Jayne Atkinson and Susan Rose Bring MOTHERHOOD OUT LOUD to the Berkshires This Weekend

Two-time Tony nominee Jayne Atkinson (CRIMINAL MINDS, HOUSE OF CARDS) will direct a benefit production of MOTHERHOOD OUT LOUD at Berkshire Theatre Group's Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge today and tomorrow, March 28th and 29th as part of the Berkshire Festival of Women Writers. Proceed from the production, co-produced by Atkinson and Susan Rose, will benefit WAM Theatre and the Berkshire Festival of Women Writers. The cast will feature Jane Kaczmarek (MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE and the upcoming FOX sitcom HERE'S YOUR DAMN FAMILY), Michel Gill (HOUSE OF CARDS) and Academy Award winner James Lecesne, as well as local guest artists Amber Chand, Tammy Denease, Tyler Malik, Corinna May, Rachel Siegel and Barbara Sims. After successful productions across the country, including an off-Broadway run at Primary Stages in New York City, this will be its Berkshire premiere.

Performances will be held on Friday, March 28th at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, March 29th at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. Following the Friday evening and Saturday matinee performances, WAM Theatre Artistic Director Kristen van Ginhoven will moderate a panel discussion delving further into the challenges and choices surrounding motherhood today. Featured panelists will include producer Susan Rose, playwright and best-selling author Luanne Rice, associate producer Robin Gorman Newman, director Jayne Atkinson and members of the cast. The production will culminate in a Gala performance on Saturday evening, with a post-show champagne reception to follow.

"Motherhood Out Loud," conceived by Susan R. Rose (JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, HURLYBURLY, BLOODKNOT) and Joan Stein (SIDE MAN, THE NERD, THE LONESOME WEST), is a culturally and gender diverse series of monologues on the subject of motherhood, written by a host of celebrated writers. The monologues traverse the experience of motherhood from birth, sexuality, growing up and letting go to the inevitable role reversal that occurs as we find ourselves parenting our parents. Playwrights include Pulitzer Prize winner Beth Henley, SMASH creator Theresa Rebeck, and Marco Pennette, Executive Producer of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, UGLY BETTY and KIRSTIE. As part of its Berkshire premiere, this run of MOTHERHOOD OUT LOUD will include monologues from local mothers Suzanna Baum, Anni Crofut, Hope Fitzgerald and Jana Laiz.

Tickets run $35 - $50 and can be purchased by visiting motherhoodoutloud.brownpapertickets.com or by calling 1-800-838-3006.

Jayne Atkinson-Gill has lived in the Berkshires for 6 years. She is a mother, wife, and actress. She can be seen most recently in the Netflix hit series HOUSE OF CARDS. She has performed locally at the Berkshire Theater Festival and Berkshire Playwrights Lab. She most recently collaborated with Kristen Van Ginhoven to produce their 2013 fundraiser "Claiming Her Place" - a lively panel discussion about the inequities that still exist in the entertainment industry for women performers along with what it means to step up and claim your place in your life. In addition to acting, Ms. Atkinson also runs Jadana Productions, which specializes in entertainment development. Her other areas of expertise include coaching for professionals in the area of public speaking and project presentation, directing and teaching.

Susan Rose is an award-winning theatrical and film producer and a co-conceiver of Motherhood Out Loud, which has enjoyed great acclaim all over the country and now is being translated and performed in several languages. Upon graduating from college, Rose produced JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT at Fords Theatre in 1980. When it arrived on Broadway, Rose was the youngest person to have produced a Broadway show, and it was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical. Her other Broadway producing credits include David Rabe's HURLYBURLY (Tony Award nomination, Best Play), Athol Fugard's BLOODKNOT (Tony Award nomination, Best Revival of a Play), and Larry Shue's THE NERD. Susan joined forces with Dan Paulson in 1996, and they have produced movies for CBS, NBC, Showtime and Lifetime. Several of their films, "Cooler Climate" and "Jack" have won Emmy awards and various nominations.

WAM (Women's Action Movement) Theatre was co-founded in 2010 by Artistic Director Kristen van Ginhoven. Inspired by the book "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide" by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, WAM Theatre is based in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. WAM Theatre's philanthropic mission is two-fold: first, to create theatrical events for everyone, with a focus on women theatre artists and/or stories of women and girls; and second, to donate a portion of the proceeds from those events to organizations that benefit women and girls. Since 2010, WAM Theatre has donated more than $10,500 to its beneficiaries.

The annual Berkshire Festival of Women Writers is a collaborative, multi-venue event sponsored by Bard College at Simon's Rock with many local partners, celebrated county-wide in the month of March, Women's History Month. From politics to publishing, the voices of women and girls continue to be under-represented in the public sphere. The Festival counters this trend by creating multiple platforms for women to step into the spotlight, share their words and inspire others to do the same. Events are open to the public and most are free, thanks to the generosity of participants, venues, donors and collaborators.

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