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MORE ABOUT FRANCINE
From the moment Francine made her stage debut at the age of nine, stepping into the role of Dorothy Gale (The Wizard of Oz), a fire was ignited in her soul. That fire was fanned by her fascination with the works of Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Angela Lansbury, Julie Andrews, Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, and Audrey Hepburn, and then inextinguishably set ablaze as she experienced the stellar talents of Patti Lupone, Mandy Patinkin and Bob Gunton coalesce and electrify the audience during the 1979 Broadway production of Evita. While sitting transfixed in the audience, Francine never imagined that she herself would, several years later, get to play the iconic Eva Peron, an experience that truly left her feeling "Rainbow High" and excited about performance opportunities on the horizon.
Since Francine's trip down the Yellow Brick Road, at age nine, she's portrayed a plethora of colorful characters, earning accolades and awards along the way. Her beloved list of stage roles includes Golda Meir (Golda's Balcony - national tour, Orchard Street Productions), Rose/Momma (Gypsy), Agnes (I Do! I Do!), Dolly Levi (Hello Dolly!), Narrator (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat), Golde (Fiddler on the Roof), Daisy Werthan (Driving Miss Daisy), Bunny (Old Jews Telling Jokes), Amanda Wingfield (The Glass Menagerie), Melissa Gardner (Love Letters). In front of the camera Francine's roles include Brad's Mom in Griffin in Summer (written and directed by Nicholas Colia), Tricia Richardson in The Eye of the Catfish (written and directed by Kaitlyn Williams), and social worker Elizabeth Griffin-Hall in Susan Powell: An ID Murder Mystery (directed by Bryan Gildner). Francine's life journey began in Brooklyn, New York, where she was born to parents Sheldon and Ruth Berk (nee Yurkowitz and Schein, respectively). She grew up in Port Washington, Long Island with sisters Michelle and Harriet. When she was fourteen, after playing Mabel in Weber Junior High School's production of The Pirates of Penzance, Francine was evaluated by acclaimed soprano Ora Witte for acceptance into The Juilliard School's Pre-College Division. Although Ms. Witte endorsed Francine for enrollment in the program, Francine's parents strongly urged her to be "practical" about her education and career aspirations, so Francine continued at Paul D. Schreiber High School, where she performed in various theatrical productions. The summer after her junior year, Francine attended the Berkshire Center for the Performing Arts, where she had the thrilling experience of performing as Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof, Susie Ward in Babes in Arms, Lili in Carnival, and Mrs. Jensen in 110 in the Shade in the Center's summer stock season. At her high school graduation, Francine was awarded the North Shore Community Arts Award for Drama. She then attended the State University of New York at Binghamton and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science, making her parents proud. While at SUNY, she enjoyed working as a singing waitress at The Music Box, a jazz bar in Johnson City, NY, and performing in college theater productions; notably as Joanne in Godspell, Mrs. Soames in Our Town, Hannah Warren in California Suite, and Betty Gorner in The Darning Needle. After graduating from college, Francine, staying true to her soul's calling, began to craft a career in the performing arts. As a character actress, Francine savors every opportunity to play roles that require her to stretch her imagination and acting muscles beyond their breadth, and she's had the good fortune of doing so by playing a myriad of diverse leading and supporting roles: dramatic, comedic and musical. Two of the most challenging roles she's played have been Golda Meir in Golda's Balcony and Rose/Momma in Gypsy, but portraying Golda Meir remains the most humbling and soul-stirring experience of her career; so much so that after each show, Francine looked up to Heaven, praying that the "Iron Lady" of Israeli politics was looking down from above in approval of her performance. It's a role Francine hopes to play again. When asked which role is the most joyful she's ever played, Francine still beams when she says, "Luisa in The Fantasticks ... I still feel her exuberance in my soul." When asked what she considers to be one of the most surprising accomplishments of her life, it doesn't take Francine long to cite the Dreamers Like Us album she co-wrote with Joe Piket (a/k/a/ Joe Pace). What started out as a song to help her come to terms with her father's untimely passing, became a songwriting journey that led to her fronting New York-based country band Sidewinder from 1997 to 2001, which is when she and her husband, Kenny, moved to Nashville to work with record producer Ray Doggett. Sadly, Ray passed away several months after Francine and Kenny arrived in Nashville. Upon Ray's passing, Francine's country music endeavors unraveled. Although that part of her artistic career never took flight, remembering that Ray branded her "the Bette Midler of Country" (quite a compliment!) still brings a smile to Francine's face. Francine's life has had its share of twists and turns, including licensure as a massage therapist and reflexologist (she works alongside her wonderful hubby in that capacity between acting jobs, with their sweet fur baby, Little Miss Marlie, cheering them on) but her inner compass has always brought her back to the thing she loves doing most: performing. And so, the fire that was ignited in Francine's soul when she was a little girl continues to blaze, with the best yet to come. |