“You, Me, and Anxiety” written and performed by Rachel Schmeling, was
first conceived as a part of her MA degree at the Royal Conservatoire
of Scotland. Rachel expanded the show this year and is thrilled to
share this version for the first time. Part stand up, part audience
interaction, part musical journey, part anxious disaster, this cabaret
takes Rachel and the audience on a wild, hour-long ride through her
experience with anxiety. As an exaggerated version of herself, Rachel
looks back on her life to pivotal moments where her anxiety took over
and she had to deal with it; sometimes though song! Mental health
discussions are important and here to stay, so why not have a laugh
while we all go a bit insane? Helping Rachel share this story is her
arranger and musical director, Jody Shelton on piano.
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Rachel Schmeling is a fresh face to NYC, having received her BFA in
Acting from Missouri State University in 2015 and her MA in Classical
and Contemporary Text from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in
October 2016. During her training, she was able to start writing and
creating her own work, specifically solo pieces, and found she loved
telling stories in this way. This cabaret came about from the
question, “What was an experience that changed your life,” the answer
being: anxiety. Besides writing and performing her own work, Rachel is
a member of Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre, a member of the Journeyman
Residency Program with Titan Theatre Company, and was most recently a
part of The Public’s production of Julius Caesar (Shakespeare in the
Park). More information about Rachel and her work can be found on her
website: www.rachelschmeling.com.
Jody Shelton began his career as musical director for the Second City
National Touring Company, and performed with renowned musical improv
ensemble Baby Wants Candy for fifteen years. Since 2004, Jody has
released three critically acclaimed albums as solo artist, and two
more with his band, Daughter & Son. In 2012, he co-wrote the parody
50 Shades! The Musical, which had an extended run at the Elektra
Theatre in New York, and has been performed throughout the world. 50
Shades! can currently be seen at Bally’s in Las Vegas. Jody’s next
musical, co-written with Emmy and Peabody winner Peter Gwinn (The
Colbert Report) was The Story of a Story (The Untold Story), which
opened at the Chopin Theatre in Chicago in October, 2015, and received
a Jeff Award nomination for Best New Work. Jody’s most recent work is
the musical parody Star Wars: The Farce Awakens, which had its New
York premiere in February, 2017.
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