Synopsis
What’s in a name? For Robyn Israel — it’s everything.
Jewish Girls Don’t Kayak is an intriguing look into Robyn’s personal life and how she came to have her eponymous surname. Of course with a name like Israel, there are bound to be bumps along the way!
Her comedic routine retells her experience, wading through stereotypes, culture clashing and racism. What’s it like to date outside the faith? What’s it like to be Jewish in London, Ontario? What’s it like to experience anti-Semitism? Why are Jewish girls told they cannot kayak?
Join Robyn on a personal journey, from her traditional upbringing in Montreal to her bohemian sojourn in California. Jewish Girls Don’t Kayak is a hysterical and honest look at the life of an unconventional person who embraces other cultures while still trying to maintain her Jewish identity. Playing a dozen characters, from her immigrant grandfather to her mother to her Buddhist boyfriend, Robyn weaves a touching and inspiring tale about the power of a name and its impact on three generations.
Though the play is about one woman’s life, it is truly a universal story that looks at the joy and pain of relationships, and how they shape us. Jewish Girls Don’t Kayak is about loving your family, leaving your family and growing into your own person, instead of the one whom others expect you to be.
WINNER OF THE 2007 BRICKENDEN AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING COMEDY
“Jewish Girls Don’t Kayak makes us all proud to preserve our own ethnic heritage while still being truly Canadian.”
“If you thought you knew what being Jewish is all about, prepare to be schooled.”
-London Free Press