‘Mother (and Me)” is Passage Theatre’s next installment of its signature solo presentations, aka Solo Flights. Written and performed by New York City-based Melinda Buckley, the work deals with a daughter’s relationship with her aging Hungarian mother, Friday through Sunday, March 20 to 22.
Buckley shared her thoughts in this excerpted interview for GO-SOLO theater workshop (where she is an instructor).
I always loved doing theater. I loved how (solo writers) created other people and whole worlds out of thin air.
I did actually write a few character-driven solo shows, and while I got great response, I knew there was something missing. I hit a wall when it came to structure. And then in my acting class, a friend was working on personal material. I’d always shied away from personal solo shows. Too self-indulgent, I thought. Who will care to hear about my life?
And then … my mom got Alzheimer’s. And I knew my life would never be same. Hell, I didn’t think I’d even survive it. And that’s actually why I started writing about it — about us, about our lives.
I read some of the material to friends, and people were moved and they encouraged me to keep writing. But after a while, I hit the same wall. It was the structure thing again. And then a friend told me about GO-SOLO (theater workshops).
I felt like I’d found this place where I could pull out all these shiny things I’d been playing with, and put them together with a coherent dramatic through-line. Not only that, but I was able to go deeper, into the ‘scary’ places. Going into those places I did not want to go and finding out that — that was where the gold was! It was a magical discovery.
“MOTHER (and me)” got into the NY Fringe. People came, I got great reviews, I had packed houses, and my venue presented me as a Best of Fest winner and we got extended. A Broadway producer came and brought all kinds of industry people. We did a residency at Ryder Farm (a nonprofit arts program in New York State), development runs at Bay Street Theater (Sag Harbor, New York), Chicago Shakespeare, and Second Stage (in Manhattan).
All along the way, I did benefits for various Alzheimer’s organizations, because in my heart of hearts the show is about service. It’s about giving people hope and helping them laugh. At one of those benefits Mark Cuddy, the artistic director of Geva Theatre happened to be there. He loved the show so much, he put it on their season. Now Geva is working to present the show on an international tour!
It’s been this amazing journey. But the very best part has been sharing this story about my wild Hungarian Mom, who was many things… not all of them good, but all pretty hilarious. It’s been so fulfilling to show her off to the world, and to make peace with who we were then and who I am now — and to find my own voice in the process.
Mother (and Me), Passage Theater, Mill Hill Playhouse, 205 East Front Street. March 20 to 22. $13 to $27. 609-392-0766.
