Prime Stage Theatre Presents FIRST MOTHERS: THE WOMEN WHO RAISED AMERICA'S PRESIDENTS In November

Image control and message focus are typically cited as key to winning U.S. Presidential elections. A new play by L.E. McCullough suggests that the men who occupied the White House got there because of their mom.

The stories of 15 remarkable women are told in First Mothers: The Women Who Raised America's Presidents presented by Prime Stage Theatre and directed by Ponny Conemos Jahn.

The play will be performed Monday, Nov. 4, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. at New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East, on Pittsburgh's Northside. Admission is pay-what-you-can; tickets are available by calling (412) 320-4610 ext. 1 or reserving online at https://tinyurl.com/3smy4kvp.

First Mothers: The Women Who Raised America's Presidents features Kaitlin Cliber, Lynne Franks, Kerry McGrath, Stacey Rosleck and Jen Sinatra performing short character monologues that capture each presidential mother in a real-time life episode.

"These women helped shape the destiny of the United States as we know it today," says McCullough. "You start digging into the early lives of the Presidents, and it becomes quickly apparent that the essential ethical character and philosophical outlook of each were strongly molded by his mother."

The play opens with musket-toting Elizabeth Jackson, an Irish immigrant risking her life to broker a prisoner exchange she hopes will free her 13-year old son Andrew, sick with smallpox in a British Revolutionary War jail. It ends in a wilderness log cabin with Sarah Lincoln, herself illiterate, trading personal keepsakes to acquire books for her step-son Abraham.

Other First Mothers portrayed are Sara Roosevelt, Lillian Carter, Dorothy Ford, Rose Kennedy, Hannah Nixon, Martha Truman, Nelle Reagan, Virginia Clinton, Ann Obama, Mary Anne Trump, Nancy Lincoln, Mary Washington, Rebekah Johnson.

"These were women of action, no matter how remote they were from the centers of power or how humble or restricted their personal circumstances," says McCullough. "They all had deep religious conviction and an unshakeable belief that an individual's moral strength would create a better world."

First Mothers: The Women Who Raised America's Presidents takes place on the set of Great Expectations, running Nov. 1-10 as the opening show in Prime Stage Theatre's 2024-25 season.

Founded in 1996 with the mission of "bringing literature to life", Prime Stage Theatre has produced over 100 plays and won national recognition as a leader in educational theatre.

"Each of our plays this season has a central focus on youth and family," says Prime Stage Theatre artistic director Dr. Wayne Brinda. "The First Mothers were ordinary American mothers of their time who never stopped believing that faith and hard work can change the world in extraordinary ways, starting with the family. That's always a story worth telling."

Prime Stage Theatre has also made a special commitment to promoting accessibility for special needs audiences.

It is the first and only Pittsburgh theatre company to attain Certified Sensory Inclusive status through KultureCity, the nation's leading nonprofit on sensory accessibility for those with invisible disabilities. In 2022, Prime Stage Theatre audio describer Nathan Ruggles won a national Achievement Award in Audio Description from the American Council of the Blind.

Prime Stage Theatre offers student matinee performances, as well as an array of teacher workshops demonstrating how theatre enhances literacy and classroom learning.

* Tickets for Prime Stage Theatre's 2024-25 season are available online here.

To post a comment, you must register and login.