Voices Made (M)other

Abstract

Voices Made (M)other is a theatrical project I created consisting of two original short plays, Momologues and ILL. This interdisciplinary project combines motherhood studies, feminist studies, whiteness studies, and theatre. One cannot have political change without revolutionizing each individual; and so I am sharing the process behind creating ILL, an autobiographical play tracing events throughout my motherline, to demonstrate the ways in which this project has helped create a more nuanced version of motherhood that incorporates mental illness, maternal abuse, and healing from trauma. This project builds upon the theory of empowered mothering (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 the creation of ILL I am forming 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 more "nurturing" or "mothering" by virtue of their "womanness." The three part video performance of Voices Made (M)other can be accessed at: http://youtu.be/hhyOKxaFE8E (Momologues) ; http://youtu.be/7hQ0Y52AoRQ (ILL); http://youtu.be/inawQlK4iG0 (Talkback).