This February Crow’s Theatre is thrilled to give audiences a second chance to experience one of Toronto theatre’s most memorable recent highlights - the acclaimed and sold-out co-production from SLOM Collective and The Theatre Centre, Secret Life of a Mother, on stage at Streetcar Crowsnest February 6 – 23, 2020 in the Guloien Theatre. 

Written by one of the country’s foremost interpreters of women’s lives, award-winning playwright Hannah Moscovitch, in collaboration with multi-Dora Award-winning actress Maev Beaty and acclaimed director Ann-Marie Kerr, Secret Life of a Mother first premiered at The Theatre Centre in October of 2018 to critical accolades and a sold out run, landing on many of the year’s top ten lists.

A revelatory meta-theatrical work for the stage, in Secret Life of a Mother a playwright writes an exposé of modern motherhood: a confessional piece about her own darkly funny and taboo-breaking truths. One of her real-life friends, an actress, performs this story, and through it her own motherhood secrets start to surface. These mothers are not the butts of jokes, or the villains, or the perfect angels of the house.

Secret Life of a Mother exposes the raw, transcendent and untold secrets of pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, and mothering. This is motherhood for the 21st century: hallucinatory, gothic, and empowered.

“Secret Life of a Mother is the creation of an amazingly formidable team of artists, so on the face of it, it is not surprising that coming together they created one of the most arrestingly honest and revealing pieces of the last few years,” comments Crow’s Theatre Artistic Director Chris Abraham.“However I believe the show adds up to even more than its impressive parts. There is a special alchemy in their collective efforts that enables them to present the experience of motherhood with genuine complexity and fearlessness. I am thrilled to be able to share it with audiences who weren’t lucky enough to get tickets when it first arrived.”

“The conversation about motherhood and the conversation about equality is simply not moving fast enough,” adds Crow’s Executive Director, Sherrie Johnson.“This show feels like a most personal act of protest – a refusal to submit to the impossible and constraining ideal of the ‘perfect mother,’ and until these conversations are further along, it is our responsibility as artists and arts organizations to give space to shows like this.”

Developed in residency at The Theatre Centre, the play is Moscovitch’s most personal writing to date, casting herself and her own experience of motherhood in a central role, while weaving in longtime friend Beaty’s own motherhood stories.

“The Theatre Centre seems to be the place where artists want to make their most personal works,” comments The Theatre Centre’s Artistic Director Aislinn Rose. “The Residency program offers the benefit of time to really test ideas and to make mistakes, and the trust from the organization allows artists to be at their most vulnerable. It was an honour to steward the work to its first production in 2018, and we are thrilled that Toronto audiences will have another opportunity to see it.”

Hannah and Maev were joined early on in the creation process by Ann-Marie Kerr (director of the Edinburgh smash hit Daughter) as a core creator and director. The all-star design team includes Siminovitch Prize-nominee Camellia Koo (Scenic Design), Dora Award-winner Debashis Sinha (Sound Design), and one of Canada’s most accomplished video designers Cam Davis (Projection Design).

Secret Life of a Mother runs February 6 – February 23 (Media night: February 8) at Streetcar Crowsnest (345 Carlaw Avenue) in the Guloien Theatre. Performances are scheduled Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30pm, with 2:00pm matinees on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Crow’s Theatre offers 4-play and 8-play subscriptions. 4 play subscribers save 20% on the single ticket price; 8-play subscribers save 30%. Subscriber benefits include discounts on additional tickets, and access to special offers at on-site restaurant Gare de l’Est.  

Single tickets for 2019.2020 performances range from $20.00 to $55.00 CDN. Subscription and single ticket discounts are available for seniors and students.

Get more information and buy tickets at crowstheatre.com.

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