The 14 lovely ladies of this year’s cast of “Listen to Your Mother” gathered at Wildflour in downtown Valpo for a read-through of their performance pieces on Saturday afternoon. The atmosphere in the recently-opened stylish bakery was brimming with excitement and promise.
One of our recent Valpo Life in the Spotlight candidates was Producer and Director Lovelyn Palm, who was just as excited as the rest of the cast to gather for the read-through of this year’s eagerly-anticipated production of LTYM, but made sure that the women had plenty of de-stressing time with treats and coffee beforehand.
For a show Palm describes as “born out of blogging,” those involved with LTYM appeared ready to bust out of the blogosphere and onto the stage! Stories in the upcoming show will require tissues for tears of both laughter and heartbreak. These women might not typically be involved in theatrical productions, but their excitement is evident.
As the cast chatted and got to know each other better in the casual setting, they discussed stage fright, motherhood, and all life matters one might expect. In this way, LTYM is a community within our community, not separate, but part of our own. It brings people together for open and honest discussion.
“Every piece that every mother or son or any person has ever performed – there’s always something to relate to. Even sitting with this group, I can relate to every single piece. [The cast] are local moms speaking about motherhood,” noted Donya Kolosiwsky, a veteran attendee who “got the guts” to audition this year.
In addition, LTYM’s open auditions invite people from surrounding communities into our midst to form these bonds and perform such personal pieces. Busy people take tame out of their own schedules to invest in sharing stories with each and every person who attends the show.
“When I was in college, I always wanted to be a writer, but then life happened and it’s just kind of gone by the wayside. We all have a story – especially if we’re mothers – and it feels great to have people buy tickets to come and listen to me speak. It’s really exciting ,” said Christine Wilson, cast member and stay-at-home mom of three – soon-to-be four – girls.
Since Lovelyn and her annually-changing cast and crew brought LTYM to Valparaiso, it has been received with open arms and hearts. Each year, it sells out and 10 percent of the profits are returned to the community by way of a donation to a local nonprofit. This year’s recipient is the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana.
It was an incredible opportunity to listen not only to your mother, but also to the brave voices of women all around us, many of whom we may not hear otherwise.
This year’s LTYM production at Valparaiso’s historic Memorial Opera House, set for May 8, at 7 p.m. is sure to be a can't miss. Get tickets here!