Abby, recovering from a recent mastectomy, arrives at her Aunt Eudora's house to a surprise memorial for her own left breast. Horrified, she learns Aunt Eudora has invited everyone who’s ever had a relationship with “Lefty." Abby must face her past, her fears, and the cultural taboos about breast cancer that surround her.
Director’s statement
BY TRAVEN RICE
This is a story about the importance of talking about hard things, and especially—laughing about hard things. I think we tend to fall down in the realm of sharing our personal challenges. Let's be honest, our mainstream culture prefers to tiptoe around uncomfortable topics, which leads to misunderstandings, bad information and feelings of isolation for those of us going through tough scenarios.
I found going through the process of breast cancer treatment to be an isolating and scary experience. I quickly learned it wasn’t a topic people felt comfortable talking about or even asking me about, even though it’s known as one of the more common types of cancer to be diagnosed with. One of the first things I did after diagnosis was ask for jokes—because if you can’t laugh… (you’d stab your eyes out). Along the way, I was shocked to encounter a common theme of silence around going through treatment. Many people told me stories of their mothers, aunts, and grandmothers having been diagnosed and gone through treatment without telling them until years later…or even if they knew their loved ones were going through it, there was often an uncomfortable silence around the issue and they felt they could not talk about it. Many women did not want their co-workers to know about it. I met mothers who didn’t want to tell their own children or partner about it because they didn’t want to scare them or worry them, so the result was they just went through it alone and isolated.
Additionally, I found a lot of misinformation around the topic of the mastectomy. This part of treatment is broadly misunderstood by our general population and greatly misrepresented socially and culturally. It felt to me that people generally saw it as a “boob job” and it was nothing like that. A full mastectomy removes every bit of tissue and nerves, and often the nipple from the breast. You are left without any feeling where the breast once was and ongoing pain around the chest cavity once you’ve had reconstruction. So I found it to be more like an amputation than anything else - and this is NOT the way it’s presented or understood. There is a lot of grief around this loss for most women and I think it’s hard to talk about this realistically. Unfortunately our society still sexualizes and objectifies breasts so I found there to be a big disconnect when it comes to thinking about them in the mode of a physical body part.
This project is intended to look honestly at these social constructs and help people recognize how unhelpful they are for the person going through this unfortunate journey.
Starring
TOVAH FELDSHUH as
Aunt Eudora
ALEXANDRA SEAL as
Abby
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TOVAH FELDSHUH is a six-time Emmy & Tony nominee and has been awarded three honorary Doctorates of Humane Letters. Additionally, for her theatre work, she has won four Drama Desks, four Outer Critics Circle Awards, three Dramalogues, the Obie, the Theatre World, and the Helen Hayes and Lucille Lortel Awards for Best Actress. She has recently been twice nominated as Best Actress in a Drama in Los Angeles for her work in the play Sisters-in-Law, in which she originated the role of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
On the Stage: Broadway: Funny Girl (Rosie Brice), Yentl, Cyrano, Rodgers & Hart, Dreyfus in Rehearsal, Sarava!, Lend Me a Tenor, Golda's Balcony, Irena's Vow, and the show-stopping, trapeze-swinging Berthe in Pippin. Off-Broadway and around the country: Dozens of productions playing everything from three queens of Henry VIII and Tallulah Bankhead to “The Muscle" Jacobs, nine Jews from birth to death in Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh! and Holocaust denier Brenda Goodsen opposite Ed Asner in The Soap Myth. Most recently, she starred in Tawni O'Dell's WINDOWS at Town Hall. In the pre-COVID summer, she starred in the world premiere of Wade Dooley’s The Prompter directed by Scott Schwartz, where she played Irene Young, a legendary diva making her Broadway comeback after a 40-year absence. Immediately on the heels of The Prompter, she filmed Clifford for Paramount Pictures, traveled to the Sing-Sing in New Guinea, and flew from there to Los Angeles to star as RBG in the LA Premiere of Jonathan Shapiro’s Sisters-In-Law. She was thrilled to bring to New York Becoming Dr. Ruth by Mark St. Germain which she first played under the baton of Artistic Director David Ellenstein at North Coast Rep as a streamed performance for subscribers. Since then, the production continued to be developed and deepened through its boffo run at Bay Street Theater under the direction of Scott Schwartz and at the exquisite Safra Hall in the Museum of Jewish Heritage.
On TV: Recently finished filming the season 2 of the Erin Foster TV series Nobody Wants This for Netflix, playing the Russian matriarch (Bina Roklov) of a California family. Prior to that, she completed Harlan Coben's "Shelter" (child-saver Lizzy Sobek) for Amazon Prime. Deanna Monroe on "The Walking Dead", Danielle Melnick on "Law & Order", POTUS Pauline Mackenzie on "Salvation", and Naomi Bunch on "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" where Feldshuh can be seen singing the dignified showstopper: "Where's the Bathroom!" As the pandemic subsided in 2021, she completed filming "Scenes from a Marriage" for HBO playing Oscar Isaac’s mother, Miryam. Currently she is filming a Peacock series entitled M.I.A, where she plays an extremely interesting and dramatic role.
