Presentation Title
Voices Made (M)other: Creative Expression and Community on Campus
Degree Name
Master of Interdisciplinary Studies (MA)
Department
Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences
Location
Tioga Library Building
Start Date
26-5-2014 5:10 PM
End Date
26-5-2014 5:15 PM
Abstract
Voices Made (M)other is a theatrical project I created consisting of two original short plays, Momologues and ILL. This project builds off of the theory of empowered mothers (O’Reilly, 2006) by which society begins looking at the situation and needs of the mother herself “in the context of her own life” as opposed to the needs of the children, family, or any other social factors (p. 327). Through creating ILL, an autobiographical play tracing events throughout my motherline, I seek to form a community of empowered mothers and women who actively challenge rigid notions of femininity and how “nature” has been grafted onto women as if they are supposed to be “nurturing” or “mothering”. Momologues is my attempt to begin fusing my personal experience of mothering, abuse, and loss with that of other women and mothers. This second play utilizes interviews with women from the University of Washington Tacoma to create composite monologues which represent and embody certain aspects of these women’s relationships to their mothers, mothering, and motherhood. It is my understanding that one cannot have political change without revolutionizing each individual; and so I hope to share the process behind creating Voices Made (M)other to demonstrate the ways in which this project has helped create a stronger sense of community for women and mothers here at the University of Washington Tacoma.
COinS
Voices Made (M)other: Creative Expression and Community on Campus
Tioga Library Building
Voices Made (M)other is a theatrical project I created consisting of two original short plays, Momologues and ILL. This project builds off of the theory of empowered mothers (O’Reilly, 2006) by which society begins looking at the situation and needs of the mother herself “in the context of her own life” as opposed to the needs of the children, family, or any other social factors (p. 327). Through creating ILL, an autobiographical play tracing events throughout my motherline, I seek to form a community of empowered mothers and women who actively challenge rigid notions of femininity and how “nature” has been grafted onto women as if they are supposed to be “nurturing” or “mothering”. Momologues is my attempt to begin fusing my personal experience of mothering, abuse, and loss with that of other women and mothers. This second play utilizes interviews with women from the University of Washington Tacoma to create composite monologues which represent and embody certain aspects of these women’s relationships to their mothers, mothering, and motherhood. It is my understanding that one cannot have political change without revolutionizing each individual; and so I hope to share the process behind creating Voices Made (M)other to demonstrate the ways in which this project has helped create a stronger sense of community for women and mothers here at the University of Washington Tacoma.