Download File - MOM BABY GOD

mom
BABY
god
“Life-altering and silly at the same
time.... a tour-de-force performance
that’s effortless, ferocious and
heartbreaking.”
-Jaclyn Friedman;
Editor Yes Means Yes: Visions
of Female Sexual Power and
a World Without Rape
THE TEAM
Madeline Burrows (Actor/Playwright) is a Bostonbased actor, playwright, and activist. She is a graduate of
Hampshire College where she developed an interdisciplinary
thesis in devised theater and women, gender, and sexuality
studies culminating in MOM BABY GOD. Madeline was
the recipient of the Social Venture Fund and David E. Smith
awards in American Studies, which supported the early
development of the show. She trained in Tectonic Theatre
Project’s “Moment Work” method and was co-creator and
performer of Going Public, an interview-based theater
piece about the attack on public education directed by
Tectonic Theatre Project’s Andy Paris. Madeline has also
performed with the Gan-e-meed Theatre Project, Raven
Mad Theatre Company, and Detonated Theater Company.
She is a teaching artist with Actors Shakespeare Project’s
Incarcerated Youth at Play program.
Allison Smartt (Production Manager/Designer) is the
owner of Smartt Productions, LLC which produces MOM
BABY GOD. As a designer, her production credits run the
gamut of theatre and dance and include Tryst (Chester
Theatre Company), Take it Over (The Club at La MaMa),
The 10x10 New Play Festival (Barrington Stage Company),
Forsenga(Arts in Odd Places Festival, NYC) and Hairspray
(Hartford Children’s Theatre). She is a proud member of
I.A.T.S.E #232 (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage
Employees) and is currently the Technical Director of the
Mount Holyoke College Dance Department. She is an
alumna of Hampshire College, where she concentrated in
Immersive, Design Driven Performance.
Emma Weinstein (Director) is a New York based theatre
and film director, focusing on devised and immersive theatre.
Emma attended Smith College and the National Theatre
Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center. In New York
City, Emma’s work has been seen at the Occupy the Empty
Space Festival, The Alchemical Theatre, The Emerging
Artists Theatre, Paradise Factory, The Galapagos Space and
regionally at the Access Theatre and Theatre Off Jackson in
Seattle, Refuge PDX in Portland Oregon, The Hallie Flanagan
Studio Theatre in Northampton, The Gorilla Tango Theatre in
Chicago, the Washington DC Arts Center, The Davis Square
Theatre in Boston and The Haymarket Theatre in Lincoln,
Nebraska . She attended LaMama’s International Director’s
Symposium in Spoleto, Italy, La Muse Artist Retreat in
Carcassone, France and the Chicago Directors Lab. Emma
is the two-time recipient of the The Samuel A. Eliot, Jr./Julia
Heflin Award for Distinguished Directing and the Bernhardt
Brueger Prize. Emma’s interests as a director range from
productions of classic texts to original political theatre. Emma
is currently the Drama League Classical Directing Fellow in
residency at Shakespeare and Co. through November 2014.
What Is
MOM BABY GOD?
Take a cupcake, put on a name tag, and prepare to be thrown
into the world of the Christian Right, where sexual purity
workshops and anti-abortion rallies are sandwiched between
karaoke sing-alongs and pro-life slumber parties. Choices for
Life Crisis Pregnancy Center is hosting the Students for Life
of America conference, and right-wing teenagers are vying
for popularity while preparing for political battle.
Our tour guide is fifteen-year-old Jessica Beth Giffords, an
endearing and overly-caffeinated pro-life activist with two life
goals: 1) Marry Justin Bieber, and 2) Become the next It-Girl
of the Christian Right. She does pretty well until she meets
John Paul, a flirtatious Christian boy sporting a purity ring, and
struggles to contain her own sexual feelings while surrounded
by the “pre-marital sex=death” mantra of the Students for
Life conference. Forty years after Roe v. Wade, MOM BABY
GOD is a darkly comedic exploration of American girl culture
amidst the ongoing political backlash against feminism and
reproductive rights.
Developed by actor and activist Madeline Burrows with
director Emma Weinstein and designer Allison Smartt,
this popular nationally touring show manages to bring out
audiences of feminist activists, theater lovers, and Catholic
missionaries alike. MOM BABY GOD is a rare night at the
theater that is both thought-provoking and smashingly
entertaining.
“See this play. It is a tour de force that
serves both the movement for reproductive rights and the art of theater with
extreme effectiveness.”
---- Dave Zirin, The Nation Magazine
“MOM BABY GOD reignited the radical
feminist in me. Madeline embodied each
character with humor, intensity, and poise
in a way that made me both laugh out loud
and want to get out of my seat and join the
revolution against conservative America.”
-- Abby Baker, Co-Host of
The G-Spot Podcast
Typical Technical
Requirements
This is NOT a complete technical rider and is intended ONLY as an
example of our typical technical needs. Please contact Production
Manager, Allison Smartt, with any questions.
Audio & Video
"MOM BABY GOD is a touring
show at its best: professional,
communicative, kind, and in it
for the right reason: to share
this important work with as
many people as they can.
Their show not only garnered a
feature article in a prominent
Chicago web publication, but
brought in an audience ranging
from social justice advocates
to neighborhood locals who
were drawn to the provocative
title. I can't recommend them
highly enough for any venue or
producer -- get on board before
they're booking New York solid."
-- Gwen Tulin, Chicago
producer & theater artist
• Stereo sound system capable of filling the facility with clean, undistorted
sound
• Projection surface (eg. plain white wall, full stage black backdrop with no
fullness, white cyclorama, etc.)
• Stage Manager and operator position within 100 feet of the stage that
allows for easy access to the sound and lighting consoles
Set
• One sturdy black chair
Softgoods
• Full stage black backdrop with no fullness OR full stage white cyclorama
Personnel
• One Technical Director or person empowered to make logistical decisions
concerning the use of the facility and stage. Must have the authority to
organize special needs, such as removal of items from the stage.
• MOM BABY GOD requires that one brave usher or audience member
arrange to come onstage during the performance.
• All front of house staff, including box office personnel, ticket takers,
ushers, security, janitor and other personnel as necessary
Lighting
• Repertory theatrical lighting system with minimal ‘specials’
& Show Summary !
Running time 75 minutes
Number of characters 8
Age range Suitable for adult
and young adult/teenage audiences. Contains profanity and
mild sexual content.
Price Please contact Allison
Smartt for details
[email protected]
For more info
or to bring
MOM BABY GOD
to you
www.mombabygod.com
or contact us at
[email protected]
MOM BABY GOD
ON YOUR CAMPUS
MOM BABY GOD has helped inspire students and faculty alike to start or continue their own
reproductive justice work. At every performance, we partner with local and national reproductive
rights organizations, from student groups, doulas and clinic escorts to health service providers;
we directly connect audience members with opportunities to volunteer and learn more. In our
accompanying workshops, we offer the opportunity to learn more about the process of creating
the show, the history of theatre for social change and the current political landscape surrounding
reproductive rights. MOM BABY GOD is an excellent discussion prompt for students majoring in
Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, American Studies, Political Science, Theatre and more.
“Burrows’ MOM BABY
GOD is a hilarious
and heart-wrenching
glimpse at the movement
that works against the
reproductive justice
work that we do – by
providing this glimpse, it
has made me grateful for
the access to education
and care that I have, and
it has also solidified and
affirmed my passion for
this work.”
– Brianna Suslovix;
Co-Director Harvard College
International Women’s
Rights Collective
WORKSHOPS
Using Theatre As A Tool For Activism
The entire MOM BABY GOD team will lead students in a workshop which focuses on devising
character-driven theatre from source material. Each workshop uses hand-picked source material
that is directly relevant to the students and campus community, engaging them in gripping
conversations about issues affecting them.
Participants will gain new skills in critical thinking, devising theatre, research and performance. In
this two hour-long workshop, participants are guided in developing characters, ensemble work and
original composition of short, character-driven theatre pieces based on a social issue relevant to
the given community.
MOM BABY GOD: What Does Art Really Change Anyway?
This workshop discusses the impact and scope of theatre for social change, using MOM BABY
GOD as an example of the ways in which young people can create politically driven work. Looking
at the history of the movement, from Anna Devere Smith to Theatre of the Oppressed, we will
discuss both the successes and the difficulties of using theatre as a social justice tool. We will then
describe the process of generating MOM BABY GOD—from Madeline’s work undercover in the
anti-choice movement to the devising techniques used to create the work. The workshop will shed
light on the toolbox we use, both artistic and political, to create unique and urgent activist theatre.
MOM BABY GOD is an electrifying show that
resonates powerfully with young people. At Smith
College, we had an unprecedented turnout -- we
actually had to turn people away -- every single
audience member stayed for the “talk back.” After
the first performance, we actually heard a student
say, “I’m coming back again tomorrow!” The MOM
BABY GOD team also did an excellent workshop on
using theater as a tool for activism. An all around success!
--Jessica Bacal; Director,
Wurtele Center for Work & Life Smith College

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