UCLA’s Friends of the Semel Institute hosted a reading of a one-woman play, One Minute of Happiness – a Tale of Sisterhood and Baking written and performed by Nanci Christopher.

One Minute of Happiness is a poignant, tragic and often humorous account of Nanci’s relationship with her bipolar sister, Gloria. Each story flows naturally into the next as Nanci and her family try to survive the upheaval and holocaust of Gloria’s madness as it rips apart any semblance of normal family life.

It is also a story of redemption and healing through the sisters’ attempt to stay connected via their shared passion for baking. From disorder to order, from chaos and mess to delicious nurturing, from confusion and anger to acceptance and love, this love letter to Gloria honors her memory and her legacy. Gloria ultimately took her own life in her early 30’s, leaving Nanci and her family to process this tragic loss.