
Solo Arts Heal
Hosted by Gail Schickele
Excerpts, talkbacks and Q&A with special guests
providing health and healing education and advocacy.
Wednesday, October 21 | 7:30pm
Robin Gelfenbien
THE HUMAN CONNECTOR
WATCH BY CLICKING BELOW

About the Show
Up until a few months ago, “self-isolation” was not a commonly heard term. For comedic storyteller, former Wienermobile driver and self-proclaimed Ambassador of Fun, Robin Gelfenbien, in 2019, it had become more habitual than she would have ever wanted. In the midst of a breakup, she found herself working from home a lot more than is healthy for any extrovert.
Then, she took a chance on a flight from St. Louis to NYC. It was just the thing she needed to snap her out of her funk and more importantly, out of her head. In an incredibly risky move, she brought a flight of passengers together in a most unexpected way. A way that helped her fight her loneliness, remind her how ballsy she is and restored her faith in humanity.
About The Artist

Robin Gelfenbienis the self-proclaimed Ambassador of Fun and an NYC-based storyteller, writer and comedian. She’s a three-time Moth Story SLAM winner who has performed on PBS, RISK!, Mortified and countless other shows. She’s also shared the stage with Hannah Gadsby, Trevor Noah and more. She’s the Creator and Host of the storytelling series and podcast, “Yum’s the Word,” that features her homemade ice cream cakes. The show has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and has been named a New York Times and Time Out New York Critic’s Pick. Guests have included Tim Gunn, Mo Rocca, Jason Biggs, Aasif Mandvi, Joy Behar and stars from “Orange is the New Black.” Robin has written jokes for emcee Rosie O’Donnell at The Matrix Awards where featured presenters included Martha Stewart, Rupert Murdoch, Hillary Clinton and more. She also hosted the 2019 Jay Chiat Awards for The American Association of Advertising Agencies. Her critically-acclaimed solo show, “My Salvation Has a First Name (A Wienermobile Journey),” premiered at the New York International Fringe Festival. New York Magazine called it “the highlight of the Fringe” and Time Out New York gave it 4 stars. She’s performed her original comedy songs at The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center and on Sirius Radio. She’s also been on VH1 and AMC, and she starred in a commercial directed by Spike Lee. Robin has been a Featured Speaker at New York Social Media Week, NYU, the National Board of Certification for Occupational Therapists and more. She’s also hosted storytelling workshops for Citi, PwC, Meredith Publishing, Momentum Worldwide, She’s the First and more. She’s currently working on a memoir and screenplay about how the Wienermobile saved her life.
Trailer
ABOUT SOLO ARTS HEAL
Solo performers present real-life, empowering stories. Transformative experiences for audiences. A theater of resilience that celebrates overcoming mental and physical life challenges and offers hope and inspiration. SOLO ARTS HEAL includes excerpts, talkbacks, and Q&A that provide education and advocacy. Readings or clips of performances will be shared by artists in conversation with Gail Schickele, whose work as a manager and producer of solo artists inspired collaboration of performing arts presenters with artists on a medical track based on their personal experience. The collective creative vision? To help communities through educational outreach and the healing power of the Arts.

Gail Schickele (Host) champions arts & sciences taking her left and right brain wherever she travels. As an arts manager, consultant, and producer dba SAGE Artists, she convened an ‘Arts Heals’ group of solo artists at APAP 2020 whose unique stories of physical and mental challenges evince the healing power of The Arts. The COVID lockdown inspired Stephanie Weisman to create SOLO ARTS HEAL to share these outstanding stories of resilience, dramatic and comedic, for the entertainment and benefit of communities everywhere. Gail’s expertise in marketing, management, booking and production has served various theaters, festivals and events nationwide. Trained as a journalist in New York and Colorado, Gail has covered Colorado state politics and the environmental landscape of the Rockies. Environmental science inspires her educational and advocacy work in California with Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project, and for the League of Women Voters for which she’s worked as an administrator and reporter on environmental issues Including legislation, climate science outreach, and co-chair of an environmental speakers series. Gail is honored to host SOLO ARTS HEAL where artists powerful stories offer audiences great performance and ‘informance’ on issues related to health and the environment, inexorably linked.
Upcoming Solo Arts Heal Programs
October 28 – Ross Travis