Steve Budd’s Insightful Take on Love, Laughter, and the Jewish Soul

by Kathryn Gainor

What makes someone lean into the ache of loneliness instead of away from it? What kind of person turns a mirror on their own search for love—not just to reflect it, but to make other people laugh, cry, and think a little deeper about the whole megillah?

Enter Steve Budd: actor, writer, standup comic, and solo performer. He’s many things—funny, fearless, curious—but maybe most of all, he’s a mensch. Not in a grandiose way. In the way that makes you want to pull up a chair and tell him everything about your childhood crushes, your weird dating life, and that one time you sabotaged your own happiness out of fear.

Steve Budd is the kind of storyteller who makes you believe you’re not alone, even when the stories are about being… well, very much alone.

From Boston to the Bay—and Beyond

Steve Budd hails from Boston, Massachusetts, a city with no shortage of neurotic intellectuals, weather-related grievances, and history buffs. It’s no coincidence that much of Steve’s work—especially his solo theater—feels like a one-man Ellis Island of ideas. He brings together a mash-up of voices, perspectives, and comedic turns, grounded in something deeply personal.

After settling in the Bay Area, Steve became a mainstay of the local theater scene, performing with venues like San Francisco Playhouse, New Conservatory Theatre Center, and Marin Shakespeare. He didn’t just act—he immersed himself in stories. Real stories. Often uncomfortable ones. And he started to ask a question many of us avoid: What does love look like when you’re not part of the picture-perfect couple?

In his past solo show, What They Said About Love (2016), Steve interviewed couples who’d been through it all—first dates, second marriages, polyamory, heartbreak—and performed their stories alongside his own. The result? Something raw, honest, and funny as hell. You can see a clip of that show here.

Old World Echoes: How Jewish Ideas Inspire Him

While Steve Budd’s work doesn’t openly say it’s “Jewish theater,” if you listen closely, you can hear strong connections to Jewish traditions and feelings. The act of storytelling itself, which is central to Budd’s work, is a key part of Jewish culture. It’s how history, memories, and wisdom are passed down. From ancient texts to old tales, stories are how lessons are taught and communities are formed. Budd, by carefully crafting his personal stories to show bigger truths, is following this long tradition. His way of telling engaging tales from his own experiences, often with self-awareness and smart observations, fits right into a heritage that sees stories as a main way to understand and connect.
Also, there’s a certain kind of humor in Budd’s shows that reminds us of Jewish wit. This isn’t just humor for entertainment. It’s a way to cope, a tool for strength, and a way to face life’s absurdities with a clever, sometimes self-deprecating, irony. It’s humor that finds light in dark places, laughter born from tough experiences, often mixed with deep understanding and sharp observations about human flaws. The Yiddish word chutzpah—meaning bold nerve, often used for challenging rules or facing difficulties head-on—shows up in Budd’s brave way of exploring personal, sensitive topics on stage. This willingness to show his own vulnerabilities, to find both the funny and sad parts in the awkward reality of human connection, points to a spirit of strength and raw honesty deeply rooted in certain cultural stories. This underlying strength and ability to find good in hard times is a powerful, though often quiet, theme in his work. He shows a spirit of persistence, not just through big actions, but through the daily acts of living, dating, and looking for connection.

A Voice for the Lonely and Looking for Love

Perhaps one of the most important things Steve Budd’s art does is how deeply it connects with people who are single and longing for connection in today’s world. In a world full of perfect romance stories, Budd offers something different: an honest, often hilarious, and deeply caring look at what it’s really like to look for love, face rejection, and still thrive while alone.

His stories act like a comfort, turning private worries into shared laughter. For many who feel alone in their search for a partner, seeing their own awkward dates, misunderstandings, and moments of deep worry shown on stage can be incredibly reassuring. Budd basically tells them, “You’re not alone in this complicated journey.” This builds a sense of togetherness and understanding. He rephrases painful experiences with failed connections not as personal faults, but as common life experiences that everyone goes through. He shows that the bumps and bruises of dating aren’t signs of individual failure, but rather common threads in the fabric of human experience. This view can be incredibly empowering, shifting the focus from blaming oneself to understanding it’s a shared journey.

Beyond just validating experiences, Budd’s work quietly champions a deeper understanding of self-worth that isn’t tied to being in a relationship. While he understands the human desire for a partner, his shows suggest that true connection starts with accepting yourself, flaws and all. His art, then, becomes a guiding light for those who feel invisible. It offers not easy answers, but a powerful, understanding reassurance of the human journey, with all its tough parts, joys, and unavoidable moments of loneliness. In this way, Steve Budd is more than just an entertainer; he’s a quiet, yet profound, storyteller of the modern soul. He doesn’t give simple solutions, but instead offers shared understanding and the comforting knowledge that the human experience, in all its messy glory, is one we navigate together.

Why It Matters—Especially Now

In a world where social media sells us curated snapshots of “perfect” love, Steve Budd reminds us that real relationships—and real people—are messy. And that’s okay. His work gives voice to those left out of the Hallmark movie narrative.

For Jewish audiences, his work also offers something uniquely resonant: the tension between tradition and modernity, expectation and individuality. It’s not about rejecting the past—it’s about finding your own voice within it.

And for anyone who’s ever sat at a wedding wondering if they’re the only one who feels out of place, Steve Budd has a story for you.

Don’t miss this exciting event! Please register at the event here: https://yiddishlandcalifornia.org/oy-what-they-said-about-love/

Learn More about future events offered by YAAANA at:

https://yiddishlandcalifornia.org/yiddish-culture-events/

References

Steve Budd’s Website: www.stevebudd.com

Steve Budd’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/buddgram/?hl=en

Steve Budd’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/buddsteve/

Broadway World Interview – Steve Budd of SEEING STARS at The Marsh Berkeley: https://www.broadwayworld.com/san-francisco/article/Interview-Steve-Budd-of-SEEING-STARS-at-The-Marsh-Berkeley-20240607

1 Comment

  1. Steve Budd
    Steve Budd on May 29, 2025 at 5:44 pm

    Check out this wonderful blogpost about “Oy, What They Said About Love” and my solo work.
    Thanks, Kathryn Gainor and Yiddishland California! Two more chances to see “Oy…” at the San Diego International Fringe Festival:
    Friday at 6pm and Saturday at 1pm. Spend your Shabbos with me!

    Reply

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