALL THIS MISHIGAS* BEGAN
*Yiddish for craziness
This film has been in the works since Summer 2022. The script was originally commissioned and workshopped as a play for the LA-based theater company JewFace under ShPIeL Performing Identity and was part of their inaugural Short Play Development Lab in Fall 2023. Fueled by the positive reception from the JewFace public reading, I began adapting the script into a short film so I could to share the story with a wider audience.
In Spring 2024, the script was selected as a semifinalist for the Reboot Studios Grant, which has produced several award-winning Jewish comedies, including Alex Edelman's solo show Just For Us and the short film The Anne Frank Gift Shop. In Summer 2024, the Jewish Plays Project recognized the play script as Commended Status, part of a select group of plays read and discussed thoroughly by a team of theatre professionals.
Photos from the JewFace Short Play Lab public reading at Der Nister in Los Angeles, Fall 2023. Images by Zafi Ahmed.
Why Now?
I wrote this film to combat 'Jewface'— the harmful, inauthentic portrayal of Jews in entertainment including the stereotypes of a large nose prosthetic and an affected Yiddish accent. These stereotypes still exist in Hollywood today and are built on centuries of underlying antisemitism. Since the antidote to hate is comedy, we’re raising funds to make a film that pokes fun at beauty standards and Jewish stereotypes with an educational twist.
Having been a child actor in Hollywood, I’ve faced the pressures of having to change my appearance (specifically my nose) to achieve American beauty standards. These ideas have become more topical with celebrities like Sarah Silverman speaking out about a more recent definition of "Jewface" in the casting of non-Jewish performers to play Jewish characters. On her podcast, Sarah Silverman speaks openly about some recent examples of Jewface, including Bradley Cooper and Helen Mirren wearing large prosthetic noses to portray Leonard Bernstein and Golda Meir, respectively, Rachel Brosnahan in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel adopting a 'Jewish-sounding' dialect, and Kathryn Hahn (not Jewish) being cast to play Joan Rivers.
I'm proud to be working with a team of predominantly Jewish women in front of and behind the camera to tell this timely and relatable story. This film is for Jewish women who have made sacrifices to assimilate into western culture, whether they've undergone surgery to make their nose appear more gentile, or as in the story of Fiddler on the Roof, given up traditions and religious practices as a means of survival.
However, this story is not unique to Jews. People of all backgrounds are pressured to assimilate, especially now with increased reliance on social media. On Instagram, there are a variety of filters available to "touch up" one's appearance, including the infamous nose filter to alter the size of one's snout. My goal is to shed light on the universality of the need to achieve unrealistic standards of beauty as a means of survival and acceptance.
CATALOGUE OF NOSES is a dark musical comedy inspired by the tones of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, and Schmigadoon. It also borrows elements of magical realism and absurdity from Pee Wee's Playhouse, such as dancers wearing large nose costumes and a wall of try-on prosthetic noses in the doctor's waiting room.
The dialogue is witty and fast-paced, drawn from multi-camera sitcoms from the early 2000s. However, the breakneck pace is interrupted by dramatic musical moments where we enter Emily's mind. In these musical numbers, we will fully experience Emily's larger-than-life emotions as she grapples with whether or not to go under the knife.
The film oscillates between two different worlds, which we'll create through lighting design: the 'real world' of the doctor's office and the 'musical world' in Emily's mind. The 'real world' will be evenly lit and have a naturalistic feel with a cool-toned color palette. The musical world will be stylized and surreal with bold, neon lights as Emily sings directly to camera.
CATALOGUE OF NOSES is currently in pre-production with an exceptional team on board. We have a comprehensive projected budget, filming schedule, and crowdfunding strategy in place. As we aim to bring this film to life, securing funding is crucial. With your support, we plan to acquire the necessary camera and lighting equipment to create our two distinct worlds, accrue the necessary props for production design, record our awesome score and ensure that our budget can adequately compensate our talented crew and cast. Your support will be instrumental in getting CATALOGUE OF NOSES off the ground and running (pun intended)!
Timelime
May 2024 - Began Pre-Production
July 2024 - Kick Off Crowdfunding
August 2024 - Lock in Cast and Crew / Begin Tech Scouting / Record Music
September 2024 - Go Into Production
December 2024 - Enter Post-Production (Editing / Color / Score / Credits)
Early 2025 - Submit to Film Festivals
Summer 2025 - Have our LA Premiere!
Stretch Goals
We're hoping to raise $20,000 to kickstart film production. This goal is the bare minimum needed to get the film made at a production quality everyone involved can be proud of and avoid exploiting the work of all production members.
- If we raise $25,000, we'll be able to have contingency funds in place should anything go wrong, as well as cover our post-production costs.
