We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Margy Horowitz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Margy below.
Margy, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?
For a very long time, I let society’s judgment about plus-size women affect how I felt about myself. I love living in Los Angeles, although it’s a place where a woman who is larger than a size 4 is ignored at best and vilified at worst. I also grew up in a family that put much more stock in a woman’s appearance than who she is on the inside and believed in the old (and outdated) adage that you have to be thin to be successful. It took me a long time, but I finally realized that beauty truly does come in all shapes and sizes! I have tremendous talents to offer and I now have the confidence to showcase my skills without worrying that someone is going to judge me negatively for my size. I learned to be effective and successful by ignoring those little voices inside me that whispered that I wasn’t good enough and instead focused on the positive aspects of my personality and talents.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My community theater company is unlike any other in the world (that I know of)! We are completely female-run – our directors, producers, music directors, choreographers, and technical directors are all women. In addition, our actors are also all female and we perform for all-female audiences! The JWRC (jwrcla.org) started out as a place for women who didn’t feel comfortable performing in front of men to showcase their talents, but it has grown over the years to become a feminist establishment that believes that women can do anything we set our minds to! We also donate a portion of our profits to a battered women’s shelter.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I started taking piano lessons at age 5 and spent years & years developing my musical abilities. I became interested in theater in high school and college. On top of my musical and theatrical talents, I’m also extremely organized! That’s definitely a quality that you need to run a theater company.
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
I’m sure I’m not along in this, but the arts are facing tremendous obstacles now in terms of funding and getting audiences to return to theaters post-pandemic. It is getting more difficult to raise funds for the arts when a lot of people are more focused on funding healthcare research or political campaigns. But the arts are so important to our lives! They teach us so much about our own lives as well as the lives of people in other circumstances and cultures. It allows us to step away from our day-to-day difficulties and enjoy music and dance.
Our audiences simply have not returned in as high numbers since Covid. Many people are staying home, away from crowds. Life is also getting more expensive, and people aren’t paying for theater tickets as much as they used to.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jwrcla.org
- Instagram: jwrcla
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jwrcla
- Youtube: @jewishwomenstheater
Image Credits
Photos:
Jeremy D. Horowitz Photography
Reyna Zack Photography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
