Don't Tell My Mother!

Don’t Tell My Mother! is a live storytelling event where writers and performers from film and television share true stories they’d never want their moms to know. Created and hosted by Twentieth Century Fox feature film producer Nikki Levy and Executive Produced by Lizzie Czerner, the show began in October 2011 in Los Angeles, California, and features well-known and up-and-coming talent. Past performers include Traci Lords (Pop Icon), Laraine Newman (Saturday Night Live), Justin Halpern (Shit My Dad Says), and Mary Lynn Rajskub (24).

About the Show

Don’t Tell My Mother! was created in October 2011 by Nikki Levy, a Los Angeles-based feature film producer known for Epic and Frost/Nixon. Nikki met Bang Comedy Theatre Artistic Director Lizzie Czerner (The Booby Prize), and together they launched the first show in the lobby of Bang Comedy Theatre featuring unknown performers. The show quickly gained recognition from Huffington Post^[1][2] and The LA Times.^[3]

Nikki works with comics, actors and award-winning screenwriters to share honest, hilarious and poignant true stories they wouldn’t want their mothers to know. This process, dubbed “creative therapy” by Hollywood producer Lynda Obst (Sleepless in Seattle), allows each performer to craft their story into a 10-12 minute piece to be read on stage.

Playing monthly at Fais Do-Do in Los Angeles to a crowd of 200+, the show is hosted by Nikki Levy and features a new cast of performers each month reading their own material. Each show has a happy hour and foodtruck, live stories and a house band fronted by musician Abby Posner.

Don’t Tell My Mother! has a podcast featuring past performers and is produced by Joe Slepski.

The show has performed in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago (December 2013).

Nikki’s New York-based mother, Judi Levy, makes frequent appearance in person or via Skype.

Crew

Creator and Host: Nikki Levy

A graduate of Northwestern University, Nikki serves as Vice President of Wedge Works, a feature film company with a deal at Fox. She’s worked on such films as Fox Animation’s 2013 release EPIC starring Beyonce Knowles, Academy Award-nominated Frost/Nixon, and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Prior to joining Fox, she was the Director of Developmentat Imagine Entertainment. A native New Yorker, she credits her dysfunctional relationship with her amazing mother as the genesis for the show. She lives in Los Angeles with her pit bull.

Co-Creator & ExecutiveProducer: Lizzie Czerner

Lizzie studied theatre at Sarah Lawrence College and has an MA in Performance Studies from NYU, Tisch School of the Arts. She worked as Artistic Director of Bang Comedy Theatre, where she helped create and continues to produce the hit storytelling show, Don’t Tell My Mother! Lizzie is an actor, director, voiceover artist and coach. Her solo show, The Booby Prize, won Best Comedy runner up in the 2011 Hollywood Fringe Festival and was an official jury selection of the 2011 NYC International Fringe Festival. She is also co-founder of The Rant Theatre Company.

Associate Producers:

Marisa Sarnoff

Joe Slepski

Hamish Tildesley

Kitty Walsh

Jake Webb - Jake "of all trades" Webb works in PR, entertainment marketing, writes for WeHo News and creates shameless self-promotion at http://jakewebb.net. Webb serves as Associate Producer and talent-facing liaison for Don't Tell My Mother!.

Coordinating Producer: Amanda Harrington

House Band: Abby Posner

Publicity Manager: Edith Yang

Production Team:

David Bornstein

Valarie Phillips

Mary Colleran

Bryce Fishman

Bart Gold

Lauren Gural

Emily Kirk

Julie Neumark

Jared Noble

Alexandra Zelle Rettman

Patrick Skelly

Andy Wagner

Photographers: Megan & Lowell Hiles of Lasting MPressions Photography

Talent and Past Performers

There is a new cast for each show. Many of these performers have a podcast available through iTunes.

2011

• October 13:

• November 10:

2012

• January 12:

• February 9:

• March 15:

• May 10 (Mother's Day Show):

• June 7 (Performed at Comedy Central Stage):

• June 28 (Father's Day Show):

• July 19:

• September 13:

• October 11:

• November 29:

2013

• January 24:

• February 28:

• April 11:

• May 9:

• June 20:

References

Press

1. "Featured Entertainer: Nikki Levy." Science and Entertainment Exchange, 1 August 2012.
2. Bartolone, Tony. "Everybody's Talking About Don't Tell My Mother." The Huffington Post, 7 June 2012.
3. "Don’t Tell My Mother! Some Funny Sh*t You Won’t Wanna Keep Quiet About." YandP.tv, 28 April 2012.
4. Lustick, Adam. "Embarrassing Family Stories, Expertly Told, Take Center Stage in L.A. Show." Jewcy, 5 June 2012.
5. Wetherbe, Jamie. "'Don't Tell My Mother,' but ...". Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2012.
6. Nelson, Cori Clark. "Don't Tell My Mother!" Los Angeles I'm Yours, 16 July 2012.
7. Ziemba, Christine. "Five Questions: Meet Nikki Levy of the Live Storytelling Show 'Don't Tell My Mother.'" LAist, 10 September 2012.
8. Torok, Ryan. "Q&A with Nikki Levy." Jewish Journal, 27 September 2012.
9. Webb, Jake. "Don’t Tell My Mama: Reviewed." WeHo News, 18 October 2012.
10. "Comedy Listings for Nov. 23-29." New York Times, 22 November 2012.
11. Sass, Megan. "Tell Everyone About Don’t Tell My Mother!" Heeb Magazine, 11 December 2012.
12. Ziemba, Christine. "Pencil This In." LAist, 24 January 2013.
13. Taylor, Leah. "The Flavorpill Guide to the Week’s Top 10 LA Events." Flavorwire, 25 February 2013.
14. Steely, Jon. "There Are Things Traci Lords Doesn't Want Her Mother to Know." Huffington Post, 17 June 2013.
15. Goldstein, Gregg. "Art or Commerce? Some Execs Balance Both." Variety, 13 July 2013.