Comedy • Community • Connection

The Vicissitudes of Travel

Premiered at the *2017 FringeArts festival**, and has been performed for university and medical students, artists of all kinds, and communities impacted by* compromised brain issues.

Co-created by Blaine and Karen Getz

Illustration by Chrissie Bonner

Bring the Journey to you -Book a Performance Today!

“The Vicissitudes” is a kind of psycho-tourism --a tour through the encounters and reactions in the strange and foreign landscape and chronology of cancer and dying. We don't belong in the alien lands... we are tourists there, wondering how to act, what to look at, and when we'll get home again. But we also know that the ticket for such a tour is, perhaps, the life of someone we love."

Indira Karamcheti

Professor and Chair of American Studies, Wesleyan University

"Everything about you surprised me. What mostly stood out was the energy, the very tangible feeling of being loved, the courage of your radical honesty, self-love and compassion. Your work changed my perspective. It started a process, a desire to be more self-forgiving and bold, and to more rigorously be the author of my own story. You stand out because of your incredible vitality and faith, combined with radical honesty and integrity. You are alive to life, joy and possibility. And you're so damn playful!!"

Ronnie Krensel

Showrunner, Director, Producer of Film and TV

“I can't tell you how moved and amazed and full of joy your show made me. I just loved it - you are such a gifted actor/embody-er - so easy with comedic moments that you didn't see the heartbreaking ones coming. I'm so proud to have you associated with Jilline and 1812 Productions. Thanks for sharing your heart and brain.”

Jen Childs

Founder 1812 Productions, Philadelphia’s Comedy Theatre Company

The Vicissitudes of Travel Highlight Reels

“Sister” leads us on a dynamic bus tour through her brother’s brain surgery in an attempt to save him before it’s too late. During this whirlwind of a one-woman show, theatrical performer Jennifer Blaine breathes life into ten characters, including the brother’s brain tumor, to illustrate the intricacies of connection (familial and neural), memory, identity, and love. The piece seeks to increase compassion and connect us on this journey. Co-created by Blaine and Karen Getz, The Vicissitudes of Travel premiered at the 2017 FringeArts festival, and has been performed for university and medical students, artists of all kinds, and communities impacted by compromised brain issues.

“What I found most fascinating about Blaine’s performance is the life she gave to all her characters. Blaine’s ability to capture each character’s unique story and characteristics makes you forget that you are watching a one-person play. One second you see Blaine’s rushing across the stage and the other, with your eyes closed, you imagine a whole different person. “The Vicissitudes of Travel” is a must watch whether it is a unique perspective of medicine you seek or a thought-provoking show about a sister incredibly frightened to lose her brother.”

Dr. Helen Karimi

"The playful magic in Blaine's ability to crisply inhabit an entire cast of characters may at first lead you to expect a Wonderland of her invention. But hold on tight. THE VICISSITUDES OF TRAVEL has the visceral drive of a fever dream—its final destination at once unforgivingly foreign, yet strikingly similar to the place you call home."

Ken Youmans

Critic

“This dynamic and intriguing one-woman show bridged my own intimate perception of tragedy with ideas about the layered connections that surround a person in times of physical suffering, emotional pain, and tremendous loss. For me, “The Vicissitudes of Travel” embodies the human condition in a way that reminds me that my patients’ vulnerabilities are not unlike my own.”

Dr. Buffy Dekmar