- If we raise $30,000, we'll be able to cover our festival, distribution, and promotional costs for completing the film and getting it in front of a wider audience.
- If we raise $40,000, we'll be able to pay our director and producers (who are currently sacrificing pay for their work out of passion for the project and its message).
CONTRIBUTE AND PLEDGE!
You can contribute by making a pledge (we need to collect at least 80% of our crowdfunding goal to keep our funds). We have pretty awesome incentives you can choose from, or you can make a pledge to one of our specific wishlist items. No pledge is too small and every dollar makes a difference in making our film possible!
Our exciting incentives include an advanced link to the completed film, exclusive access to the film's original score (sung by me), and so much more! You can also become a producer and get your company or name broadcast widely. You truly will have brought this film to life and will have the screen and IMDb credits to prove it!
SPREAD THE WORD!
Please share this page with anyone you think would be interested in seeing our film come to life!
Follow our journey on Instagram and Facebook @CoNosesFilm to get updates. Repost our pictures and videos, DM us with questions, and comment on the posts you like! We promise to respond!
Thank you so much for checking out our campaign and for your support!
Poster design by John Noble Barrack
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Production Design
Costs $2,000
Help us create the world of this film, including a wall of try on, prosthetic noses!
Recording Studio
Costs $500
To record our original score, Fiddler on the Roof parody songs composed by Broadway musician Adam Macdonald.
Paying our Cast and Crew
Costs $10,500
To pay our actors and crew, including our camera department, grip & electric department, art department, sound, prop stylist for 2 full days
Props
Costs $10
Our film is set in 2004. Looking for a Razor or Blackberry (does not need to work!)
Meals!
Costs $1,500
We all need it, we all love it! Help keep our cast and crew happy and well fed.
Rehearsal Space
Costs $490
Help us pay for rehearsal space for our choreographer and dancers! And yes, they will be wearing large nose heads.
Equipment and Lighting
Costs $5,000
Help us create the “real world” and the “musical world” in Emily's head!
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer/Producer/Actor
LAUREN SCHAFFEL is an actor, writer, and producer. Most recently, she guest starred on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and has appeared in several feature films, with scenes opposite Tina Fey and Heather Graham. She is a recent graduate of the Improv and Writing Lab tracks at the Groundlings School and currently studies and performs at Upright Citizens Brigade. As a filmmaker, she co-produced and starred in the short film “Launch at Paradise,” which has over 40 festival acceptances and counting! Lauren is also a co-founder of LMC Productions, which supports new script development and focuses on amplifying female voices. She’s also on the board of JewFace Theater Company, which produced the play version of Catalogue of Noses in their inaugural short play lab development in 2023.
Director/Producer
JOSIE ANDREWS began performing professionally at the age of eight, touring with Broadway musicals and appearing in countless Off-Broadway and regional productions before going on to write and record her own music. By thirteen, she was opening for Radio Disney acts including Raven Symoné and the Naked Brothers Band. A double Trojan, Josie graduated as the Salutatorian of USC's class of 2018, continuing on at USC to earn her M.F.A. in production. Her thesis film WANNABE, which she wrote, directed, and created original music for, debuted at LA Shorts, garnering many wins and nominations across the globe including Nashville Film Festival, Arizona Film Festival, Melech Tel Aviv, and Sydney Women's International Film Festival. Her debut documentary tracking live theatre’s comeback amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, WAITING IN THE WINGS, played Santa Fe International Film Festival, won best doc at Noho Cinefest, and can now be seen on the PBS app through their Fine Cut series. Now an adjunct professor at USC, she teaches a producing/development course and heads Dumm Blonde Productions, where she recently completed a short starring Sidney Flanigan (Never Rarely Sometimes Always) and Academy Award® Nominee Cathy Moriarty (Raging Bull) titled LINE OF FIRE. She is slated to make her feature directorial debut with MIRIAM, one of five projects selected for WIF/Sundance finance intensive, as well as the AWD Rising Director fellowship.
Producer
TALISA FRIEDMAN is the author of several plays and screenplays. Her play WHO BY FIRE won the 2021 National Jewish Playwriting Competition, the Tel Aviv Jewish Playwriting Competition, and was one of three finalists for Monumental Theater’s New Work Series at the Kennedy Center. WHO BY FIRE had a workshop production at The Road Theatre in LA spring 2023, directed by Emmy winner John Frank Levey. She has produced the shorts: MATINEE (starring Jack Falahee and Jack Cutmore-Scott), KING ALPHA, and AT 30 WE THROW DINNER PARTIES, all of which have gone on to success in the festival circuit. As an actor, Talisa has appeared at The Old Globe, Arena Stage, the A.R.T., Off-Broadway, and on TV and film. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons.
