This past Monday, Sam Chanse launched her California mini tour for Lydia’s Funeral Video at Avenue 50 Studio in Highland Park! It was an intimate evening of music by Carry Hatchet–his first ever live performance–and the talented Lilly Flor del Valle. These were followed by a series of powerful readings from Jessie Bliss, including one from the perspective of an incarcerated woman. Finally, Sam Chanse took the stage to read what she described as a “mashup mixtape” of her book, including audio cues.

It was my first time seeing the play performed, and I was enraptured by the life Sam’s performance gave to the text. So much work was put into Lydia’s Funeral Video to transform the stage to the page, but seeing Sam’s live rendition was very special.

If you didn’t get a chance to come out Monday night and are perhaps closer to the Bay Area, come to Sam’s second stop on her California tour! At 8pm, Sam Chanse will be performing at Kearny Street Workshop in San Francisco along with Claire Light and the Invisible Cities. Buy your tickets now!