Monday, June 4, 2012

Becoming Mothers

A Visual Arts Education Research Agenda for the 21st Century
Rehearsal photo from Becoming Mothers.
Becoming  Mothers

By Stephanie Adams, Shannon Woolley Allison, Sara Canary, Triza Cox, Trina Fischer, Ginger Legon, Typh Hainer Merwarth, Dawn Schulz, and Karole Spangler

Directed by Jennifer Thalman Kepler

Reviewed by Craig Nolan Highley

Entire contents are copyright © 2012, Craig Nolan Highley.  All rights reserved.


Looking for Lilith has been providing theater for women’s interests for the past ten years, and in that time they have provided a lot of thought-provoking and dramatic presentations with a definite feminine spin. Their latest is a work-in-progress, a staged reading of their upcoming original work, Becoming Mothers.

In a style reminiscent of The Laramie Project and other documentary-style theatrical works, Becoming Mothers is a series of interlocking vignettes performed by a small group of actresses performing dozens of different roles. The central theme is motherhood, or more specifically, the period leading up to and just after a woman becomes a mother for the first time. The play is stitched together from the experiences of members of the Looking for Lilith company, many of whom are also featured in the cast.

The result is somewhat jarring but frequently moving, and with a surprising amount of humor. It also tends to get a bit graphic with its descriptions of such lovely subjects as vaginal bleeding and leaking breast milk. But it never fails to hold your attention and should be especially meaningful to audience members who have shared the experiences or are about to embark on parenthood for the first time.

It is impossible to really critique a staged reading, but from what I saw things look very promising for the finished product, which will debut later in the season. All of the actresses performed with scripts in hand, but they hardly looked at them; and each of them showed true emotion throughout the evening.

The stories range from comical to tear-jerking, but never anything truly heartbreaking. Again, it’s hard to critique, but it did seem to lose focus and drag a bit during the second act. But that’s probably something that would be fixed in the full production.

Over all, this was a poignant and moving salute to motherhood that should not be missed. Better yet, if possible, see it with your mother; this would be the perfect mom/child date night!

Featuring Stephanie Adams, Shannon Woolley Allison, Sara Canary, Triza Cox, Jennifer Thalman Kepler, Dawn Schulz, and Karole Spangler.

Becoming Mothers is being performed in repertory with 10 Years / 7 Stories.

10 Years / 7 Stories: May 31, June 2, 7, 9 at 7:30 p.m., June 10 at 2 p.m.
Tickets $15, $10 students/seniors


Becoming Mothers: June 1, 8, 10 at 7:30 p.m., June 3 at 2 p.m.
Tickets $10, $7 students/seniors

2-Show Pass: $23, $15 students/seniors

Birthday Party!!!
Come June 10 to see both shows and celebrate our 10 years with a reception at 4:30 p.m.
    $30 (both shows & reception)
    $25 (10 Years: 7 Stories & reception)
    $20 (reception & Becoming Mothers)
    $15 (reception only)
 
For reservations, call 502-638-2559.

Looking for Lilith
At The Bard’s Town
1801 Bardstown Road
Louisville, KY 40205

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