Producer
DAVID M. NIGHT MAIRE is cosmopolitan in nature and a creative independent filmmaker whose gritty, character-driven films have received endorsements and worldwide acclaim. A bilingual alumnus of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Night Maire earned his B.A. with honors in Film & T.V. with a focus on Directing, and Minors in Psychology and Producing. This native Alpine’s passion for storytelling led him to pursue a Masters in Directing at the School of Visual Arts, where he’s since returned on several occasions to guest lecture on an array of production topics to the program’s graduate students. He was subsequently accepted into Royal Holloway’s University of London’s M.A. in Screenwriting for Television & Film program. David has premiered music videos on MTV and Glamour and produced content or the likes of Moët Hennessy, Louis Vuitton, Red Bull, and the Leslie-Lohman Museum, amongst others. Moreover, Night Maire has garnered thousands of laurels and awards for the many short films he’s directed and produced, including both the New Industry Selection Award from Oaxaca FilmFest and the Zeno Mountain Award from Miami Film Festival for “My Daughter Yoshiko” (2019) by BAFTA-nominated director Brian Blum. David’s cultivated persona and visual aesthetic have also precipitated invitations to program and judge diverse film festivals across the United States, including Shriekfest Horror Film Festival, DC Shorts International Film Festival & Screenplay Competition, Blackbird Film Festival, and the PA Indie Shorts Film Festival.
Producer
EMILY NASH is a native New York Jew and a proud AEA and SAG-AFTRA actor, writer, and producer currently based in Los Angeles. After earning her BA in Drama from Vassar College, Emily spent several years in New York working in theatre, TV, and film before making the long trek cross-country. Emily strives to create hilariously honest and honestly hilarious work that addresses difficult topics in the hopes of bringing people together. Emily has appeared in "Growing Up" (Disney+), "Extrapolations" (Apple TV+), and dozens of national commercial campaigns. Her debut short film, "Judy-ism", a Jewish coming-of-age rom-com she wrote, executive produced, and starred in, has screened at the Oscar-qualifying LA Shorts, HollyShorts, and Cinequest Film Festivals and is a proof of concept for her feature film of the same name. Emily's play L'Door V'Door will premiere at the 2024 JewFace Short Play Lab, where Catalogue of Noses first debuted. @emilykatenash emilyknash.com
Producer/Social Media Manager
JOHN NOBLE BARRACK is an AEA and SAG-AFTRA actor, singer/songwriter, and producer living in Los Angeles. He received his MFA in acting from Brown University/Trinity Rep in 2018 before spending a few years in NYC. There he worked on numerous TV, film, and theatre productions such as "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel", "Julia", and the upcoming Artists Equity film "The Instigators". John's mission is to foster peace and empathy. A middle child at heart, he seeks to support funny, compassionate stories spotlighting sticky subject matter.
Producer
NICOLE FRIEDBERG is an actor, writer, and producer who believes that telling stories - whether fictional or true - is how humans can affect change and start important conversations. As a storyteller, her mission is to provide people with escapes and new ways to look at the world, as well as to foster connections that make them feel seen and less alone. Art is one of the biggest influences on the world and her life’s purpose is to be an artist who wields that power to make the world a better place.
Producer
YVONNE CONE is an LA- and NYC-based actor, writer, and producer. Her play The Subscriber is a 2024 Finalist for the Red Bull Short Play Festival. Off-Broadway: The Pearl Theatre Company, La MaMa ETC, The Barrow Group Theatre Company, HERE Arts, Shrunken Shakespeare. Regional: Shakespeare & Company, Maryland Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Orange County, Colonial Theatre-Shakespeare in the Park, American Shakespeare Center. TV/FILM: "Happy!" (SyFy Channel), "The Mysteries of Laura" (NBC), "As Long As They Both Shall Live" (Gravitas Films). Her first short film, "Take Me With You", about a family overcoming tragedy during a summer BBQ, screened at 13 festivals and was a Finalist or won Honorable Mention at several. Yvonne received her B.F.A. in Theatre from Chapman University. She is a co-founder of NYC theater/film production company THEE (The Hey Ensemble) and LA-based play development lab JewFace. Her newest play, Lete: a modern Greek myth, is being developed for the 2024 JewFace Short Play Cohort. www.yvonnecone.com
Producer
PINK TAX PRODUCTIONS is a female owned and operated production company dedicated to developing diverse, women-focused content. Pink Tax Productions came to fruition when Emily and Nicole met in Oklahoma City University’s MFA in Screen Acting program in Los Angeles. They quickly connected over their passion for exploring complex issues through a comedic lens and their commitment to learning and growing through the art of storytelling. Pink Tax Productions is committed to creating content that elevates women’s voices through honest, humorous, and heartfelt stories.