Slash Coleman
Encyclopedia
Slash Coleman is an American
storyteller
, producer, and writer
. He is best known for his one-man performance-based storytelling shows which combine clever wordplay, music, and poetic observations about family, spirituality, romantic relationships, and struggles to find a sense of home common with Generation X
artists.
, Virginia
and raised in Chesterfield, Virginia
. He is a first generation American and a third generation artist
descended from a grandfather who was a dancer at the Moulin Rouge
and a father, Mike Coleman, who is a prolific sculptor. His mother, Nicole, is a Holocaust survivor who was born in France
. He legally changed his first name to Slashtipher with his barmitzva money to illuminate his Jewish past and to honor his grandparents who worked for the French Resistance
during the war. Coleman studied writing and jazz
piano at Radford University
in Virginia, Middlesex University
in London
, and at Columbia College
in Chicago
where he received his master’s degree. He went on to earn a degree at East-West College of the Healing Arts and furthered his studies at the Upledger Institute and Oregon College of Oriental Medicine
. He currently lives in Richmond
, Virginia
.
which is a tribute to his best friend, Mark Jamison, a neon
artist from Roanoke
, Virginia
who was electrocuted while hanging a neon sign. The show seeks to illuminate a young Jewish man’s challenge with his sense of place in the world after his best friend’s death. The stage version has enjoyed extensive national tours since 2005 including a short run Off Broadway, and an invitation to the 2009 National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough
, Tennessee
, and in 2010 was distributed through NETA (The National Education Television Alliance) to PBS stations nationwide. The story behind The Neon Man and Me was recorded for StoryCorps
and included in the archives at the Smithsonian.
:
.
In 2008, Coleman began to publish articles on marketing and business for performers under the pseudonym
, “Mr. Fringey”. He has collected an extensive list of resources including reviews of fringe festivals for fellow fringe performers which he shares on his blog called “Fringe or Die.”
and the Virginia Commission for the Arts, Coleman created a public school curriculum entitled "Healing Communities: Helping Students Come to Terms with Tragedy, Loss, and Violence." In 2009, as part of April’s "Month of the Grieving Child," Coleman produced a tour of student monologues relating to friendship and loss. As a result, Coleman has helped raise nearly $90,000 for non-profits to date.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
storyteller
Storytelling
Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...
, producer, and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. He is best known for his one-man performance-based storytelling shows which combine clever wordplay, music, and poetic observations about family, spirituality, romantic relationships, and struggles to find a sense of home common with Generation X
Generation X
Generation X, commonly abbreviated to Gen X, is the generation born after the Western post–World War II baby boom ended. While there is no universally agreed upon time frame, the term generally includes people born from the early 1960's through the early 1980's, usually no later than 1981 or...
artists.
Personal life
Coleman was born Jeffrey Mark Coleman in RichmondRichmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and raised in Chesterfield, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. He is a first generation American and a third generation artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
descended from a grandfather who was a dancer at the Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge is a cabaret built in 1889 by Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Olympia. Close to Montmartre in the Paris district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, it is marked by the red windmill on its roof. The closest métro station is Blanche.The Moulin Rouge is...
and a father, Mike Coleman, who is a prolific sculptor. His mother, Nicole, is a Holocaust survivor who was born in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He legally changed his first name to Slashtipher with his barmitzva money to illuminate his Jewish past and to honor his grandparents who worked for the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
during the war. Coleman studied writing and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
piano at Radford University
Radford University
Radford University is one of Virginia's eight doctoral-degree granting public universities. Originally founded in 1910, Radford offers comprehensive curricula for undergraduates in more than 100 fields, and graduate programs including the M.F.A., M.B.A...
in Virginia, Middlesex University
Middlesex University
Middlesex University is a university in north London, England. It is located in the historic county boundaries of Middlesex from which it takes its name. It is one of the post-1992 universities and is a member of Million+ working group...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and at Columbia College
Columbia College Chicago
Columbia College Chicago is one of the largest art colleges in the United States with nearly 12,000 students pursuing degrees within 120 undergraduate and graduate programs...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
where he received his master’s degree. He went on to earn a degree at East-West College of the Healing Arts and furthered his studies at the Upledger Institute and Oregon College of Oriental Medicine
Oregon College of Oriental Medicine
The Oregon College of Oriental Medicine , located in Portland, Oregon, United States, offers master's and postgraduate doctoral degrees in acupuncture and Oriental medicine...
. He currently lives in Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Television
Coleman produced, wrote and starred in a PBS Special in 2008 entitled The Neon Man and Mewhich is a tribute to his best friend, Mark Jamison, a neon
Neon
Neon is the chemical element that has the symbol Ne and an atomic number of 10. Although a very common element in the universe, it is rare on Earth. A colorless, inert noble gas under standard conditions, neon gives a distinct reddish-orange glow when used in either low-voltage neon glow lamps or...
artist from Roanoke
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
who was electrocuted while hanging a neon sign. The show seeks to illuminate a young Jewish man’s challenge with his sense of place in the world after his best friend’s death. The stage version has enjoyed extensive national tours since 2005 including a short run Off Broadway, and an invitation to the 2009 National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough
Jonesborough, Tennessee
Jonesborough is a town in and the county seat of Washington County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The population was 4,168 at the 2000 census...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, and in 2010 was distributed through NETA (The National Education Television Alliance) to PBS stations nationwide. The story behind The Neon Man and Me was recorded for StoryCorps
StoryCorps
StoryCorps is an American non-profit organization whose mission is to record, preserve, and share the stories of Americans from all backgrounds and beliefs. StoryCorps grew out of Sound Portraits Productions as a project founded in 2003 by radio producer David Isay...
and included in the archives at the Smithsonian.
Plays
Coleman has written and toured with six stage playsPlay (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
:
- Love in Boxes (2002–2004)
- Bonjour IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
(2009–2010) - The Neon Man and Me (2005–present)
- The Death Match of Love (2009–present)
- 614 Matzo Balls (2009–present)
- Chaidentity (2010)
International Fringe theater festival tours
Coleman began to tour the Fringe festival circuit in 2004 with his stage plays. Cities which have been included on this tour include: San Francisco, California, Washington, DC, Boulder, Colorado Minneapolis, Minnesota, Long Island, New York, and Provincetown, MassachusettsProvincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2007 population of 3,174...
.
In 2008, Coleman began to publish articles on marketing and business for performers under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
, “Mr. Fringey”. He has collected an extensive list of resources including reviews of fringe festivals for fellow fringe performers which he shares on his blog called “Fringe or Die.”
Philanthropy
In 2006, with funding from the National Endowment for the ArtsNational Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
and the Virginia Commission for the Arts, Coleman created a public school curriculum entitled "Healing Communities: Helping Students Come to Terms with Tragedy, Loss, and Violence." In 2009, as part of April’s "Month of the Grieving Child," Coleman produced a tour of student monologues relating to friendship and loss. As a result, Coleman has helped raise nearly $90,000 for non-profits to date.
Discography
- Conversations with a Southern Wonder Boy (2004), Americana/Folk
- The Neon Man and Me Soundtrack ( 2008), Americana/Folk
Storytelling awards
- Winner of The 2005 GrouchoGroucho MarxJulius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
Award for Best One-Man Play for The Neon Man and Me, awarded by the ComedySportz Improv Theater.
Philanthropy awards
- Winner of Style Weekly’s Top 40 under 40 Award, 2006
- Nominated for Virginia Governor’s Award in the Arts, 2008
- Nominated for the Cabot Community Challenge Award, 2010