About the Play: She just wanted to lose weight, but then she lost her mind and came very close to losing it all. Hip Bones and Cool Whip is the story of a young woman whose diet turned into a death sentence. Written and performed as a solo show by Rochelle Newman, developed by Mark Travis and directed by Carlos Carrasco, Hip Bones and Cool Whip is a powerful theatrical experience that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt fat, dieted, obsessed about anything, or looked in the mirror and didn't like what they saw. Hip Bones and Cool Whip is based on the author's own battle with anorexia nervosa, a devastating eating disorder affecting 1 in 200 females as well as a growing percentage of men. In spite of the serious subject matter, Hip Bones and Cool Whip is both written and performed with a great deal of warmth and humor. "It's a crazy state of mind" reflects Newman. "You think you're so in control, when in fact you couldn't be more out of control." Although Hip Bones and Cool Whip is performed as a 90 minute solo show, throughout the evening we are introduced to a cast of characters who contribute to the protagonists dysfunction. These include a self-centered, overweight Jewish mother and a relentlessly manipulative and critical inner voice. About the Author and Others: Author, Rochelle Newman A native of New York City, Ms. Newman has also resided in the Los Angeles area for periods of time since the mid-seventies. She is a graduate of Beverly Hills High School and UC Irvine, where she received her BFA in Theater. In addition to being a founding member of New York's Pegasus Theater Company, she performed in numerous Off-Off and Off Broadway productions. She has written several one-acts and full length plays, including Lieber's Kinder, which won the Barbra Streisand Playwrights Award. She is also the author of the screenplay Language Lessons. In Los Angeles, Ms. Newman spent several years performing stand-up at a variety of local clubs including Igbys, The Ice House, and The Improv. Hip Bones and Cool Whip is her first solo show. Ms. Newman is also an active member of the Los Angeles Advertising community and co-owns a specialized advertising firm. She is often booked as a public speaker at conference related to creativity and the advertising industry. [back to top] Director, Carlos Carrasco Born in Panamá City, Panamá, Carlos has appeared as an actor in films, on Broadway, Off and Off-off Broadway as well as appearing at many of the country's regional theaters. Mr. Carrasco has co-starred in such feature films as Double Take, Blood In Blood Out, Speed and The Fisher King. On television he has been a guest on many prime time series, including Star Trek: Voyager, The Steve Harvey Show, ER, Live Shot, Seaquest, Hunter, Renegade, Silk Stalkings and The Equalizer. Carlos began his theatrical training at the Canal Zone College in Panamá and earned an acting scholarship to Stephens College in Missouri where he completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theater. A year at the University of Illinois earned him a Master's Degree, followed by three years on an acting fellowship at Wayne State University where, as a member of the Hilberry Classic Theater, he appeared in a wide range of classical roles. In New York he appeared on Broadway in the Circle-In-The-Square's production of The National Health and worked at such regional theaters as The Hartford Stage Co., The Alliance Theater, The Folger Theater, Shakespeare & Co. , The American Shakespeare Theater and New York companies The Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, INTAR, Theater for a New Audience and The New York Shakespeare Festival. Also active in the non-profit sector, he served for six years as Executive Director of HOLA (Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors), producing an annual Latino Theatre Festival, as well as serving for three years as a panelist for the New York State Council on the Arts. As a director, Carlos has staged everything from avant-garde Latin American playwrights to touring productions of Shakespeare to French farce. An accomplished voice-over performer residing in Los Angeles, Carlos can be heard on numerous radio and television commercials; and is the Spanish voice for Jack In The Box and Mitsubishi Motors. Hip Bones and Cool Whip was developed by Mark Travis whose credits include numerous solo productions including A Bronx Tale. [back to top]

© 2002 HB&CW