Out of Box Produces Marsha Norman's Dark Classic 'NIGHT MOTHER

Kirk S. Campbell directs Leigh-Ann Campbell as Jessie and Carolyn S. Choe as the titular mother in Marsha Norman's Pulitzer and Susan Smith Blackburn prize-winning drama 'Night, Mother. Dark and enthralling, 'Night, Mother chronicles the last hour in the life of a young woman who has decided that life is not worth living.

Jessie's profound unhappiness stems from circumstances: she is epileptic, unemployable, divorced, and estranged from her son. Her father long passed, she is left to share and care for her mother, Thelma, and their home. When Jessie decides that she can no longer abide her building desperate helplessness, she calmly announces her plan to kill herself.

DirecTor Campbell remarks on the ways that the interaction between Jessie and Thelma mirror the ways that we interact as a society. "I think the play is a great illustration of what we all do, especially now with our technology. Making true, meaningful connections with the people in our lives takes work; you can't just sit in the same room and expect that you will know the person you are with," Campbell said.

Looking to life for inspiration, Carolyn S. Choe, who has previously played the role of Jessie in a production with another company, looked to her own mother for inspiration in her portrayal of Thelma. "The relationship between an older daughter and her mother can get pretty complex, especially when the daughter cares for the mother. I think a lot about how she must have felt, living in my home and counting on me and what expectations she must have had... So very often we fail to have the conversations we really truly should have, most often until it is too late," Choe said of her experience. And, according to Jessie, it is too late. "The stakes are put right out there, so matter-of-factly, and they are imminent. There is no beating around the bush," DirecTor Campbell says.

Choe, also the Artistic Director for Out of Box Theatre, notes that the selection of this play was purposeful, as Out of Box chooses to focus on topics that are sometimes avoided. "It forces us to talk about the hard stuff," she says. "I know there are many people who themselves have considered [suicide] at one time or another. Most importantly, I want them to know that they are not alone in this."
'Night, Mother by Marsha Norman runs Feb 9-18, 2017 at Out of Box Theatre, Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays at 8:00 PM with Sunday matinees at 3:00 PM. Out of Box Theatre is located in the Artisan Resource Center at 585 Cobb Parkway South, Marietta, GA 30060. Tickets are $17-$25 and can be purchased online at www.outofboxtheatre.com or by calling the box office at 678-653-4605.

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