Archive: Arts & Entertainment

The Kitchen Theatre Company has partnered with Mama's Comfort Camp support network for Motherhood Is a Joke: maternal comedy writing workshops and performance. The program consists of four comedy writing workshops, followed by stage coaching and rehearsal process culminating in a showcase performance on Tuesday March 31, 2020 in the Kitchen Theatre Company's Percy Browning Performance Space.

In American culture, there is a script to motherhood that is all love and saccharine sunshine. But any mother will tell you that's not the reality; for too many, motherhood presents just the opposite. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 80 percent of new mothers struggle with some form of "baby blues," and 1 in 15 mothers experiences postpartum depression. These are upsetting statistics -- and yet, within this gap between script and reality, we find a rich artistic opportunity. Since the dawn of time, humans have been using stories to process challenges and heal from trauma. For mothers, life is often ironic and ripe with comedic tension. Motherhood is an endless stream of cliffhangers and stranger-than-fiction calamities that pepper our everyday existence which is often isolated, overwhelming, and mind-numbingly repetitive.

The Mama's Comfort Camp network provides moderated social media forums where thousands of moms support each other day and night. The idea for Motherhood is a Joke was sparked a recurring theme at MCC: "Please tell me this will all be funny someday..." The Kitchen Theatre and MCC found this sentiment a compelling reason for collaboration, and Yael Saar, the Founder of MCC and R.J. Lavine, the Kitchen Theatre Manager of Growth & Giving, joined forces to make "someday" happen on March 31, 2020.

One could fill a thousand comedy open mic nights with the stories mothers tell each other to get through the day, but this program offers much more: For the past 4 months, 15 mothers of diverse backgrounds, ages, and stages, have been coming together to transform their concerns and frustrations into jokes. These jokes are not poking fun at the mothers or their family members! Instead, their comedy acts are highlighting the absurdity of our current social structures and lack of support for families. The skills and confidence generated in this project will help participants continue to share their stories and viewpoints in other settings, embolden them in speaking truth to power, increasing civic engagement and fueling activism. But the bottom line is that we have a deep and universal need for beautiful stories and for the healing power of laughter.

Workshops leader and Founder of Mama's Comfort Camp Yael Daphna Saar says, "You know how motherhood is supposed to be joyful? But it's the most excruciating emotional roller coaster! Everything is too much and not enough. We designed this program to provide healing for personal struggles and build performance capacity. It's so rewarding to see the friendships being formed as participants bond and grow together. We are in awe of the growth in confidence we are seeing and are excited about the richness and diversity of the hilarious stories that are being told.

In addition to Yael Saar, the Motherhood is A Joke workshops are facilitated by Singing Notes & Slinging Jokes', Elbonee 'Trece' Stevenson and Kenneth McLaurin. Kitchen Theatre Manager of Growth & Giving R.J. Lavine will be directing the final showcase.

Lavine says, "Bringing together the talents and skills of Yael, Kenneth, and Trece, with the amazing energy and experiences of the mama participants, has been a very rewarding adventure. Part of the Kitchen Theatre's mission is to engage the community and spark important conversations--both of which live at the heart of this project."

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