Presenting an evening of political theatre that flips the “pro-life” movement on its head GLENS FALLS, NY (Sept. 15, 2014): MOM BABY GOD, Madeline Burrows' one-woman show based on her two years undercover at anti-choice conferences taps into the smoldering political conflict in the US surrounding reproductive rights is leaving audiences around the country inspired and galvanized to action. MOM BABY GOD is pleased to present a one night only performance in Glens Falls, NY on Saturday, October 11 at 7:30 pm at the Charles R. Wood Theater, 207 Glen St., Glens Falls, NY. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $10 for students. To purchase tickets call 518-480-4878 or visit mombabygod.com.
Glen Falls has become a microcosm of our nation’s reproductive rights debate. Life-sized statues of Jesus and Mary loom over the sidewalk opposite the city’s Planned Parenthood, which is seeing a growing presence of anti-choice protesters. This ostentatious showing of anti-choice sentiment hasn’t gone unanswered. Resident Enid Mastrianni saw the “tremendous amount of passion and anger aroused amongst the women of Glens Falls who have relied on Planned Parenthood for over forty years” and acted, joining Get Your Girl On, a local organization founded by Joy Kaczmarek that supports women’s access to health care. Get Your Girl On is bringing the nationally acclaimed performance, MOM BABY GOD to Glens Falls to unite the area’s pro-choice community. All proceeds from the performance will go directly to the Planned Parenthood Glens Fall Health Center, providing financial support for women seeking reproductive health care as well as improving security and privacy for their patients and staff.
MOM BABY GOD has quickly moved from the campus of Hampshire College, located in quaint Amherst, Massachusetts, to a national platform. The play's stand-alone quality as a piece of art fills seats with theatre critics and activists alike, while its provocative content and immersive portrayal of American girl culture at the mercy of the War on Women engages new audiences from all walks of life. Jaclyn Friedman, editor of Yes Means Yes and founder of Women, Action & the Media describes MOM BABY GOD as “a tour-de-force performance” that is “life altering and silly at the same time.” Gwen Tulin, a Chicago theater artist and audience member says, "I haven't seen anything that made me feel such a strong call to action since the original Laramie Project." It’s clear that MOM BABY GOD is on to something: reestablishing theatre as a tool for political change. MOM BABY GOD has seen its share of conflict: At the show’s New York premiere last October, Students for Life of America Executive Director Kristan Hawkins sent a member of her organization to the performance equipped with spy-glasses to illegally videotape the event. In her ‘exposé’ of MOM BABY GOD in the National Review, Hawkins called the footage "...too vulgar to release to the general public" and other right-wing media outlets have published reviews condemning the play - despite having never seen it or read the script. "We suspect that Hawkins quickly realized she would be in gross copyright infringement should she release the footage," says Burrows. "That, and people would actually see what the play is about."
Now on the heels of a successful national tour, Burrows and her team are emboldened by the positive receptions they’ve received with each successive performance and are excited to lend their voices to grassroots movements for reproductive rights and Glens Falls is no exception. Get Your Girl On will lead a peaceful Pro-Choice Voices rally on Saturday, October 11 at noon. The demonstration will begin at the Civil War Monument at the intersection of Glen and South Streets after which the participants will walk to Planned Parenthood. Burrows is ready: "It's about time the pro-choice movement pushed back; we've been stumbling and failed to notice just how close we are to losing the rights to control our own bodies. I couldn't be prouder to stand at the helm. Bring it on."
MOM BABY GOD is written and performed by Madeline Burrows and features lighting, projection and sound design by Allison Smartt. Emma Weinstein is the director. To schedule a review, or for more information and other press inquiries, contact Allison Smartt at mombabygod@gmail.com.