What Do Broadway Moms & Dads Do on Their Night Off? Sing, Of Course!

 Popshopstudios.com

Maplewood, NJ is a Rockwell-esque little nook where theatre people with families hide away beneath the oak trees. Three years ago, when baby #2 made his appearance, my husband and I took a deep breath and plunged our lives, head first, into this quaint suburban haven. (Full disclosure, I cried in my crossover vehicle as we waved goodbye to a decade of memories in our Upper West Side apartment).
 
With both feet planted on the other side of the river, it wasn't long until I had immersed myself amongst the other show tune-loving folks; all of us, looking for a way to be normal parents, despite the abnormality of a career in the theatre. The summer of 2010, we decided to celebrate our quirky clique of commuting show people. We developed Midtown Direct Rep, a theatre company in residence at the South Orange Performing Arts Center, designed to allow this unique group of performers the chance to work and play together, for and with our community.

This fall marks the kick off of our third season. Our membership boasts over 75 incredible working theatre artists in the Broadway community (including actor/parents: two-time Tony Winner, Norbert Leo Butz, Tony Nominee, Christiane Noll, and "Law & Order; SVU" regular, Joel de la Fuente). This is a town where moms and dads stand on the soccer field sidelines Sunday morning, and take their bows on the Great White Way by mid-afternoon.

One week from today, Monday, October 1st, we will launch our season with an evening that honors Midtown Direct Rep's mission. "Broadway's Night Off" is a one-night-only, star-studded special event where friends and neighbors (who happen to be among Broadway's top professionals) perform musical theatre favorites and show off their talents in their own backyard. A Broadway themed silent auction (including tix and backstage tours to our members' shows - ie, Wicked, Rock of Ages, Phantom of the Opera, Mary Poppins, and many more!) will open the evening at 7:30. The concert will begin at 8:00.

Over 20 local, Broadway moms & dads, (including Rated P cast members, Joanna Young and David Josefsberg, plus Ron Bohmer (Phantom of the Opera), Catherine Brunell (Mary Poppins), Michelle Federer (Wicked), & Becky Gulsvig (Legally Blonde) will take the stage to help raise funds for MDR's upcoming season, dedicated to developing new works.

The honor of serving as Co-Artistic Director (along with Rated P director, Jeremy Dobrish) is a privilege that I don't take lightly. I never saw this little New Jersey niche coming, and yet, I couldn't be prouder to be smack dab in the middle of this incredible group of friends, neighbors, peers, and theatre wackos, that we call, Midtown Direct Rep. 

You don't need a special invitation to join us, but I'll extend one to you anyway! Please come join us next Monday, October 1st. It's going to be a spectacular evening of regular moms and dads, showcasing their extraordinary gifts. Introduce yourself if you swing by ... there's a house down the street that's for sale!

Tickets can be purchased at Sopcnow.org. Visit midtowndirectrep.org for details.

A version of this blog post was originally published on Broadway World Jr.

The "Mom Vote"

    Photo: news.instyle.com

Since the political conventions of the last two weeks, the media seems obsessed with "who won the mom vote." For lack of a better word, all I can say is, ew.

A bachelor of science degree does not make me a political scientist and my only claim to being a parenting expert, is that I have children. However, I am an American woman, and lucky for me, my country says that means I have a voice. So here's what I have to say: My vote is no more a "mom vote," than my husband's vote is a "dad vote." Though we are most definitely parents.

Issues of education, security, taxes, equality of marriage, and healthcare, certainly will impact my children. However, I am not so singularly focused as the media would have you believe. My vote is not for the two children who live in my home. My vote is for this nation. If I vote according to what I believe is best for my country, then surely my children's best interest will be covered. Why should the breadth of my vote be minimized simply because I have children? How much more work does Gloria Steinem have to do? Where can I sign up to help her?

The face of parenting in this nation has changed dramatically over the last generation. 66% of women in 2011 had jobs. And over the last decade, “the number of men who have left the work force entirely to raise children has more than doubled." Women and men alike are sharing parenting responsibilities. Yet, you don't hear the media concerned over the "dad vote." Though maybe they should be.

In the last two weeks, two women stood up to speak; Ann Romney at the Republican National Convention, and Michelle Obama at the Democratic National Convention.

Both women affected me deeply. Michelle Obama made me stand up and cheer while involuntary tears of inspiration streamed down my face. Ann Romney just made me mad.

"Well, that was offensive," said my husband after Ann Romney stopped talking. 

And if you listen carefully, you'll hear the women sighing a little bit more than the men. It's how it is, isn't it? It's the moms who always have to work a little harder, to make everything right. It's the moms of this nation ... who really hold this country together ... You know it's true, don't you? 

