MOM BABY GOD, Madeline Burrows' one-woman show based on her 2 years undercover at pro-life conferences taps into the smoldering political conflict in the US surrounding reproductive rights and is leaving audiences around the country inspired and galvanized to action. This summer, Smartt Productions is pleased to present MOM BABY GOD as part of New York City's 6th Annual Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. Tickets are $18 and may be purchased through mombabygod.com/schedule.
MOM BABY GOD plays the following schedule as part of the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity:
Tuesday, June 3, 2014 at 4:00pm
Thursday, June 5, 2014 at 7:00pm
Friday, June 6, 2014 at 3:00pm
Saturday, June 7, 2014 at 7:30pm
What has moved MOM BABY GOD from the campus of Hampshire College, located in quaint Amherst, Massachusetts, to its national platform? The play's stand-alone quality as a piece of art fills seats with theatre critics and activists alike, while the promise of provocative content and voyeuristic participation in how the other half lives engages new audiences from all walks of life. The Nation's Dave Zirin describesMOM BABY GOD as "a tour de force that serves both the movement for reproductive rights and the art of theater with extreme effectiveness." Gwen Tulin, a Chicago theater artist and audience member says, "I haven't seen anything that made me feel such a strong call to action since the original Laramie Project." It's clear that MOM BABY GOD is on to something: reestablishing theatre as a tool for political change.
MOM BABY GOD has seen its share of conflict: At the show's New York premiere last October, Students for Life of America Executive Director Kristan Hawkins sent a member of her organization to the performance equipped with spy-glasses to illegally videotape the event. In her 'exposé' of MOM BABY GOD in the National Review, Hawkins called the footage "...too vulgar to release to the general public" and other right-wing media outlets have published reviews condemning the play - despite having never seen it or read the script. "We suspect that Hawkins quickly realized she would be in gross copyright infringement should she release the footage," says Burrows. "That, and people would actually see what the play is about."
Now on the heels of successful tours of the Northeast and Northwest, Burrows and her team are emboldened by the positive receptions they've received with each successive performance: "It's about time the pro-choice movement pushed back; we've been stumbling and failed to notice just how close we are to losing the rights to control our own bodies. I couldn't be prouder to stand at the helm. Bring it on." In this spirit, MOM BABY GOD is partnering with the New York Abortion Access Fund (NYAAF) to help promote their valuable work. The NYAAF supports anyone who is unable to pay fully for an abortion and is living in or traveling to New York State by providing financial assistance and connections to other resources.
Madeline Burrows (Actor/Playwright) is a Boston-based 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.
Allison Smartt (Production Manager/Designer) is the owner of Smartt Productions, LLC and has been involved with MOM BABY GOD from its first iterations in October 2012. 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). Ms. Smartt continues to work as an audio engineer and production professional for many institutions in Massachusetts. Currently, she is the Technical Director of the Mount Holyoke Dance Department. Allison is an alumna of Hampshire College, where she concentrated in Immersive, Design Driven Performance.
Emma Weinstein (Director) is a New York-based theatre director, focusing on innovative, immersive theatre that incorporates music, dance, politics and audience involvement. Emma graduated from Smith College where she directed numerous plays including department productions of Private Lives by Noel Coward and of Marat/Sade by
Peter Weiss. Emma attended the National Theatre Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, where she co-directed the final project: an adaptation of Waiting for Lefty, inspired by the Occupy Movement and generated by a 32-person ensemble. Emma has assisted numerous directors such as
Sheryl Kaller,
Daniel Kramer and Sue Hamilton. She interned at La Muse Artist's Retreat in Carcasonne, France, has been a member of the New Generation Theatre Ensemble for 8 years and attended LaMama's International Directors Symposium in Italy. Raised in New York City and Los Angeles, Emma has interned at the Chicago Director's Lab and Chester Theatre. Emma is the two-time recipient of the The
Samuel A. Eliot, Jr./Julia Heflin Award for Distinguished Directing and the Bernhardt Brueger Prize for Excellence in the Smith College Theatre Department.
Smartt Productions is based in Northampton, MA specializes in small scale touring productions and provides services ranging from logistical planning and web design, to theatrical design and publicity.
The Planet Connections Theatre Festivity is New York's premiere eco-friendly/socially conscious not-for-profit arts festival. Fostering a diverse cross-section of performances and events, the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity seeks to inspire artists and audiences both creatively and fundamentally, in a festive atmosphere forming a community of like-minded artists. At the heart of the Festivity are like-minded individuals striving to create professional, meaningful theatre, music and film, while supporting organizations which give back to the community at large.
