Frannie Sheridan

About Frannie Sheridan

Frannie Sheridan, Traditionally published author and playright, discovered by Arthur Hiller(LOVE STORY director), otherwise known as the adult comedy entertainer named Smartiepanties (for 6 weeks), stretched her strong Dancer’s legs, adjusted her auburn wig and wondered why she was at a strip club, ready to go onstage to entertain a crowd of rowdy men. Was this how she had been raised—or was it the defining moment, that turned the darkness of her youth into the lightness that is Frannie today? Just a few weeks prior she had been an honoured guest at the Capitol, was awarded keys to the city and received standing ovations for her well-behaved solo show.
Although she had been raised as the adored sixth child of a well-respected North American Catholic family, even before she was nine years old Frannie knew something was amiss. Later, she would learn that her brilliant father, a doctor, had been born Jewish, and escaped the Nazis. Once in Canada, together with his Jewish wife, Liesel, they raised their children as proud orthodox Jews. But an anti-Semitic attack in 1951, nearly killed him and threatened the lives of his family. The attack caused him to convert the Jewish Sigals to the Catholic Sheridans. Eventually, the terrible lie they lived provided a labyrinth of twists and turns that Frannie deftly captured in her play The Waltonsteins and in this incredibly riveting memoir which proudly reclaims her Jewish self, her voice, and her light. Her audio book version including brand new contentw ill be releasedrly this year, called I TRIED TO BE NORMAL BUT IT WAS TAKEN!
Although the war in Europe had ended, its long-reaching fingers continued to rage in the hearts of millions. Yet Frannie found a crack in the darkness despite her implausible yet true childhood and journey. An emotionally paralyzed Catholic girl morphed into a feisty Jewess with audacity and humor. Including her childhood family. Exhausted by the hypocrisy she felt about herself as well as that which she observed in others left her feeling ashamed and angry. But as her strong survivor parent’s daughter, she was determined to win over her inner Nazi. She taught Stress-Management techniques all the while internally imploding. Well, as they say “we teach what we need to learn.” And to manage her stress, part of her healing was the 6 weeks she spent publicly removing her clothes icluding her coat of shame.