“After I’m Dead, You’ll Have To Feed Everyone”
The Rollicking Tale of Ellen Straus, Dairy Godmother
Written & Performed by Vivien Straus
A daughter’s love letter to her immigrant mother, a European city kid who finds love on a California dairy and emerges as one of West Marin’s iconic environmental pioneers. It's funny, it's sad, it's ridiculous, it's performed in a barn at a farm.
Directed by Elly Lichenstein
Produced by Michael Straus & Denise Rocco-Zilber
Dramaturgy by Jayne Wenger
Illustration by Laurie Mahan Sawyer
At Straus Home Ranch, Marshall, CA
Now Streaming on Vimeo TV!
Three-day rental ($4.99) or purchase ($19.99). All proceeds support the California Cheese Trail (CheeseTrail.org), created by Vivien to support artisan cheesemakers and family farmers
Cows (intro song): Written by Sandra Boynton & Michael Ford. Record Label: Concord
Ellen Straus (1927-2002)
About Mom: Co-founder, Marin Agricultural Land Trust, the first agricultural land trust in the country and subsequent model for all farmland protection organizations); Co-founder, Marin Organic (the first triple certification program combining organic, hyper local, and commitment to broader regenerative practices); Award: Steward of the Land Award (American Farmland Trust, 1998); Award, Points of Light (awarded at the White House, 2001); Award: Marin County Women’s Hall of Fame (1989); New York Times Obituary (Mom), New York Times Obituary (Pop), New York Times feature by R.W. Apple; Sierra Magazine feature (July 2002); and matriarch of Straus Family Creamery, the first organic dairy west of the Mississippi.
Critics Reviews & Media Coverage
Pick! ASR Theater ~~“After I’m Dead:” a Daughter’s Moving Tribute (November 9, 2022)
A wonderfully poignant and at times laugh-out-loud funny tribute … one of the best celebrations of life imaginable”
‘After I’m Dead’: One-woman show honors ‘larger-than-life’ matriarch of Straus dairy family
"Ellen Straus, born in Amsterdam in 1927, fled the Netherlands before the 1940 Nazi invasion, finding refuge in the U.S. [She married] William Straus, a German Jewish immigrant … when she realized that developers were threatening to build homes on the West Marin coastline, she - determined that the land remain agricultural - banded together to found the Marin Agricultural Land Trust. “She loved the farming life … and she wasn’t going to be forced to move again.”
“Straus is an entertaining raconteur.”
“The story she tells is full of love, and also replete with humor.”
“The nonlinear way she tells the story is totally engaging”
- Sam Hurwitt, Marin Independent Journal
“The solo show is grounded in Vivien’s self-awareness that both she and all the cows in her life are a bit ridiculous.”
“I really wanted to tell the story of my mother and our relationship and how, in a way, West Marin was saved, and what makes an activist.”
MALT (October Newsletter) - "5 Life Wisdoms from MALT’s Cofounder, Ellen Straus”
“Vivien Straus, daughter of MALT cofounder Ellen Straus, shares five insights into her mom’s guiding life principles, ingredients for success in any endeavor.”
Petaluma Argus-Courier (August 19, 2022) - Arts Center delivers tasty ‘Agri-CULTURED’
“Mom,” another striking and delightful piece, is a papier mache sculpture by artist Vivien Straus, the writer-performer of an upcoming one-woman theatrical show titled “After I’m Dead, You’ll Have to Feed Everyone.”
Point Reyes Light (June 29, 2022) - “After I’m Dead’: A Tribute to a Remarkable Woman
"Though her own play is just a personal perspective on Ellen’s life, it is also a history of the activism that launched the preservation of farmland in Marin."
PRESS RELEASE: New York City, NY (July 10, 2023)
“After I’m Dead, You’ll Have to Feed Everyone,” is a daughter’s comical love letter to her immigrant mother, Ellen Straus, a European city kid who fled the Nazi, grew up in NYC, found love on a California dairy farm and emerged as an environmental pioneer and matriarch of the organic dairy movement.
Thanks to our amazing Fall 2023 debut sponsors!
Non Profits & Supporting Patrons
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