Sherry Glaser
Encyclopedia
Sherry Glaser is an American
actress, performance artist, and political activist.
She was born in New York
and raised on Long Island
. Glaser moved to San Diego in 1978 and attended SDSU. She developed her improvisational comedy skills with the feminist comedy group Hot Flashes. She then set out on a solo performance with the direction and co-writing of her husband Greg Howells. She is best known for her off-Broadway performance Family Secrets and her autobiography
, Family Secrets: One Woman's Look at a Relatively Painful Subject, published by Simon & Schuster
. She also writes a weekly Monday evening editorial on California
station KZYX
.. Sherry is also a featured writer in the Anthologies, "The Other Woman" and "He Said What?" (Warner) She is also a writer in the Anthology "Warrior Mothers" Edited by Thais Masur.
.
in the early 1980s in San Diego in the company of Whoopi Goldberg
, Mo Gaffney
and Kathy Najimy
. Sherry Glaser become well known when she played five different roles in, Family Secrets in 1994. Family Secrets is a Broadway Show that gives a portrait of five members of a Jewish Family who migrated from New York
to California
in the 1980s. Glaser won numerous awards for her role in Family Secrets.
She then played Ma and Miguel in her one woman play, Oh My Goddess! Ma was depicted as the Great Jewish Mother of us all, reminding "us of the simple and sacred nature of life on earth". In 2004 Sherry collaborated with Thais Mazur on a Theater/Dance project called Remember This (An Intimate Portrait of War through the Eyes of Women) which debuted in Mendocino
and then went on to San Francisco.
political movement based in Mendocino County, California
. The group focuses on the intersection between topfree equality
and social justice
through non-violent public protests involving street theatre and toplessness in order to bring attention to what they term the "immoral injustices of war.
On November 8, 2005, there was an incident where two females were arrested for protesting topless. The two females were Sherry Glaser and Renee Love. They were arrested for suspicion of indecent exposure
, disorderly conduct
and violation of the terms of their protest permit. Although the baring of their breasts was in protest against the policies of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
, due to their subsequent arrests the battle has now become about women having the same right to go topless as men without being declared sex offenders by the state of California. The court decided in favor of Glaser and Love and awarded them damages for violation of Freedom on Speech under the California Constitution. The Court also ordered the CHP to read and sign a declaration saying they understood that women have the right to demonstrate topless in a political action without fear of arrest. CALJIC 16.220 and CALJIC 16.400 Article 1 section 2(a) of the California Constitution.
She comments on her website, "Their bare breasts were called 'indecent', so I thought, let's use this incident and our equal protection under the 14th Amendment
to show what real freedom and decency look like. She realizes, words alone can be easily disregarded, but bodies are harder to ignore.
On her website, Glaser has written that "It's ironic that Arnold Schwarzenegger can grope and molest women's bodies and become Governor yet we stand in power exercising our first amendment rights and we get arrested. I Protest! Sheba (my partner) and I have decided to continue with the demonstration and give it more of a theatrical atmosphere." Glaser began a political movement
claiming breast are not indecent, wars are. Glaser and others have been protesting topless in order to give public awareness to the deaths which occurred in the Iraq War. Glaser has her own website where she discusses her political actions and upcoming productions/workshops.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, performance artist, and political activist.
She was born in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and raised on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. Glaser moved to San Diego in 1978 and attended SDSU. She developed her improvisational comedy skills with the feminist comedy group Hot Flashes. She then set out on a solo performance with the direction and co-writing of her husband Greg Howells. She is best known for her off-Broadway performance Family Secrets and her autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, Family Secrets: One Woman's Look at a Relatively Painful Subject, published by Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
. She also writes a weekly Monday evening editorial on California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
station KZYX
KZYX
KZYX , is a National Public Radio member station in Philo, California.It maintains co-channel booster KZYX-FM1 in Ukiah, as well as satellite station KZYZ 91.5 FM in Willits, and repeater K201HR 88.1 FM in Fort Bragg....
.. Sherry is also a featured writer in the Anthologies, "The Other Woman" and "He Said What?" (Warner) She is also a writer in the Anthology "Warrior Mothers" Edited by Thais Masur.
Family life
Sherry met her future husband, Greg Howells, through her comedy career. At the time Greg was a friend of a friend of Sherry’s next door neighbor. Glaser and Howell passion for comedy brought them together. Glaser and Howells had their first child Dana. Sherry then had her second daughter, Lucy. Glaser commented that, "I had always wanted two (so they could have someone to talk to about their crazy mother)". Greg Howell disappeared on June 18, 1997. He was golfing at Rancho Canada when he disappeared. Glaser now lives with her wife, Sheba Love in Albion, CaliforniaAlbion, California
Albion is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California. It is located south of Fort Bragg, at an elevation of 174 feet . Albion had a population of 168 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
.
