Jill Jackson's A Long Drink of Silence invites us into one woman's life--to meet ourselves.

Most people just want to tell their stories. It is a precious thing and it''s all we have to give--our lives in a story. So we listen to each other''s stories, and in them discover our own. A Long Drink of Silence, Jill Jackson''s impressive one-woman show currently playing at The Cherry Center for the Arts, is her story. Through anecdotes, music, and contemplation Jackson takes us on a journey through her life of "delinquency," or more accurately as she puts it, "curiosity." From childhood hijinks to an ash-ram in Connecticut to singing in a biker bar in Sedona, Arizona, Jackson''s tale is clear and meaningful. And it is all Jackson: raw, warm, manic, vulnerable and open. She is especially charming as her younger self yearning for spaghetti at Shoney''s, or expressing her devastation upon realizing at the tender age of seven that she "would never be allowed to be a nun," according to Sister Mary Elizabeth. "But Sister Mary Elizabeth," young Jill replies, "I''m not bad--just curious."

The whole production is quite impressive, beginning with the set by director/designer Marlie Avant--a southwestern motif straight out of a Carlos Casteneda vision. Deep ochre walls, wood plank floors, cactus plants, Native American prints, sheepskin rugs, a needlepoint stool and a hay bale all configured to flow to a point of convergence on an alcove or altar on the upstage wall. Inside the altar is a painting of a snake rising like a Phoenix out of, and attached by an umbilical cord to, a rose. It is both free and connected at the same time. Put together, the set is a visual manifestation of the perspective the stories will bring--freedom and faith through connection and convergence.

As a director, Avant has contributed a fine aesthetic sense and organization to Jackson''s stories, creating a thread that, much like the coiled snake printed on Jackson''s T-shirt, turns back upon itself in full circle.

Jackson sings songs throughout the evening that illuminate and punctuate the stories. Some of my favorites were "Waterfall" (which opens and closes the show and seems to best encapsulate Jackson''s own philosophy), "Georgia on My Mind," and "The Beetle Song." She has a clear bell-like voice and sings with a passionate abandon that serves the music and the meaning well. The music is an organic part of the show and we never feel like "Oh no, time for another song," because the music really belongs there.

While always an act of courage, autobiographical pieces are often about the performance itself--a chance to vent anger or self-pity about a fractured childhood or victimization by a patriarchal culture. They create more boundaries than they erase. The performer articulates a "self" that is separate and distinct from the audience-the other, out there. It is all about me, me, me.

However, in A Long Drink of Silence, Jackson presents her life as something that belongs both to her own experience and is also part of a cosmic whole that ultimately connects us all. And while there is a lot of laughter in her tale, she relates even the tragic moments with a matter-of-fact tone that invites compassion but never pity. She knows we have all "been there."

Through the specific and unique experiences of her own life, Jackson touches upon the universal vulnerabilites we all share. It is, as she says, "as though God is writing a cosmic comedy and you are the main character."

Jackson''s Long Drink seems less an attempt to explain herself--to define a boundary where she ends and we, the other, begin--than a generous invitation to let us in, to break down the self-protective barriers which separate us. It is not an act of ego, but of love and acceptance. And by that shift in perspective her show is not so much a performance as it is a gift. Take a moment and listen.

Theater Listings

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Opening

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Festival of One-Act Plays Friday and Saturday, 8pm; Sunday, 2pm. One-acts. The Western Stage gives us an interesting twist: local theater technicians, administrators, actors and costumers try their hand at directing. This weekend, Lenore Opalach directs Susan Glaspell''s Trifles, Michael Roddy directs Dario Fo''s The Virtuous Burglar, and Rhonda Griffith directs Tennessee Williams'' Lord Byron''s Love Letters. Admission is free, but reservations required at 755-6990. Western Stage Studio Theater at Hartnell College, 156 Homestead Ave., Salinas.

R.U.R. Thursday-Saturday, 8pm; Sunday, 2:30pm. Comedy. Indoor Forest Theater, Santa Rita at Mountain View, Carmel. $15/general; $10/seniors. 624-1531. Through: 5/7.

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Now Playing

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After Dark Friday and Saturday, 8pm. Melodrama. Three villains team up to rob our hero of his money in this melodrama set in 19th-century London. California''s First Theatre, Scott and Pacific streets, Monterey. $10/general; $5/children; $8/seniors. 375-4916. Through: 5/27.

Charlotte''s Web Friday and Saturday, 2pm and 7pm. Children. Ariel Theatrical presents a musical adaptation of the children''s classic by E.B. White. A cast of 30 children and six adults bring the story of the spider and her pig friend to life. Salinas Women''s Club, 215 Lincoln Ave., Salinas. $8/general; $5/children; 759-1530/484-2228. Through: 4/15.

A Long Drink of Silence Friday and Saturday, 8pm; Sunday, 2pm. One-Woman Show. Reviewed this page. Special benefit performance Thursday for Cherry Center, call 624-7491 for reservations for this show only. Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Guadalupe at 4th, Carmel. $10/general; $7/seniors. 622-9639. Through: 4/30.

On The Air Friday and Saturday, 8:30pm; Sunday, 8pm. Musical Revue. The Wharf Theater revives its musical revue of old-time radio favorites, featuring the songs of Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and more. Bruce Ariss Wharf Theater, Fisherman''s Wharf, Monterey. $15/general; $10/children; 649-2332/372-1373. Through: 4/21.

Picasso at the Lapin Agile Thursday and next Tuesday and Wednesday, 7:30pm; Saturday, 2pm. Comedy. Steve Martin''s "what-if" comedy set in a turn-of-the-last-century French bistro, where Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso mythically meet. Starring Michael Jacobs and John Farmanesh-Bocca. Tickets: $18/general, $12/seniors, $9/students. Saturday prices: $20/general, $15/seniors, $10/students. Children $5 all shows. Circle Theater , Casanova at 8th, Carmel. 622-0100. Through: 4/15.

Tales of Mother Earth Sunday, 4pm. Story-telling and puppets. The Third Studio community theater troupe premieres a new collection of international folk tales. Admission is free. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church, El Caminito Drive, Carmel Valley. 373-4389.

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Closing

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Guys and Dolls Friday through Sunday, 7:30pm. Musical Comedy. The popular Broadway musical based on the Damon Runyon book, Guys and Dolls takes place in New York circa 1920s, where gambler Nathan Detroit bets fellow gambler Sky Masterson he can''t persuade a young woman at the Save-a-Soul Mission to have dinner with him...in Havana. Tickets Friday and Sunday: $20/general; $15/seniors; $10/students; $5/children. Saturday prices: $24/general; $18/seniors; $12/students; $5/children. Golden Bough Theater, Monteverde at 8th, Carmel. 622-0100. Through: 4/9.

KNOT Radio Saturday, 7pm; Sunday, 2pm and 5pm. Children. KNOT Radio, an outreach group of the MPC theater department, will perform dramatic readings from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer''s Stone, The Once and Future King and the Fractured Fairy Tale The Son of Rumplestiltskin. Proceeds benefit local literacy programs, as part of Book Festival 2000, organized by the Monterey Bay Independent Booksellers. Communiity Room at the Barnyard Shopping Center, Carmel. $5/general; $3/children; 624-1803. Through: 4/9.

The Sum of Us Friday-Saturday, 8pm; Sunday, 7pm. Comedy. Unicorn veteran Robert Colter and Santa Cruz actor Dustin Leonard star in a comedy about a widower and his gay son who are each trying to pursue their own new romances. Hoffman Playhouse, 320 Hoffman Ave., Monterey. $15/general; $12/seniors. 649-0259. Through: 4/9.