Fresno Art Museum hosts the local premiere of Janice Noga and Oscar Speace’s ‘Janka’
AÂ reminder for the weekend: The locally filmed adaptation of “Janka,” Oscar Speace’s triumphant one-woman stage play about his mother surviving the Auschwitz concentration camp, receives its Fresno premiere on Friday, April 1, and Saturday, April 2, at the Fresno Art Museum’s Bonner Auditorium. Speace’s wife, Janice Noga, portrays her mother-in-law in a tale of resilience and courage.
I interviewed Oscar and Janice on the latest episode of my arts talk show, “The Munro Review on CMAC.” While other people Netflix-and-chilled during the pandemic lockdown, these two decided to turn “Janka,” their signature theatrical production, into a film. They corralled a crew of Oscar’s colleagues from Channel 18 and did the shoot in their house. Here’s my video interview with them (it starts at the 13:20 mark):
I covered the stage version of “Janka” extensively for The Fresno Bee over the years, including a trip to New York to report on its Off-Broadway premiere. Here is a piece I wrote for The Munro Review in 2018 that goes into more detail about the show.
The film will be given the red-carpet treatment with screenings at 7 p.m. Friday, April 1, and Saturday, April 2. Tickets are $25. You can buy tickets online at the Fresno Art Museum website or at the door.
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Jackie Ryle
Thank you, Donald. I am so excited to see this film. Having seen the play, and knowing Oscar and Janice as two wonderful and talented people telling a true story in a way that touches the very essence of humanity, I really look forward to the experience. My tickets are for Saturday night and I look forward to walking the red carpet into the world of Janka.