Career
Her inspiration for solo performance came while practicing improvisationImprovisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
in the early 1980s in San Diego in the company of Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
, Mo Gaffney
Mo Gaffney
Maureen E. "Mo" Gaffney is an American actress, comedian, writer and activist.-Biography:She hosted two of her own television talk shows: Women Aloud! and The Mo Show...
and Kathy Najimy
Kathy Najimy
Kathy Ann Najimy is an American actress, most notable as Olive Massery on the television series Veronica's Closet, Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act and the voice of Peggy Hill on the animated television series King of the Hill. Prior to her film work, she was best known for two Off Broadway shows...
. Sherry Glaser become well known when she played five different roles in, Family Secrets in 1994. Family Secrets is a Broadway Show that gives a portrait of five members of a Jewish Family who migrated from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the 1980s. Glaser won numerous awards for her role in Family Secrets.
She then played Ma and Miguel in her one woman play, Oh My Goddess! Ma was depicted as the Great Jewish Mother of us all, reminding "us of the simple and sacred nature of life on earth". In 2004 Sherry collaborated with Thais Mazur on a Theater/Dance project called Remember This (An Intimate Portrait of War through the Eyes of Women) which debuted in Mendocino
Mendocino
Mendocino may mean:* Mendocino County, California, USA* Mendocino, California, a town in Mendocino County* Cape Mendocino in Humboldt County, California* Mendocino Brewing Company, a brewery and brewpub located in the county of the same name...
and then went on to San Francisco.
Breast Not Bombs
Breasts Not Bombs is a grassrootsGrassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
political movement based in Mendocino County, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The group focuses on the intersection between topfree equality
Gender equality
Gender equality is the goal of the equality of the genders, stemming from a belief in the injustice of myriad forms of gender inequality.- Concept :...
and social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
through non-violent public protests involving street theatre and toplessness in order to bring attention to what they term the "immoral injustices of war.
On November 8, 2005, there was an incident where two females were arrested for protesting topless. The two females were Sherry Glaser and Renee Love. They were arrested for suspicion of indecent exposure
Indecent exposure
Indecent exposure is the deliberate exposure in public or in view of the general public by a person of a portion or portions of his or her body, in circumstances where the exposure is contrary to local moral or other standards of appropriate behavior. Indecent exposure laws vary in different...
, disorderly conduct
Disorderly conduct
Disorderly conduct is a criminal charge in most jurisdictions in the United States. Typically, disorderly conduct makes it a crime to be drunk in public, to "disturb the peace", or to loiter in certain areas. Many types of unruly conduct may fit the definition of disorderly conduct, as such...
and violation of the terms of their protest permit. Although the baring of their breasts was in protest against the policies of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
, due to their subsequent arrests the battle has now become about women having the same right to go topless as men without being declared sex offenders by the state of California. The court decided in favor of Glaser and Love and awarded them damages for violation of Freedom on Speech under the California Constitution. The Court also ordered the CHP to read and sign a declaration saying they understood that women have the right to demonstrate topless in a political action without fear of arrest. CALJIC 16.220 and CALJIC 16.400 Article 1 section 2(a) of the California Constitution.
She comments on her website, "Their bare breasts were called 'indecent', so I thought, let's use this incident and our equal protection under the 14th Amendment
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments.Its Citizenship Clause provides a broad definition of citizenship that overruled the Dred Scott v...
to show what real freedom and decency look like. She realizes, words alone can be easily disregarded, but bodies are harder to ignore.
On her website, Glaser has written that "It's ironic that Arnold Schwarzenegger can grope and molest women's bodies and become Governor yet we stand in power exercising our first amendment rights and we get arrested. I Protest! Sheba (my partner) and I have decided to continue with the demonstration and give it more of a theatrical atmosphere." Glaser began a political movement
Political movement
A political movement is a social movement in the area of politics. A political movement may be organized around a single issue or set of issues, or around a set of shared concerns of a social group...
claiming breast are not indecent, wars are. Glaser and others have been protesting topless in order to give public awareness to the deaths which occurred in the Iraq War. Glaser has her own website where she discusses her political actions and upcoming productions/workshops.
Other activism
- She was also instrumental in a recent Tsunami Relief benefit which raised over $10,000.
- She has done benefits for Women's Shelters, environmental agencies, and the homeless.
- She has taught workshops in Radical emotional transformation and Organic Improvisational Theater.