Local writers, artists to perform in 'Expressing Motherhood'
By Deborah Rose
NEW MILFORD — A unique event that celebrates motherhood will soon be held in town.
The Merryall Center will present “Expressing Motherhood,” a program of area residents who will share stories of motherhood through poetry, prose and song.
The event will be held Saturday, Oct. 4, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the 8 Chapel Hill Road center.
Alice Schuette, a center board member and the producer of the show said she was impressed with the number of submissions for the event and is excited to see how it will all come together.
“Some [performers] are brand new to reading on stage, and others have bit more experience,” she said. “It’s cool there’s both of that happening.”
More than a dozen individuals will perform.
They are Missy Alexander, Melinda Buckley, Dean Gray, Michelle Joyner, Danielle Langin, Pam Levanos, Lou Mandler, Susanna Marker, Kathryn Mayer, Francesca McCulloch, Jean O’Neill, Jessica Ryan, Rebecca Salomonsson and Mary Vallo.
They hail from New Milford, Sherman, Brookfield, other areas of the state, as well as Great Barrington, Mass., and Providence, R.I. (for full bios, visit here).
“The response was really good,” said Schuette, whose husband, Michael, is the show’s director. “It makes me think, 'What more can we do in the future?'”
Schuette first discovered “Expressing Motherhood” in 2008 while following Lindsay Kavet, one of its co-founders, online.
Since that year in Los Angeles, “Expressing Motherhood” has showcased women and men sharing their personal stories on stage across the country.
In 2019, Schuette performed a piece for “Expressing Motherhood” at the Thrown Stone Theatre in Ridgefield. The experience, she said, inspired her to pursue other stage opportunities, including a "Moth StorySLAM" in New York City, where she earned the night’s highest house score.
When she became a board member at the center, she immediately thought “Expressing Motherhood” would be a “great way to bring the community together and to give writers a place to share.”
Each performance will run approximately five minutes. Several pieces will have musical background.
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.merryallcenter.org.
The show is presented in part by the New Milford Commission on the Arts.
Founded in 1951, the Merryall Center is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to presenting live music, theater, art, and cultural programming to the Northwest Corner of Connecticut.
