Tuesday October 28, 2025 at 7pm

Westbeth Community Room
155 Bank St
enter through courtyard
New York, NY 10014

STORIES AROUND THE TABLE began many years ago as a Word of Mouth project by Karen Ludwig for actors and writers. Over the years and under her guidance it has evolved into a literary group of women whose stories originate in personal experience and the challenges of that experience. Recently the group began giving annual presentations of their work, of which this is the 5th or 6th.

Karen Ludwig’s numerous Broadway credits include Neil Simon’s BROADWAY BOUND, and THE DEVILS with Anne Bancroft. She appeared in many Off-Broadway performances at The Public Theater and was a member of Andre Gregory’s Manhattan Project. She was in the world premiere of MOONCHILDREN at The Royal Court in London as well as playing Lady McDuff in MACBETH at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.Karen Ludwig produced and directed UTA HAGEN’S ACTING CLASS; a compelling DVD of her incomparable teacher conducting Master Acting Classes UTAHAGENVIDEO.com. Ms. Ludwig has directed plays for the Theater for the New City, NYU School of the Arts, Ensemble Studio Theater, Circle Rep, and The HB Playwrights. On TV she is a LAW and ORDER veteran and many other shows. She conducted an acclaimed interview series ABOUT THE WORK with prominent theater people at the New School for Drama where she also taught for many years.
http://karenludwig.com/#actor

Joyce Aaron
Oboe winner for Acting in a play Acrobatics co written by Luna Tarlo. Original member of The Open Theater, directed by Joseph Chaikin. Premiered America Hurrah by Jean Claude Van Itallie in New York and at The Royal Court Theater in London. Lived and worked with Sam Shepard on many of his early plays.
Joan Hall Known for her artwork, Joan Hall’s collages and assemblages havebeen exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide, including theCentre Georges Pompidou in Paris, and the Museo Rufino Tamayo inMexico. She is a winner of the Miriam Chaikin Foundation 2018 awardfor her poetry. Joan’s poetry and collage books, Journey to Somewhere,Behind My Mind, and Rhyme Time are available on Amazon. Joan hasbeen a resident of Westbeth since 1971.
https://www.joanhallcollage.com

Dawn D/Arcy is a writer, actor and musician notably, as well as relevantly, having played bass in fellow writer Diane Spodarek’s Detroit punk band The Dangerous Diane Band. She worked at The Actors Studio with director John Stix as well as with actor/director Estelle Parsons on Yeats translation of Oedipus starring Al Pacino and Dianne Wiest. She is the very proud grandma of Etta Rose and is never, ever unaware of how lucky and grateful she is to write, co-create and perform with Karen Ludwig and this brilliant group of artists for the past 20+ years.

Diane Spodarek is a Canadian American writer and a recipient of artist fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts.

Dale Soules
is an American actress known for starring in The Messenger, Sesame Street, and for portraying Frieda Berlin in Orange Is the New Black from 2014 to 2019. She appeared in the original production of Hair in the role of Jeannie.

Artwork: “NonFiction” by Christina Maile