Moving Museum of Motherhood
Creative, theatrical workshops for mothers
With support from Arts Council England this project produced by Moving Stories and Watford Palace Theatre was an 8 week workshop led by director Emma Gersch and writer Kristina Gavran with a group of local mothers from all walks and stages of life. Through a process of creative exploration, a new play emerged by and for the mothers, and performed on the main stage at the Watford Palace in May 2022.
"Emma and I created six 2-hour long workshops in which we explored creativity in many different ways. I was touched to see how much these mothers craved some creative time, time just for themselves, where they could be silly and playful and funny and full of passion. We often have to put all these things on one side as we take our mothering duties.
There was a lot of listening and laughter in the room. With their permission, I soaked in the stories and filled up my notebook with notes, ideas, and motives. I worked as a writer in communities before, but never with a group of mothers. It all felt easy; there was a can-do attitude and courage to embark on any task. These women were simply incredible. And my big job was to write a play. A play that would capture the essence of all these experiences and stories told in our theatre studio. After six weeks of gathering ideas, it felt like a mission impossible. How can I do justice to all these women? How can I tell just one story in one play when there is so much here?
"The Parachute" was born, or its first draft. A story of a young mother who organises a party during which she jumps out of the plane. Will the parachute open? And who is our parachute in daily life? " - Kristina Gavran (The Parachute playwright)
Watch trailer here: