NEED IDEAS FOR MOTHER’S DAY? HOW ABOUT BRUNCH?
GIVING MOTHERHOOD A MICROPHONE
Some heroes wear dresses or yoga pants or even mom jeans. So you need just the right place to celebrate Mother’s Day. We have some ideas that might put a smile on the face of your special lady.
Agood story well told is one of the most satisfying human experiences, for both the listener and speaker. In these times of TED Talks, The Moth and the rising popularity of podcasts, Americans seem to be craving authentic voices and interesting narratives.
A growing number of people are also looking for opportunities to have a go at storytelling in front of audiences, the only place to truly hone the ancient art of transporting others into a time and place of one’s recollection with voice, expression and body language.
More than 50 people signed up to audition for the upcoming “Listen To Your Mother” live staged-reading event in Boulder. Producers Ellen Nordberg and Stephanie Sprenger chose 13 women and one man to share their original stories, all centered around the theme of motherhood, in honor of Mother’s Day.
“We like to say it’s as if we’re assembling a quilt,” said Nordberg regarding the selection process and how she and Sprenger, themselves part of this year’s performance, structured the evening’s stories; a mix of humorous and poignant accounts of moments either in the role of mother or in relation to one.
Listen To Your Mother started in Madison, Wisc., on Mother’s Day 2010 when a dozen local writers read their original true stories of motherhood to an audience of 300 people. This year, after nearly 200 shows and more than 2,000 stories shared in 31 cities, founder Ann Imig signed over the concept to theatrical company Miracle or 2 Productions, making it available for licensing in hopes of further expanding the 90-minute storytelling format.
The Boulder production, to be staged at the Unity of Boulder Spiritual Center on April 29 at 7 p.m., includes Colorado authors, immigrants, a teacher, a doctor, a stay-at-home mom and a mother-daughter duo who will drive three hours from the tiny eastern Colorado town of Stratton for their five minutes on stage.
The stories touch on great personal loss and celebration, acceptance and frustration, survival, perseverance, amusement and love. In other words, the full lode of “mother.”
Audience members will buy $20 tickets to share their Saturday night community-style, seated on turquoise pews, listening to the series of stories beautifully and uniquely delivered by strangers who will feel like intimate friends by the end of the evening.
For the storytellers, a sense of connection, acceptance, encouragement, appreciation and understanding is the reward. “It’s amazingly powerful to know you’re not alone. Motherhood can be isolating,” said novelist and stay-at-home mother Aimie K. Runyan, who is returning for her second year to share this time about the bravery of her daughter in a story she calls, “I Can Slay My Own Dragons.”
Blogger Kristina Newman has stage fright, but is also returning after sharing a painful experience of mistaken identity last year. “It’s really healing. The energy I got from the audience made me a true believer in the power of storytelling,” said Newman.
Stay-at-home mother of three boys, Carla Fisher, considers herself an introvert, “I haven’t done anything like this before, but I think I wanted to remind myself I can do more than laundry!”
Perhaps the most courageous of the storytellers will be Amy Muller, talking about her journey to accept her young son’s desire to be a girl, “It’s very scary. I’m hoping by sharing our story it will create empathy for families of transgender children.”
Actress-author Carrie Fisher once said of her famous performer mother Debbie Reynolds, “My mother taught me how to surthrive. That’s my word for it,” said Fisher.
You get the feeling each of these storytellers learned the same lesson from theirs. While their experiences are singular, the emotions they stir resonate. Kristen Kidd is a freelance writer and single mom in Highlands Ranch.