Page 4 - Jewish News | November 2021

4A November 2021 FEDERATION NEWS

Sharon Geller’s Talmudic take on comedy

By Gayle Guynup
omedienne, actor, writer and said. “Both my mother and father had whom, she said, had great comedic my new life,” she said.
director Sharon Geller will great senses of humor and there was timing and skills. Sharon said she had three fears
Cperform on Monday, Decem- always a lot of laughter in our home,” While she loved comedy, as she about being self-employed: that with-
ber 6 at 7:00 p.m., in a Zoom event for she said. “So, you don’t have to be a started college, she didn’t see how she out a schedule, she would sleep un-
The Jewish Federation of Sarasota- psychologist to understand that those could translate that til noon every day;
Manatee, in collaboration with three early years with my dad, watching The love into a way to that she would have
other Federations. Her show, “Knock. Carol Burnett Show, Red Skelton and make a living. “In my mint-chocolate chip
Knock. Jews there? A Talmudic Take all those other great shows had a tre- view, you were either ice cream for break-
on Comedy,” traces the Jewish co- mendous impact on me.” Meryl Streep or an fast every day; and
medic heritage with a few of her own Sharing all of that laughter with her unemployed actress,” that she would spend
twists. father “was such a lovely thing,” she she said. “I didn’t see the entire day watch-
Sharon was born and grew up said. “That was one reason I gravitated a middle ground.” ing soap operas. Once
in Philadelphia, which is where she toward comedy. Another is that I abso- Sharon graduated she overcame those
makes her home today, though she lutely stink at chemistry and math.” with a degree in Ra- fears, she was on her
works and travels around the country Her list of mentors includes Car- dio, TV and Film, and way.
and around the world. “I grew up in a ol Burnett and, later, Gilda Radner, with a minor in Jour- “And I can tell
household where comedy was big,” she and Andrea Martin from SCTV, all of nalism from Temple you today, that after
University, and spent 30 years as a self-em-
her first 10 employ- Sharon Geller ployed entertainer, I
able years in the corporate world work- have never had one bowl of mint-choc-
ing in medical public relations. olate chip ice cream for breakfast,” she
“One day, when I was in my mid-
UROLOGY TREATMENT CENTER 30s, my dad passed away and that was said. For the next five years, Sharon
• BARZELL • GREEN • AKARY • a wake-up call that life is short and I went to New York to study with Chi-

didn’t want to find myself looking back cago City Limits, which is similar to
WINSTON E. BARZELL, MD, FACS, FRCS with lots of woulda-shoulda-couldas what Second City is to Chicago. “I
Diplomate of the American Board of Urology left undone,” she said. “I asked myself, knew I didn’t want to be a stand-up co-
JOSHUA T. GREEN, MD, FACS if I died tomorrow, would I be happy medienne, but I did not know exactly
Diplomate of the American Board of Urology doing what I’m doing, and the answer what it was that I wanted to be. So, I
EIHAB AKARY, MD was no,” she said. would take the train in from Philly and
Urologist She took a day off from work. She study improv in New York, and that
CASIE WODZIEN, MSN, APRN, ANP-BC was at her mom’s house watching an slowly led to me becoming an actress,
episode of The Phil Donahue Show
auditioning for on-camera commer-
3325 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 200 6310 Health Parkway, Suite 210 4351 Cortez Road, Suite 201 which, on that particular day, featured cials and taking voice-over classes. All
Sarasota, FL 34239 Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202 Bradenton, FL 34210 six CEOs who had all left their six-fig- of that has evolved over the years to the
ure jobs to pursue their dreams. “That point that I now teach voice-over class-
PHONE: 941.917.8488 Urologytreatmentcenter.com
FAX: 941.917.8475 a Division of 21 Century Oncology was on a Friday. I came in on Monday es. I still do radio commercials, and I
and gave a month’s notice and started
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