Early Press Round Up: NEW YORK TIMES! HUFFPOST! WASHINGTON POST!

I’m on a plane to New York City with my Mom–en route to LTYM:NYC. As if seeing LTYM hit the theater capitol of the world isn’t exciting enough, this week’s LTYM buzz online and in the press has exceeded anything imaginable. In case you’ve missed the links on facebook and Twitter, I’ve captured a few here for you. This is by no means an exhaustive list, as I can no longer keep up (!), but this gives you an idea:

The New York Times Motherlode blog published two essays from LTYM readers Eve Lederman (LTYM: NYC) and Varda Steinhardt (LTYM: NYC Producer)

Washington Post journalist Janice D’arcy featured LTYM in her On Parenting Column

…It was during the auditions that the producers heard Green and decided to organize the performance around the idea of mothers as “warriors.”
“We’ll present stories about the power of motherhood — of mothers as empowered people who fight for their families. Because that’s what we’re all doing, right?” Hood said. (Kate Hood, LTYM:DC Producer)

San Francisco Cast Member Rhianna Maidenberg writes about conquering her fear of public speaking and finding the courage to share her story on HuffPost Parents.

Before the curtain rises, you may find me backstage, practicing breathing techniques and downing a glass or two of sauvignon blanc. And then I will take the stage, along with eleven other writers, to tell my story…My San Francisco cast mates are each sharing their own harrowing stories. One mother expertly leads the audience through the experience of miscarriage, while another searches for the voice of her dead mother. There is also Andre, the show’s only non-mother, who hilariously portrays being raised in his mother’s beauty shop.

On HuffPost: DC, cast member Monica Gallagher Sakala wrote “Screw Perfection, Listen To Real Mothers.”

…It’s real life. It’s a show for anyone who has loved a child, not just for mothers. It’s refreshing because no where through the show is a woman struggling with perfection cloaked as homemade organic food and cloth diapers. Instead of the reality show version of motherhood the media parades to shock us, Sunday’s show mocks mothering perfection in its authenticity. For anyone who has ever felt alone in parenting, Listen to Your Mother is a great reminder that we’re all in it together. And no one is worried about perfection, more like just surviving the day.

The New York Times, Washingtonian, and Time Out New York all highlighted LTYM on their weekend/Mother’s Day calendars.

Laurie White wrote an article for sheposts spotlighting our Austin and Northwest Arkansas kick-off shows last weekend, and about the evolution and progression of the entire LTYM project.

And Sari Judge interviewed me and some current and former LTYM: Madison cast members for a feature in The Isthmus “Motherhood in the spotlight: Ann Imig’s Theater concept lets moms tell their stories”

Becky Sewell, one of the final readers that day, shared an essay detailing her first month as a single mom with a newborn. “Being a part of the show was so much more than I expected,” she remembers. “Having the chance to tell my story in public, raw emotional material and all, was cathartic. It was the chance of a lifetime to have both my feelings and writing validated.”