PLATTSBURGH — Award-winning playwright Tracy Vicory-Rosenquest writes about what she grapples with in her life.
The Adirondack Regional Theatre presents the world premiere of “MAMA: Survival Guide Required,” a new original play by Vicory-Rosenquest and directed by Mark Preston, which runs Friday through Sunday at the Community Room at the YMCA on the US Oval.
“I have been working on this play since my son was born eight years ago. At the time, I started writing this it was the side of being a mother that we don’t often discuss or like to speak openly about. Part of it was the challenge especially of being a first-time mom and navigating that world and navigating it in terms of what it means to represent yourself as a mom to other moms. That kind of relationship of what you should look like and how you should be regarding motherhood or regarding your relationship to the moms, regarding you family relationships, and your career and all that kind of stuff. So just what it means to deal; with being a first-time mom,” Vicory-Rosenquest says.
ONE ACT
The one-act play stars Penny Allen as Mama; Tiana Saroj as OG; Sara Welch as Her Mom, Childcare Manager and Elise; Shelby Elizabeth as Fred Rogers, Parent-tist, Childcare Provider and Mom Wannabe; Cat Wagner as Dada and Eye Doctor; and Sam Seymour as Friend and Barista.
“When I first read Tracy’s script, the relatability of the writing packaged in the situational humor drew me right in,” Preston said. “I am very grateful to have had this opportunity to direct this world premier production and incredibly fortunate to have such a talented and dedicated cast and crew with me. Thanks to them, the journey of this production has been nothing like the struggles portrayed in the play.
“Being a small crew and cast, we have all worked really hard on every aspect of this play. But even with all the time and effort — and the blood, sweat, and tears (of laughter) — that we’ve poured into this, it has been an absolute blast from start to finish. With the show opening this week, it feels so surreal to think how far we’ve come since the first production meeting and auditions to our final dress rehearsal, and I am so incredibly proud of the show we have. and I’m very excited for people to see it.”
The cast portrays multiple characters during the 70-minute production with no intermission.
“Mama is the protagonist. She’s the central character, and we have OG, who is the original mom guide through the jungle of motherhood. She sort of acts like a narrator, but she has moments where she crosses the line and has interactions with Mama,” said Vicory-Rosenquest, who wrote the play intermittently while mothering and received an individual artist grant to finish it from the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts.
“The ultimate underlying conversation is she is dealing with how to survive motherhood, how to get through it. What can she do to ease the stress of it? and she gets a whole bunch of terrible advice about it, some of which she takes, some of which she ignores. At the same time, she’s sort of combating this image of who she should be as a mom from other moms or the childcare provider or the various people that she thinks she has to hold it together with.”
Mama finds a safe space with another mom with whom she can relate to and share her authentic self.
“It’s been great working with Mark the director. It has been such a great experience of both hearing his vision and what he sees, hearing what the cast members see for the vision of their character. I’ve got to be at a number of rehearsals and also create as an actor is looking at their part or their piece. So there have been conversations I get to have, as well, about what what I see for the character, whether they take it or leave it. It’s not a problem,” Vicory-Rosenquest said.
“Mostly, I’m hands off because I want the director and I want the actors to create what they see from it and go on their creative aspect of their vision of it. and from time to time, I will step in and say something to tweak something. From time to time, I will jump in and say something because there’s, like, a little piece that opens up another world for the character. I love it. I didn’t want to direct it. I love working with local theater people to create things like this, so it’s been exciting to see it unfold.”
If Vicory-Rosenquest dedicated the play to someone, it would be her mother, who is nothing like the protagonist.
“It always is one of those experiences of, like, how it’s going to go. It’s exciting. It’s, like, nerve wracking. It’s all of it,” she said.
“Man, its never been still so true, eight years later, my experience being a mom. It feels the same like when I was a new mom eight years ago. Ultimately, sharing this piece with other moms and giving space for other people who mother kids to just to be seen and heard has been really important to me.”
If You Go WHAT: Adirondack Regional Theatre presents world premiere of “MAMA: Survival Guide Required” by playwright Tracy Vicory Rosenquest, directed by Mark Preston. WHERE: The Community Room at the YMCA on the Oval, 52 Oval, Plattsburgh/ WHEN: Friday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 28 at 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.; and Sunday, March 1 at 2 p.m. TICKETS: General admission: $20 (online or at the door) Available at: https://givebutter.com/MAMA26