On Film: Kissing Jessica Stein, (Golden Satellite Award), A Walk on the Moon, Brewster's Millions, Just My Luck, Daniel, The Idolmaker, and Ms. Feldshuh's award-winning performance as Prime Minister Golda Meir in Golda's Balcony which has been made into a film entitled Golda's Balcony The Film that won 25 out of 25 Audience Choice Awards. She has completed three feature films: one playing Sir Anthony Hopkins' wife and Anne Hathaway's mother in Armageddon Time by James Gray, a second playing the matriarch Rosalind L. Russell in Start Without Me produced by Matt Damon and directed by Joel Gretsch, and finally, Bleecker, written and directed by Edith Hagigi, with Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor. She has recently completed the film Tuner opposite Dustin Hoffman, directed by Academy Award-winning director Daniel Roher.
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Alexandra was born in Seattle, WA. The daughter of a dentist and a pharmacist, she grew up in a suburb that shares its name with the world's most famous mental hospital (Bellevue). Naturally, she became an artist.
Alex studied at Ithaca College, earning her B.A. in Theater. In addition, she trained at the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Center and the Moscow Art Theater. Shortly after a dance performance in Prague, she moved to New York. She studies on camera audition technique with Bob Krakower & Vance Barber.
TV credits includes: "Escape at Dannemora" (Showtime), “A Murder at the End of the World” (FX), “The Penguin” (HBO), “The Equalizer” (CBS), “The Endgame” (NBC), “The Blacklist” (NBC), “Blue Bloods” (CBS), “Falling Water” (USA), "Herotica".
She’ll next be seen in the upcoming Paul Feig film “The Housemaid.” Other films coming out in 2025 is the independent film “Tiger” and two short films. “Lay Lefty Down” (Co-starring with Tovah Feldshuh) and “Howl” with Alex Moffat & Zoe Ziegler.
Theater work includes: Barrington Stage Company, A.R.T., The Eugene O’Neill Center, & Juilliard School of Music.
She directed, produced, co-created and acted in the short romantic comedy “Wait It Out’ which WON The Quarantine Film Festival. This is her directorial debut.
Alex is an avid reader. She enjoys telling like it is, meditating, and watching panda videos. One of my favorites below.
Alex resides in New York City.
WITH
WALKER
HARE
MAX
RACKENBERG
NATALIE
FARINA
SUNITA
DESHPANDE
PETER DANIEL
STRAUS
THE PACEMAKERS
DANCE TEAM
SAM
RUBINOFF
BEN
RAUCH
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Walker Hare is an actor and filmmaker who has appeared in Taylor Sheridan's 1923 (2023), Artist Unknown (2024), The Sinner (2020) and most recently HBO Max's Task and Netflix's Black Rabbit, where he plays 'Big Dick.
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Max Rackenberg made his Broadway debut in Maria Friedman's 2023 production of "Merrily We Roll Along," where he captivated audiences as one of the original Frank Jrs at just 6 years old.
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Natalie Farina is a singer, actor, and voiceover artist whose love for performing spans film, live theatre, and the recording booth. Known for her warm presence, expressive vocals, and natural storytelling ability, Natalie brings enthusiasm and professionalism to every project.
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Sunita Deshpande was an ad copywriter & UCB intern when Donald Glover encouraged her to appear on 30 Rock. Her film "A Sari for Pallavi" won the Oscars-Qualifying Flickers Festival for best comedy short & placed at the Samuel French OOB Festival, it's now playing on Alaskan Air.
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Ben Rauch is an American actor, writer, and composer known for roles in the Big Bang Theory, Mr. Robot, and Can you Ever Forgive Me? He has also appeared in Jersey Boys and Gossip Girl. Additionally, Rauch is a musician who has toured as Darlene Love's keyboardist and has received awards for his songwriting.
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Sam Rubinoff is a stand-up comedian and writer that performs nightly around New York City. He’s also performed at the New York Comedy Festival, Red Clay Comedy Festival and the Hoboken Comedy Festival.
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Peter Daniel Straus is an entertainer with multiple identities- clown, sketch comedian, writer, director, published author, illustrator, and more. He has performed with a number of illustrious institutions, including the Metropolitan Opera, Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, Dance Theater Workshop, the National Theatre of Norway, and on Late Night With David Letterman, to name a few.
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The Pacemakers Dance Team is a fierce, funny and irresistibly inspiring troupe of seniors, ages 60 to 87, whose mission is to upend stereotypes and celebrate old age, one groovy grapevine at a time. Based in New York City, the Pacemakers perform throughout the United States and internationally.
Filmmakers & Creative Team
TRAVEN
RICE
BRADY EVAN
WALKER
VADIM
EGOUL
ERIN
BRENNAN
JESSICA
VALE
EDUARDO
FIERRO
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Writer-director Traven Rice is devoted to telling stories about the magical moments in our everyday lives. Her work leans into social action and champions under-represented voices.
