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Squeeze My Cans show about Scientology coming to Los Angeles! 6/10 - 6/26/16

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Squeeze My Cans show about Scientology coming to Los Angeles! 6/10 - 6/26/16

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Hollywood Fringe: Squeeze My Cans

http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/3443?tab=details

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Do you enjoy live performance? Do you think Scientology is insane? Did you ever wonder if Bozo was a suppressive person, or what it’s like to audition to be Tom Cruise’s girlfriend? Do you want to hear a real person with a great sense of humor tell you all about how she fell down that nutty rabbit hole and emerged again in one piece? Cathy Schenkelberg went through it all and survived to tell (and sing) the tale in this tour de force solo performance.

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New poster for Squeeze My Cans show about Scientology

New poster for Squeeze My Cans show about Scientology.

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Opens tonight! Plus, dates for the Squeeze My Cans Show in Los Angeles about Scientology.

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Tonight, Cathy Schenkelberg takes her Scientology cans to the Hollywood Fringe

Tonight, Cathy Schenkelberg takes her Scientology cans to the Hollywood Fringe.

Tony Ortega: Tonight, Cathy Schenkelberg takes her Scientology cans to the Hollywood Fringe

http://tonyortega.org/2016/06/10/to...her-scientology-cans-to-the-hollywood-fringe/

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Former Scientologist Cathy Schenkelberg is taking a big step tonight, and so we called her yesterday to find out how she’s feeling as her one-woman show, “Squeeze My Cans” begins a run at the Hollywood Fringe Festival.

Cathy’s a longtime reader at the Bunker, and someone who has been through some struggles to recover from her years in the church — years that ended up costing her about a million dollars and leaving her broke.

“I’m not a celebrity and I’m not ex-Sea Org. I was just a public Scientologist who got in because I met someone,” she tells us. “I’m a Midwest girl, from Nebraska, and I had been introduced to Scientology a couple of times, and then I met an actress in Chicago who told me it was helping mankind and helping the planet. And at that point in my life I wanted to do something less selfish with my life.”

Cathy says she “jumped in with both feet” in 1991. “I wanted to contribute. So that’s how I got in. Scientology sold that to me, that they were the most ethical, sane group. And they said it was non-denominational, so I could stay a Catholic. God, that was a fucking lie,” she says with a laugh.

“I was auditioning, doing voiceover work. I thought I’d go away for a year and build houses or something. I got into basic courses, and I was making a lot of money doing voiceover parts. And they knew it. So they told me that everything was dire. I was going to pull in illness or disease or even death if I didn’t go to the next level,” she says.

So Cathy pushed her way to Clear, expecting that it was her ultimate goal. “But then they were pushing me on to the OT levels. I was pregnant at the time, but I did it.”

And how high did she get in the end? “I got up to OT 7 and spent a million dollars.”

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Catch “Squeeze My Cans” at 8 pm tonight at Sacred Fools Theater Company’s “Black Box” performance space at 6322 Santa Monica Blvd. And then let us know what you thought of the show!

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Bitter Lemons and Blog Critics are both hosting the same interview of Cathy by Kurt Gardner.

Voices from the Fringe: Cathy Schenkelberg, Star of 'Squeeze My Cans'

http://socal.bitter-lemons.com/learn/article/3347

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Hollywood Fringe Preview: An Interview with Cathy Schenkelberg, Writer/Star of ‘Squeeze My Cans’

http://blogcritics.org/hollywood-fr...y-schenkelberg-writerstar-of-squeeze-my-cans/

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How did you become involved with the COS? And how did you get away?

I was pretty fresh out of college and working as an actress-hyphenate-waitress in Chicago. I was spiritually searching, and I wanted to help or contribute in some way to the world. Isn’t that what most people genuinely want?

How did I get away? Well, that’s the journey! It wasn’t overnight and it wasn’t easy. That’s the basis of Squeeze My Cans — it was developed in pieces through spoken word and storytelling performances over the years around L.A. and Chicago.

Aside from the obvious, is there another meaning behind the title of the show?

Besides the reference to the E-meter cans (which, if you know anything about Scientology, is the electronic device that’s like a lie detector, used to counsel or audit a person), the other reference would, in effect, be “Kiss my ass!” After being so fearful to speak out, it took the courage of others, including the media, to open up about the cult in order for me to add my voice. There’s power in numbers.

I also felt it was the right time. I had raised my daughter as a single mom and wanted so desperately to sing and perform again. It was she who pushed me to audition, write and put myself back out there. She knew how much I missed it while I was trying to keep up with what the COS demanded of me in terms of time and money. As I always say, I was “broke but not broken,” but to tell you the truth, I am a bit broken. Thankfully, the pieces seem a bit easier to put together since I left Scientology.

What words of advice would you give to somebody who may be in a similar situation you found yourself in?

Do research, seek out support groups and be careful of falling into another cult…I’ve seen that happen too. Most importantly, if a group tells you to think for yourself, and you realize that’s not what you’re doing at all — run! Hike, do yoga, eat pizza…just get the hell out!

