Stage Door News
Stage Door News
This month and next, Hold Mommy's Cigarette can be seen all over southern Ontario with performances scheduled in Cambridge, Hamilton, and Toronto supporting mental health awareness in every community.
Comedienne extraordinaire Shelley Marshall is back, unfiltered and raising awareness for Mental Health through honesty turned into Art.Today, Shelley Marshall is known as a starlet, a successful writer and comedienne, a social media guru and a proud mother of two gay children.What you may not know is that twelve years ago, she was on a much different and darker path. Last week, Marshall acknowledged the twelfth anniversary since her suicide attempt. Her husband who walked in on her called for help and managed to hold onto her body and as fate has its magical way of working, the cord that was wrapped around her neck snapped.
This was her lowest point of her life and one that would later inspire material for her play ‘Hold Mommy’s Cigarette’. Marshall has a long history of mental illness in her family and her life has been marked with many trials and tribulations yet somehow, Marshall has managed to rise above and turn the depths of her sadness into tremendous success. This story and many other stories that tend to go untold shows the magnitude of the importance of bringing awareness to mental health illness.
Depression is as dangerous a disease as any.While there are many efforts working to remove stigma around mental illness now, twelve years ago, this was not the case. Marshall herself will tell you that her interaction with other patients was limited and that she was not permitted outdoors.
Native to Hamilton, Ontario, Marshall brought home Gold in the category of “Best Theatre Production” for Hold Mommy’s Cigarette in 2013, was named “Best New Discovery” by Now Magazine, nominated “Best Female Stand Up” in Canada by the Canadian Comedy Awards and has hosted the popular, televised Hamilton Music Awards for the past four years.In light of the national acclaim she has garnered, what makes Hold Mommy’s Cigarette such a success to Shelley personally is the attention it has contributed in raising mental health awareness.
“I knew creating works of art that expressed my experience, my truth, and my understanding, were what would bring a joyful purpose to my life” says Marshall. “I feel I not only have an opportunity, but an obligation, to convey a message that can help people heal.” Hold Mommy’s Cigarette has opened the door to Colleges, Mental Health Facilities and even coffee shops for Shelley to speak about mental illness and her true-story relationship with its effect.
Backed by repeated sold-out shows, it is clear that Marshall has not only struck a chord, but continues to play a tune that keeps people coming back for more. Quickly blazing an unchartered trail, this comedic icon won’t be slowing down any time soon, so catch her before she’s gone!
See Hold Mommy’s Cigarette in:
Cambridge, March 11-13
Cambridge Arts Theatre
47 Water St. South
www.ticketscene.ca/series/356/
Hamilton, March 17-19
Hamilton Theatre Inc.,
140 McNab St. North
www.ticketscene.ca/series/350/
Toronto, April 1-2 & 8-9
The Full Bawdy Loft
290 Carlaw Ave.
2016-03-03
Toronto: Shelley Marshall brings "Hold Mommy's Cigarette" to Cambridge, Hamilton and Toronto this spring