Her comedic short film about a surprise memorial for a left breast, LAY LEFTY DOWN, was created with the intention to help people talk about hard things. Rice recently completed the pilot for DIVISION STREET, a digital series about a mixed-race young girl sent to live with her cranky Jewish grandmother in a magical neighborhood in New York City.
The pilot screened in numerous festivals including SLAMDANCE, RAINDANCE, ITVFest and SeriesFest and garnered awards across the country, and internationally.
Her first short film, THE NIGHT TRAM, was nominated for a Student Academy Award. Her previous shorts have screened in top festivals including Palm Springs International Shorts Fest, and HollyShorts.
Rice was a finalist for the AFI Directing Workshop for Women in 2023, as well as a SUNDANCE NEW VOICES Lab Finalist, in 2019. She was a features programmer for SLAMDANCE in 2020.
Rice was also a New York Stage & Film 2021 Filmmakers' Workshop Fellow, where she developed her feature film script for RED ROCK FALLS, a psychological thriller based in a small mountain town in Colorado. She and co-writer Brady Walker are currently developing the feature script for LAY LEFTY DOWN.
Rice has a foundation in theater, and a background in film and television production work.
Rice is a long-time member and co-leader of the film collective, FilmShop, and proudly sits on the Board of The Lower East Side Film Festival.
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Writer Brady Evan Walker is a Portland-based, Cajun-bred writer hailing from just south of where you think Louisiana ends. His short films have been showcased at festivals including the Williamsburg Independent Film Festival, Blackbird Film Festival, Coney Island Film Festival (Winner: Best Comedy Short), Lighthouse Film Festival, Key West Film Festival, jellyFEST (Nominated: Best Short Film, Best Actress, Best Picture), Malarkey Film Festival, Sedona Film Festival, Taos Short Film Festival, and Queens World Film Festival (Nominated: Best Comedy Short, Best Ensemble — Narrative Short).
Most recently, he wrote “Lay Lefty Down”—a breast cancer comedy directed by Traven Rice now entering the festival circuit. In March 2026, Walker makes his debut as a librettist with “Dies Irae, Desirée,” an experimental opera written with composer Maria Finkelmeier and premiering as part of a Third Angle Music residency in Portland, Oregon. He is currently at work on a novel and developing “Lay Lefty Down” into a feature-length script.
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Producer Vadim Egoul is a Kazakhstani-American filmmaker based in New York. He’s written and directed several short films (SOUND ASLEEP, LOOKING UP, WICKS) and produced a couple of features and dozens more shorts. His films have played at Mill Valley, Florida, IFFBoston, and other festivals around the world. Currently, he’s in post-production on a new short CASUALTY based on AJ Bermudez’s award-winning short story, developing his feature directorial debut LOSHA about an aging Kazakhstani stage actor, and producing the feature-length breast cancer comedy LAY LEFTY DOWN.
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Producer Erin Brennan is a filmmaker and former English teacher currently based in Los Angeles. She has co-produced FIDELITY (Chelsea Film Festival), STRIYA (Chattanooga, Screamfest LA), and EXUVIA (Mill Valley, IFFBoston, Sun Valley), as well as written and directed the short film ORANGE JUICE (2025), which recently premiered at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival. Erin is also a prose writer with a soft spot for quiet family dramas, and her short story “Vanishing Act” was awarded the Phi Kappa Sigma Fiction Prize. She was a producer on the recently completed short film, LAY LEFTY DOWN.
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Co-Producer and Editor Jessica Vale is an Emmy nominated producer/director/editor. Originally from New Hope, Pennsylvania, Jess has traveled the world producing and editing content for clients such as Netflix, HBOMax, Jigsaw Productions, Ample Entertainment, and Campfire Studios. She holds a BA in film from Temple University and an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business.
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Cinematographer Eduardo Fierro was born in Caracas, Venezuela. His father was a stuntman, and his mother owned a Ballet academy. Their passion for the arts was strong, and growing up under such influence paved the way for his creative journey. His mother gave him his first camera at the age of 12, and he fell in love with every frame, craving more. Thus, he ventured into the world of filmmaking. He studied Film Arts in Venezuela and later attended Full Sail University in the US. Eduardo is also a member of the Sociedad Venezolana de Cinematografía (SVC).
Eduardo has worked in various markets, including the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, Jamaica, Portugal, South Africa, Kuwait, and more. These experiences have allowed him to build a vast network and earn numerous recognitions, including regional Emmys, Promax awards, Addys, Tellys, and ECAs. He has been involved in multiple projects in Los Angeles, which he now calls home.
Breast Memorial Starter Kit
AND WAYS TO CONTRIBUTE
Our Art Department had a lot of fun coming up with “Boob funeral” props, a.k.a. party favors, decorations and breast-themed snacks. Here are a few suggestions, IRL, to get you started, or at least inspired to host your own memorial.
Host a Screening
AND PARTNER WITH US
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