Story of South Lake Tahoe teacher heads to the stage in New York City

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Lake Tahoe community knows her as a dedicated and celebrated teacher at her alma matre, one who is full of energy and passion. They know her as the winner of the 8th season of Dancing with the Tahoe Stars in 2020.

People know her as a champion for LGBT+ youth, an advocate celebrated by the California Teachers' Association in California Educator and Read This, Save Lives by Sameer Jha.

A larger community knows her as the "yes" girl and her long history with the band Duran Duran, a history celebrated on the stage of the Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena in 2019. She had dreamt of meeting the band she credits with saving her childhood. At the time she said she'd be helping kids obtain their dreams, just as she did.

Who is she? Bridey Thelen Heidel.

While Bridey continues to help kids with their dreams, hers keep taking her beyond her wildest imagination.

In her upcoming memoir, Bright Eyes, the tale is told about how Bridey grew up in the midst of danger and abuse. She used resilience, optimism, and bravery to persevere and survive, and she is sharing that story.

The readers of her blog have shared that journey.

It is at Bright Eyes where readers go along with Bridey as she navigates her history, covering all topics. One entry, We Owned The Night, has led to her blog being published in Mutha Magazine and to her interview for the Two Old Bucks podcast.

Now the telling of her story is taking her to New York City where she joins others on the stage in Listen To Your Mother NYC, a 90-minute show produced and directed by Heather Christie. Bridey joins others as they tell stories about motherhood — being a mom, having a mom, losing a mom, finding mom — as
many interpretations on the theme of mothering as you can imagine. From the
hilarious and heartwarming to the emotionally intense and profound, Listen To Your Mother NYC "entertains, energizes, and leaves everyone feeling a little less alone and a little more understood."

Besides Bridey, cast members include Sarah Glubish, Sammie King, Mindy Matijasevic, Melissa Rozetar, Cali Snyder, Jessica Messier, Nicole Christie, Jack Mahoney, Lisa Lucca, Anna Sandler, James Christie, Holly Rutchik, and Helen Firestone.

Bridey has over 21 people joining her on the trip to New York for the Off-Broadway performances on April 1 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Theater 71. The later show is also being carried via livestream. For information on tickets and livestream, visit https://bit.ly/3WjUAAg.

There are still more dreams for Bridey as she continues to pluck each one from the clouds.