Every woman knows the power that the right — or wrong — pair of shoes, dress, jacket, purse, or any item of clothing can have on how they feel about themselves of how they remember a moment for the rest of time.
Such is the premise of the play Love, Loss, and What I Wore, which New Stages Theatre Company is presenting as a staged reading on the Mother’s Day weekend, where an all-star female cast directed by Peterborough performer Linda Kash will perform the script without sets or costumes.
An evening performance takes place at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 11th, followed by a special 2 p.m. matinee performance on Sunday (Mother’s Day), both at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough. The Mother’s Day matinee features a pre-show tea service and both performances will raise funds for a good cause, making the show a perfect gift for your favourite mom.
“This event is about women and people who identify as women getting together to commiserate and share,” says Kash. “On an occasion like Mother’s Day, it’s good to have a bunch of women together in a room supporting each other.”
Based on the book of the same name by Irene Beckerman, the play was written by rom-com screenwriters and sisters Nora Ephron (When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle) and Delia Ephron (You’ve Got Mail). It was first performed in East Hampton, New York in 2008 before being produced as a benefit series and off-Broadway the following year, with notable performers including Rosie O’Donnell, Samantha Bee, America Ferrera, and Tyne Daly.
The script is a collection of monologues that encapsulate the female experience through stories about wardrobes worn during milestones of life. Told by five women, the stories explore relationships, motherhood, and childhood through poignant and funny moments such as buying a first bra, prom dress shopping, the purse as a chasm, the many roles of a bathrobe, and much more.
“There’s some really funny monologues and then there’s some very touching monologues because women — and men — know that certain clothing make us feel fantastic, and certain items of clothing are difficult to put on because of what they’re synonymous with,” says Kash. “We’re going to see a lot of head-bobbing because the audience will know exactly what we’re talking about and there’s so many things that will resonate.”
No newcomer to the play, having starred in a Toronto production herself back in 2010, Kash has since been eager to bring it to Peterborough and knew it was the “perfect” show to make Mother’s Day special.
Joining the staged reading are Kash’s “first choice” Canadian actresses for the acclaimed production, including fellow Peterborough performer Megan Murphy, beloved co-creator of The Verandah Society and filmmaker of the award-winning documentary Murphy’s Law.
Rounding out the cast are Canadian actresses Jenni Burke (Da Kink in My Hair, Bang Bang, Chicago, King Lear, Twelfth Night), recent Stratford Festival performer Jane Luk (Kim’s Convenience, A Handmaid’s Tale, Murdoch Mysteries), and ACTRA Award and Canadian Comedy Award-winner Maria Del Mar (A Touch of Grey, Terminal City).
Alongside the cast of these well-known veterans comes Toronto rising star Kinley Mochrie, daughter of Colin Mochrie and Debra McGrath, known for her roles in short films on CBC Gem (A Brief History of the Unicorn, Hope’s Point, Junior’s Giant).
“Kinley has a lot of natural talent and this natural comedic sense,” says Kash. “I’m so excited to introduce Peterborough to Kinley Mochrie because she’s an exciting actor.”
Behind the scenes, adding to the local line-up as an assistant is Bobcaygeon comedian Jennine Profeta who, like Kash, was previously involved in a production and harbours a passion for the play.
“Everybody’s in the right frame of mind and everybody just really gets it,” says Kash. “The words are wonderful, but the women who are speaking these words are spectacular.”
For even more fun, before the Mother’s Day matinee, there will be a buffet-style high tea catered by Peterborough’s Black Honey. The tea service begins at 12:30 p.m. in the Market Hall lobby for $10 (separate tickets are required).
If that’s not enough reason to bring your mothers, grandmothers, and mother-figures to the show, there will also be door prizes for the best-dressed ensemble at both performances. While the official dress code is “come as you are,” it can often be fun to put on your best pearls, sequin dresses, and those shoes you bought but have nowhere to wear.
“I love loud and wonderful and subtle and classic,” says Kash, adding that she’ll be searching for something vintage to wear. “Everybody has a different style, but what matters is that you feel good in what you’re in.”
As a special Mother’s Day treat for herself, Kash’s own youngest daughter Tilly O’Sullivan will be creating and compiling sketches of the outfits and clothing items that are discussed throughout the play. While they will be used in the play itself, there is also a potential for them to be sold off afterwards.
“She is a major doodler and it’s always clothing she sketches, so this is really her badge,” Kash says. “She’s really good at it, so it warms my heart that I can showcase my daughter’s art.”
Any money raised, as well as 25 per cent of the ticket sales for Love, Loss, and What I Wore, will be going towards Camp Kerry, a family bereavement retreat program from the Lumara Grief & Bereavement Care Society.
Kash has been a part of annual fundraisers for Camp Kerry and has taught improv workshops to the families attending the retreat. As someone who holds a close relationship with grief after suddenly losing her partner Paul O’Sullivan in a 2012 car crash, she knows the necessity of an organization like Camp Kerry.
“I understand what it’s like to navigate children through grief as best you can, but it really is like flying blind because no one knows what to do,” she says. “The more support you can get from people, the better you’ll make it through the worst of it, and the better you’ll find navigation for the rest of your life.”
“It’s an important organization that I only hope grows because they’re doing the right thing and what they’re doing is not easy,” she adds. “They’re making a huge difference in people’s lives.”
Kash also knows how essential it is to find connection and that’s exactly what the Mother’s Day shows are intended to do: create understanding through a shared experience of the significance of clothing and accessories.
“Objects have power and clothing has a lot of power and has a lot of magic to it,” says Kash. “You can bring your mother or kids or hubby, because the play is leaning on the female experience but it’s about family. I don’t think there could be anything better for celebrating Mother’s Day.”
General admission tickets for Love, Loss, and What I Wore are $35 ($18 for students, arts workers, and those who are underemployed) and are available in person at the Market Hall box office (140 Charlotte St, Peterborough), by phone at 705-775-1503, or online at markethall.org.
Tickets for the pre-show tea service on Mother’s Day are an additional $10 per person, and are available online at the New Stages website at www.newstages.ca.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be media sponsor of New Stages Theatre Company’s 2023-24 season.