The great thing about the times we live in now is that the Internet gives you easy access to information, even though you still have to research and decide for yourself what you read and see on television. Hasn’t the political climate been a perfect example of this?

I didn’t have access to such information back then. I think the only thing I found was a 1991 Time Magazine exposé, and Scientology had already created a publication to counterattack all that was written about them. We were given, as new members in the “church” (it’s difficult for me to refer to it that way without quotation marks), a magazine refuting everything in the Time story. It’s still creepy now when I think about it.
There’s even a magazine called Freedom that the “church” gives to its members. My accountant at the time (before he and others “disconnected” from me) said it was his only source for the truth about what’s going on in the world. Scientology spins it any way it can! Oh, I could easily go down the rabbit hole trying to explain things, but I’ll try to keep on point.

My show really takes you on a wild ride. My tremendous director, Shirley Anderson, has pushed it beyond what I ever imagined it could be. She understood my words and my experience, and she knew I wanted to go to that raw and vulnerable place to tell my story. I’m one of thousands of people who have gotten out. Not a celebrity or executive or staff in the “church,” just a girl from Nebraska who was searching for something. I was trying to become a better human being while raising a daughter and juggling a career in voiceover.

By reading your bio, I see that you’re pretty frank about your history. What will audiences learn about you from seeing the show?

I hope they will see that my intentions were good and came from a place of wanting to help and belong. I was so young, and although I hope to reach people of all ages, I especially want the show to make an impression on the 20-somethings who are just starting their quest to find themselves in a world that can really confuse and manipulate.

Look, my story could even resonate with someone feeling trapped in a bad marriage or an abusive relationship — anyone wanting to get out but fearful of losing friends or being shunned. Cults are out there, and they don’t just come in the form of religion. Offshoots of Scientology are out there, too. I don’t want to name them in this article, but trust me — there are folks being indoctrinated right now and don’t even know it.

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What do you hope viewers will take away from this experience?

I hope that instead of hearing people say “How could you be so stupid?” or “Jeez, why did you give so much money away?”, they will think, “Wow, I understand now.” And if they don’t have that takeaway, I hope they will have been entertained, and tell others to come see the show. I’ll never get the money back that I lost to Scientology, but that was never my intention. I want to get back a piece of my soul that was lost. This is my therapy — this and lots of laughter!

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CommunicatorIC

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Another review.

This review is by "corporate" on WWP.

https://whyweprotest.net/threads/sq...los-angeles-6-10-6-26-16.131355/#post-2585029

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She tells a compelling, heartbreaking story. The venue is intimate, so she connects directly with you since there are so few seats. One of the major themes is a running total of dollars spent, along with her reliving much of the training & many of the drills she paid for. In so doing, she captures much of the inanity, repetition, and inflexibility of organized Scientology.

One of the major laugh lines was her asking, deadpan and in the manner of a dyed-in-the-wool Scientologist, "Did you like Battlefield Earth?" followed by a brainwashed response.

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A review.

http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/3443?review_id=17192&tab=reviews

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REVIEW BY SAMANTHA SHABER

JUNE 11, 2016 CERTIFIED REVIEWER

Cathy Schenkelberg gives a powerful, constantly surprising performance in this emotional and very funny one-woman show. As she portrays her experience trapped in the Church of Scientology, she becomes a wide range of characters, from her auditors, to her own father, to her Scientology peers, to a young, naive version of herself. Her intensity mounts as we watch her rising monetary debt, projected on the back wall, and feel her pain and confusion as she learns about Martians in volcanoes and crawling on her skin. I would totally recommend this show to anyone – the performance is as stunning as the story is devastating.

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Another review.

http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/3443?review_id=17097&tab=reviews

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REVIEW BY ANONYMOUS CERTIFIED REVIEWER

WHAT I LIKED

I loved Cathy. I found her to be animated and engaging, funny and poignant. I got lost in the story, and found it fascinating and enlightening. I was moved to tears – and also, thought it was laugh out loud funny at times. I thought the visuals and sound effects helped elevated the show, adding drama and richness to the story. Oh – and the chairs were really comfortable.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

Got nothing but positive stuff to share!

MY OVERALL IMPRESSION

A rare and highly entertaining peek into a bizarre world through the eyes of a beautiful, likable, funny kind soul. I would recommend it to friends and encourage anyone who’s curious about Scientology to go!


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Actor Michael Fairman reviews Squeeze My Cans Show about Scientology

Actor Michael Fairman reviews Squeeze My Cans Show about Scientology.

http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/3443?review_id=17392&tab=reviews

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REVIEW BY MICHAEL FAIRMAN

JUNE 12, 2016 CERTIFIED REVIEWER

tagged as: thought provoing; · incisive

WHAT I LIKED

I thought Cathy Schenkelberg gave a tour de force performance. He acting, dancing and singing took us on her fascinating journey from a wide eyed, basically innocent young actress to being seduced, manipulated and ultimately betrayed by the Church of Scientology, With just the use of lights, a chair and box on a bare stage, she creates specific scenes of her movement through the levels of L. Ron Hubbard’s manufactured “road to spiritual freedom”. We learn of her gradual and then accelerated disillusionment and disappointment with the Church and its staff, the loss of “friends” and family, and the obscene amount of money she spent. It is a journey that is funny, sad even tragic, and finally hopeful.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

Perhaps there were two or three sequences, when she could have slowed her temp. But that is nit-picking.

