Tag: Boston Playwrights Theatre

‘Mother Mary’ Drives Radical Kindness into Hearts and Minds

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Tara Forseth, Adriana Alvarez in BPT’s ‘Mother Mary’. Photos by Benjamin Rose Photography

‘Mother Mary’ – KJ Moran Velz. Directed by Elaine Vaan Hogue. Stage Managed by Jess Brennan. Scenic Design by Cristina Todesco. Lighting Design by Darius Knight Evans. Costume Design by Nora Kempner. Sound Design by Mackenzie Adamick. Prop Design by Courtney Licata. Dramaturgy and Cultural Consulting by Carla Mirabel Rodríguez. Intimacy Direction by Jessica Scout Malone. ‘Mother Mary’ runs from October 9th – 26th at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, 949 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215. 

By Charlotte Snow 

“Birthing a play in collaboration with a playwright is a journey into the unknown,” director Elaine Vaan Hogue begins her director’s note. Every playwright hopes that when their baby (the play) has its world premiere, that audiences will love the play as much as they do. That’s the hope; the reality is they are usually bombarded with “I think that could be changed,” “I didn’t like the ending,” or “what you should really be writing about is…” It’s rare that an audience can so clearly see the playwright’s dreams and intentions. Speaking for my audience (my partner and I), we belong to the former category and fell in love with KJ Moran Velz’s Mother Mary. 

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Kilian Melloy Interviews Playwright KJ Moran Velz, whose new play, ‘Mother Mary’ is premiering at BPT

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Tara Forseth, Adriana Alvarez in BPT’s ‘Mother Mary’. Photos by Benjamin Rose Photography

by Kilian Melloy

Boston Playwrights’ Theatre’s season continues with KJ Moran Velz’s new play Mother Mary, a story set in 1968 that finds two women — cab driver Jo Cruz and Catholic schoolteacher Mary O’Sullivan — navigating not just the streets of Southie, but also the perils of the time and the eternal mysteries of love. What starts as a ride home turns into a shared daily ritual of commuting and discussing books like The Price of Salt. Jo’s uncertainties and Mary’s innocence are roadblocks on the road to romance, but so too are the insults hurled by community members who can see plainly that Jo likes women… something that Mary, catching onto, finds herself intrigued by. There’s a complication in that Mary is pregnant thanks to her boyfriend (also Catholic, but deployed to Vietnam), but that might just be something Jo happens to be able to help with…

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Boston Playwrights’ Theatre’s ‘Recursion Of A Moth’ Flutters Listlessly

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Jenny S. Lee in Boston Playwrights’ Theatre’s ‘Recursion Of A Moth’
Photo Credit: Scornavacca Photography

‘Recursion Of A Moth’ – Written by Brandon Zang. Directed by Katie Brook. Sound Design by Audrey Dube; Lighting Design by Grant Powicki; Scenic Design by Cleo Brooks; Costume Design by Cleo Needleham; Produced by Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, ‘Recursion Of A Moth’ runs from February 27st – March 9th at 949 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215. 

By Charlotte Snow 

The audience walks into the house, filled with incongruous electronic audio, to find a blank stage except for a leather chair adorned with notebooks, two podiums pushed upstage, and a constantly looming giant white semi-circle screen at the center. It’s a disarming and almost chilling effect that promises its audience a unique and singular theatrical experience.  

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