Melodity Productions Presents
Eyshet F***ing Chayil
(A Woman Of F***ing Valor)
Written and performed by Melanie Ehrlich
"A wonderful, funny, heartbreaking work of passion from a true talent""An incredibly vulnerable and affecting piece of work""A retrospection on culture and inheritance in its most honest form"
#efc #eyshetfuckingchayil #efchff23
Eyshet F***ing Chayil
A young woman reconnects with her Jewish identity in South Korea and returns to the US to find a partner and build a Jewish family. A decade later, she finds herself with neither—and pulled between religious and secular worlds that both don’t have a place for her. What is she doing wrong…and can she fix it before she runs out of time for both for good?
One woman’s unorthodox Jewish journey through music, love, tragedy, family, religion, Korean drums, anime porn, and inappropriate humor to find her path to becoming an Eyshet Chayil—a Woman of Valor.
About Melanie Ehrlich
Melanie won her 5th grade spelling bee and can play the harmonica with her nose, which are arguably the most important things to know about her. An on-camera and voice actor, Melanie portrayed Helen in Sundance Grand Jury Award winner THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST, Ali on THE OA (Netflix), and most recently Meg, Lil Dicky’s number one fan, on DAVE (FX/Hulu). Behind the mic, Melanie has voiced a singing bison (yes, really) on Disney Junior’s P. KING DUCKLING, a loving orc wife in Adult Swim Games’ BATTLE CHEF BRIGADE, and the titular character in FRUM GIRL ADVENTURES, the first video game by and about Jewish woman. Melanie makes her Hollywood Fringe Festival debut with EYSHET F***ING CHAYIL (A WOMAN OF F***ING VALOR), which she wrote after getting tired of waiting for Hollywood to write roles for Korean-speaking Jewish women.
Creative team
NATHAN SHAPIRO
Sound Designer / Composer / Story Editor / Additional Voices
Selected credits: Off/off-off broadway: The Paradise Factory, Robert Moss Theatre, Davenport Theatre. Other Theatre: Marfa Live Arts, Arts Club Vancouver. TV/film: Disney TV, ABC Entertainment.
Selected awards: Bill Millerd Award for Excellence in Sound Design (Arts Club Vancouver), Gold Award for Best Score (International Gold Awards). When he’s not working, Nathan enjoys spending an irresponsible amount of money on obsolete 80’s audio gear. EFC is Nathan’s LA theatre debut.
ANNA KUPERSHMIDT
(Technical Technician / Stage Manager)
Stage Manager Credits: The LACC Theatre Academy: ‘Pride and Prejudice 2018’, ‘Autoplay 2018’, Dance Concert Fall 2018 & Spring 2019, ‘Hot L. Baltimore 2019’, ‘Post Pinocchio 2019’, ‘Student Directed One Acts 2020’, ‘Stand & Deliver 2020’ and most recently ‘Kinky Boots 2023’.
Anna worked with Public Works Improvisation Theatre & Paul Sand Projects on its premiere play of ‘The Pilot Who Crashed The Party’, which ran at The Broadwater Theatre (Main Stage) in April 2023.
The Hudson Theatre: ‘Southern Girls’ and ‘Four Dogs and a Bone’; The Fountain Theatre: ‘Detained 2021’ and ‘Walking The Beat 2019’
Special thanks to
The Broadwater Theatre staff
Gigi Burgdorf
Leah Gottfried
The 2023 Hollywood Fringe Festival staff
Jessica Lynn Johnson
Han Kim
Eberhard Klau
Jessica Schechter
Nathan Shapiro
My therapist
We Make Movies
Bill Yoon/Koreana Gifts
David Zadeh
Press/Reviews
"Touching, inspiring, and irreverently funny"
- BroadwayWorld
"[One] of the more intriguing and befuddling Fringe 2023 titles"
- Larchmont Buzz