When asked to stage manage Actors’ Summit Theater’s production of “Motherhood Out Loud” I accepted without much thought on how the show might effect me. Being only 22 years old I have not taken the leap into motherhood in my life yet and really didn’t think this show would have any type of impact on me at all because of that. As rehearsals began I soon came to realize that most of the stories I could relate to not only the relationship I have with my mother but also the one I have with my step-mother. My parents got divorced when I was seven and both remarried. Because of this I have experienced things most people don’t and am lucky enough to have two every different relationships with two mother figures in my life. Working on this show was like a trip down memory lane for me and I think for our cast as well. It was nice at rehearsal talking about our real life experiences that related to the scenes we were working on. This gave each scene a personal feeling that everyone can relate to and brought our cast closer together. For me one scenes that hit home with me was “Stars and Stripes”. My boyfriend has been in the Navy for almost a year now and the scene expresses perfectly what goes on in every head of a person with a loved one in the military. You prepare for the worst so you can be ready if it does happen and you want to do everything you can to make sure they come home.
When my parents got divorced my mom and I didn’t have a good relationship for a long time. It wasn’t till I moved to my dad’s and the next year college that we really formed the amazing bond we now have. My mom came to see the show this past weekend and had one of the best reaction to this show then any other theater productions I have ever worked on. During rehearsal of this show my grandmother passed away and it was a hard time for all of us. I had not always got along with her and neither had my mother but her passing was difficult. After the show I talked to her and she absolutely loved it. She started crying and said I wish your grandmother could have been here she would have loved this show. I don’t know how my grandmother found out, probably from my mom, but she always knew when my opening nights were for every show i did and she would call me and wish me luck. This was the first show that I did not get that call from her and it was defiantly a hard opening night for me. In honor of her I wore one of her daisy pins to keep her memory with me. My mom wished my grandmother was there but I know she was there watching over both of us in that moment and would be proud of both of us.
This show not only brought my mom and I closer together but also the cast. We got a glimpse into each other’s life and shared personal stories that bonded us as a group. I never thought going into this show that I would have all of these wonderful memories shared and also remembered but also this show helped me through losing my grandmother. I am so thankful to be apart of a show like this and cannot wait to share some of these experiences when I have children in the future.