Well, no, Ann, actually I don't know that's true. Not in my house. Not in my neighborhood. No, that's not true at all. Just as my vote is no louder than my husband's vote, neither is my "sigh." When our children are hurt or scared, my husband doesn't roll his eyes and say, "Honey, you deal with it. I think I'll drink a beer and talk to some other men who don't give a shit about their children either."

I know that I work no harder than my husband to make anything "right," but I also have no idea what that means. So, I'll just skip it.

Moms of this nation do not hold this country together. The people of this nation, women and men, with and without children, and children themselves, work together to create a complete, complex, diverse society where no one group is valued above another.

How dare she dismiss the efforts of my husband, and my friend's husbands, my father and my father-in-law, my grandfathers, and my uncles. These are men who love their families deeply. Fatherhood, and all that comes along with it, is just as valued in my community as motherhood. Belittling their power as fathers, does not make me feel stronger as a mother. In fact, it is our shared effort that has made our lives full. To lessen that shared strength is a testament to just how out of touch with the "mom vote," Ann Romney, and the Republican Party, seem to be.

Meanwhile, this nation's "Mom-in-Chief," Michelle Obama, clearly understands the world I am living in. While she chooses to prioritize motherhood, as made evident by her self-imposed nickname, she doesn't assume that a) all women are mothers or b) that all mothers are better than fathers. In fact, Michelle recognizes that for some men, her own father included, the measure of manhood is in the strength of his fathering.

He was so proud to be sending his kids to college…and he made sure we never missed a registration deadline because his check was late. You see, for my dad, that's what it meant to be a man. 

And later she commented:  

...We were taught to value everyone's contribution and treat everyone with respect. Those are the values Barack and I – and so many of you – are trying to pass on to our own children.

Contemporary parenthood reflects a shared commitment to raising children and a shared commitment to citizenship. I expect our politicians (and their representatives) to understand that.

The candidate's wives' speeches are quite secondary to this campaign; however, they are reflective of the overall party attitudes. So, Mass Media, to answer your question of who is getting my "mom vote," I say ...  no one.

My "person vote" however will be for the father of Michelle Obama's children.

Click here to read my open invitation to Michelle Obama - Michelle Obama, Zombie Brains, and Me.

First Day of School

Today, in honor of my kids' first day of school, here is a link (and below the text) to Prayer for Ellie, from Rated P. Not a first day of school goes by where I don't get misty eyed; today was no exception.

Share your "first day" experiences in the comment section below. I'd love to hear from you!

 Prayer for Ellie
(simply)
HERE ON THE CORNER OF GLEN RD. AND FROST HILL WAY
I HAVE THE INSTINCT TO GET ON MY KNEES AND PRAY.
FOR MY ELLIE
AS SHE EMBARKS ON HER FIRST DAY.

I WISH MY MOTHER
COULD BE HERE WITH ME RIGHT NOW
WITH A TISSUE AND A KISS
ASTUTELY RAISED LEFT EYEBROW.
TO SEE MY DAUGHTER, FIVE YEARS OLD
MOM, SHE'S MY WORLD AND MY LIFE
SO, IF I MAY BE SO BOLD…

MAKE SURE SHE'S PICKED FIRST
AND MAYBE KICKS A GOAL.
LET HER COMPETE WITH GRACE AND POISE.
PLEASE CAST HER IN A STARRING ROLE
IN THE SCHOOL PLAY.
DEFEND HER FROM THOSE BULLY BOYS.

AND WHILE YOU'RE LISTENING
PROMISE YOU'LL PROTECT
THE SMILE THAT SOMETIMES
ALL THIS GROWING UP DESTROYS.

I PRAY NO KIDS ARE MEAN
AND NO ONE MAKES HER CRY.
PLEASE PICK HER UP IF SHE SHOULD FALL.
I PRAY THAT NO ONE SAYS SHE'S TOO FAT OR TOO DUMB
TOO SMART, TOO WEIRD
TOO BLONDE, TOO TALL.

HERE ON THE CORNER
WITH YOU WATCHING FROM ABOVE
I FEEL YOUR QUIET STRENGTH
I FEEL YOUR ENDLESS MOTHER'S LOVE.
AND NOW I PRAY YOU HELP ME BE
THE KIND OF MOTHER THAT YOU WERE TO ME.

IT’S REALLY HAPPENING
I'M WAVING AT THE BUS
THE BUS ALREADY PULLED AWAY.
AND SO I END MY PRAYER AS SIMPLY AS I CAN.
MOM, HELP OUR ELLIE … AND HER MOMMY … BE OK.
LIGHTS SHIFT.