Monday, December 14, 2015

{#Theatre} Opening TODAY go see @MotherStruck a new play starring @staceyannchin #Review #Spon

Disclosure: I participated in the MotherStruck! blog program as a member of One2One Network. I received compensation but all opinions are my own.



New York City never fails to bring out my inner 'culture vulture', and this weekend I got to take in a new stage play in previews that opens TODAY called MotherStruck! - written and performed by StaceyAnn Chin (bestselling Author of "The Other Side of Paradise: A Memoir.") and Directed by Cynthia Nixon (Sex & The City). The show is produced by Rosie O'Donnell in conjuntion with NYC Culture Project.


Staceyann Chin co-wrote and performed on Broadway in Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam (she performed "If Only Out of Vanity", check it out on YouTube HERE) and she performed in THREE one-woman shows before creating her current show MotherStruck! 

"I want to be that woman that your parents use as a bad example of a lady" ~Staceyann Chin, from "If Only Out of Vanity" - Def Poetry Jam

You can also catch her piece "Nails" from Def Jam Poetry HERE. or "Three Frenzied Days" on Def Poetry Jam on YouTube HERE. "A City in Tragedy" - a powerful spoken word poetry on the tragedy of 09/11 on YouTube HERE.

I can get lost when it comes to Poetry - on the page or spoken. So I will get myself back on track and share a bit about what MotherStruck! is actually about!

About MotherStruck!

MotherStruck! sets forth Staceyann's personal journey to motherhood as a single woman, lesbian, and activist who does not have health insurance or a "serious, stable, financial set up", but wants to have a child. Told through Chin's uniquely personal and poetic lens, this solo show explores how the process changed her life and how she makes peace with what she learns from this profound experience.

Opening Night is TONIGHT - Monday, December 14th.

Showtimes:

  • Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30pm
  • Friday at 8:00pm
  • Saturday at 4:00pm and 8:00pm
  • Sunday at 5:00pm

There is a piece in the show about her confronting an 'internet bully' which is truly powerful you can get a sort of preview of it via YouTube from The Nest Collective, I won't write the title here because Google might then deem this post as 'adult content', but you can watch it HERE.

I like to tell stories through photos and words, I nabbed some shots while I was in the lobby of The Lynn Redgrave Theater (45 Bleecker Street, New York City) while waiting for the show to start:


Above: Long time readers know I have a thing for two things butterflies and buddha art, needless to say this one caught my eye as soon as I walked in the door. It was my beautiful reminder to release pre-conceived thoughts and the craziness of my commute into the city.

Above: I loved the treatment on this door, it reads 'Subculture' and the screen with the instruments is just plain everything

When you enter the theater itself you can immediately tell that this performance is going to be 'in your face'. It's a small theatre and on stage is one large ottoman, Staceyann literally uses every part of the theatre to tell her story, she walks through the audience, and breaks the 'wall' - she makes eye contact and this is a show you can't just passively 'watch', you are forced to immerse yourself in it.

The show runs 1 hour and 40 minutes with one intermission and when the show arrived at the intermission point I thought it was funny how most people commented that the intermission seemed to arrive 'so fast'. That is how engrossed you will get in the story!

DISCOUNT

I don't have tickets to offer you this time around butterflies, but I can get you all 20% off tickets to the show - When selecting your seats, select 'Blissful Media Group' for the discounted rate, HERE!

Get Social:

Use Hashtag #MotherStruck
Visit Culture Project on Facebook

I worked up the nerve to get my program signed (sorry I should have been holding it the other way!) and nabbed a photo with Staceyann!

MY TAKE:

In addition to a middle name in common, like StaceyAnn I am also a poet. The very first moment I understood that writing could be a career is when I entered a writing contest in my freshman year of College, (well actually I didn't enter it, my Professor entered one of my short stories in progress without my consent) and my work won a cash prize! I was asked by my Professor to read my piece at Nuyorican Poets Cafe, but I didn't feel comfortable doing that (and sometimes I greatly regret that). Staceyann mentions in MotherStruck! that one of the first places she discovered when she got to NYC from Jamaica was the Nuyorican Poets Cafe.

While writing this I was listening to an interview Staceyann did for The Rock Newman Show and I loved this quote:

"I believe holy is what you do when there is nothing between your actions and your truth" ~StaceyAnn Chin

I have a great respect for the 'one-woman show' format, it requires a great deal of stamina and a whole lot of nerve/heart! The last time I saw a one woman show that powerful was 'Ann' starring Holland Taylor, see my review of that HERE, the difference is Staceyann is not playing someone else in MotherStruck!, she is relaying her experience, her life and her truth. And she does it boldly and un-apologetically. Hers is a life lived out loud and her journey to Motherhood is certainly not a 'straight' road (no pun intended!) - what I am not seeing enough of is this story ON BROADWAY. Every single time I have seen a powerful one-woman show it has been off-Broadway. I would like think that Broadway has room for human stories with different faces, with strong women leads. I want to see something new on Broadway. I want to see more of THIS!

I urge you to make it a point to go see MotherStruck! Lets move 'diversity' from a boardroom buzzword to a DEMAND. I want to see more theatre where women take the lead in every way, from creative conception, to director and producer like MotherStruck! does.

The end is very much the beginning, while the play chronicles her journey to Motherhood, she recognizes that this is exactly where the story actually begins.

This play is very much poetry come to life, so readers today I ask you:

What work of poetry has resonated with you and greatly impacted YOUR life? (Is it your own? Do you write Poetry?) Do you like 'Memoirs'?

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FTC Disclosure:  This is a compensated/sponsored Post, All opinions are 100% my own! Tickets were provided for Editorial Consideration. This post also contains affiliate links. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.

20 comments:

  1. This sounds like a great show. I have never really gotten into poetry. Catherine S

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  2. That sounds like a show I would like to be honest. I would love to come down and check it out.

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  3. I'm not really a memoir reader, but I do love poetry. Pretty much anything by Robert Frost is perfect for me.

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  4. It sounds pretty powerful and like it will stay with you afterwards. I'm not a poetry person though, so I don't have anything that has stuck with me.

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  5. I love poetry and Hemingway is one of my all time favorite poets. This show sounds like something I would really enjoy!

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  6. I wish I lived in a city that had more cultural events! Glad you enjoyed this show so much!

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  7. It appears you had a wonderful time at the show. I enjoy the pictures you take when visiting special places. It adds to the adventure.

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  8. Sounds like a cool show to see. I love seeing shows but I rarely get to.

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  9. You've got to have a lot of courage to put on a one woman show with nobody to fall back on if you stumble. Sounds like a phenomenal show!

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  10. This sounds like a great show. I like how she performs it all over the space.

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  11. Sounds like a real life challenge, her story. I love poetry and perseverance.

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  12. This sounds like a fun show to see with friends. I love that door too!

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  13. I'd love to see MotherStruck! Love poetry and love to watch strong women expressing their truth in such a straight and forward way !!

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  14. I love the poetry and the also the door looks had very unique design.

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  15. This sounds great. I would love to see this show. When I was younger I wrote a lot of poetry not much anymore sadly. - Jeanine

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  16. I have always enjoyed going to the theater. This looks like a great show to see. I will have to check it out.

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  17. I've never heard poetry live before. Motherstruck sounds like my kind of poetry I could relate to!

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  18. I like the meaning behind the movie and I hope it does well among single moms. I used to love to read poetry when I was young.

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  19. Wow, that does sound like a great time. When I was younger I had quotes from my favorite poets all over.

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  20. I have to say I am not one to read much poetry, so I don't have anything that has stuck with me. I do love to read about powerful women who are putting it out there for others to be inspired.

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