MY OVERALL IMPRESSION

This was an incisive look into the world of Scientology from one person’s perspective. Having also made that similar journey, her presentation rang with devastating truth. Yet she made it clear enough for non-Scientologists to understand, Her experience from many aspects serves as a warning to anyone who is tempted to become involved.

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Gia On The Move reviews Squeeze My Cans Show about Scientology

Gia On The Move reviews Squeeze My Cans Show about Scientology.

Gia On the Move - Gia #HFF16 Reviews: Squeeze My Cans

https://giaonthemove.com/2016/06/12/gia-hff16-reviews-squeeze-my-cans/

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As a show Squeeze My Cans is tight, smart and hilariously funny, keeping the WTF moments entirely in the realm of comedy, even though they are not – and far from it.

Suddenly realizing you are middle-aged, broke and being rejected by your own belief system is no laughing matter. And when Schenkelberg’s daughter confesses one day that she’s being encouraged by her teachers to ‘disconnect’ with her when she turns 18, it’s the wake up call Schenkelberg finally needs to leave for good and never look back.

Writer/performer Cathy Schenkelberg is a captivating, naturalistic performer and absolutely delightful. She is supported by the direction of Shirley Anderson and sound design by Victoria (Toy) Deiorio, lighting design by Brandon Baruch and graphic design by Brett Newton.

Highly Recommended.

For tickets and more information visit: http://hff16.org/3443

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CommunicatorIC

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Another review.

http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/3443?review_id=17748&tab=reviews

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REVIEW BY MYRNA ORENBACH DWYER

JUNE 14, 2016 CERTIFIED REVIEWER

WHAT I LIKED

Cathy Schenkelberg’s one-woman show was honest, touching, hilarious, sardonic – and totally resonated with me!

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

Nothing – it was great.

MY OVERALL IMPRESSION

Hilarious, beautifully-written, touching, honest, witty, sardonic, thought-provoking.

A very professional and well-done piece of acting. We had a great time.

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CommunicatorIC

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Another review.

http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/3443?review_id=17837&tab=reviews

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REVIEW BY ERNEST KEARNEY

JUNE 15, 2016 THE TVOLUTION

MY OVERALL IMPRESSION

Wow.

That’s about the most apropos comment across the board on Squeeze My Cans, Cathy Schenkelberg’s riveting, heart wrenching and ultimately redeeming tale of her decade plus involvement with Scientology.

Wow to the account of her descent into the Kafkaesque universe of L. Ron Hubbard’s “religion” that first seeks to entice and then consume all that come within its grasp.

Wow to the price both financially and emotionally the cult cost her.

Wow to her eventual struggle to free herself and her daughter from the prison of its poison “philosophy”.

Wow to Shirley Anderson’s masterful direction that weaves the maelstrom of Schenkelberg’s narrative placing it before the audience with both stunning craft and crystal clarity.

And an especially gargantuan Wow to Schenkelberg’s stellar performance, possibly the best in the Fringe I’ve seen, as she recounts her story in harrowing detail, leading us down the rabbit hole of engrams, auditing and clearing into a madness closer to Dante than Lewis Carroll.

The “Cans” in the play’s title refers to the hand grips of the electropsychometer, known as the “E-meter, a bio-feedback device used by Scientologist know as auditors. This position was what Schenkelberg was training for, thus giving her solo show a very different and very different feeling than any other expose on the “church”.

The 2015 documentary “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief” which dissected with great precision the contemptible practices of the “church” was shocking to view. But Squeeze My Cans is an immensely personal account focusing on the insidious means used in Schenkelberg’s own indoctrination, permitting us to witness how her own best intentions were woven into the web ensnaring her.

Scientology’s goal is the stripping away from an individual everything in their life not connected to the church, until there is nothing left for them but to serve as an appendage to the organization.

By understanding how Schenkelberg, the bright, attractive young actress just starting her career, was drawn into the Scientology labyrinth, we are able to recognize our own vulnerability and face the unpleasant truth that we ourselves could have been enticed to the same edge and made to suffer the same fall.

One may already be of the opinion that Scientology is a dangerous cult, but in Schenkelberg’s recounting how the “church” methodically isolated her from family, betrayed her into surrendering to them virtual control of every aspect of her life, and exploited her insecurities to compel her to spend nearly a million dollars on Scientology courses, often with the “church” arranging bank loans for her to pay for them we are exposed in the most visceral fashion to the unbelievable maliciousness of this organization.

If H.P. Lovecraft had been a business writer instead of the author of fantasy horror, the Church of Scientology would have been his version of Chuallan Inc.

Squeeze My Cans is a show that needs to be seen both as a warning to the type of wanton evil that is allowed to exist in this society, and as a tribute to the human spirit’s ability to survive and overcome those monsters that we must all one day face in life.

A well deserved:GOLD.

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