MOTHER PLAY

About the show

Mother Play (full title: Mother Play: A Play in Five Evictions) by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel is a semi-autobiographical, dark comedy about family trauma and forgiveness. Set in the Washington, D.C. suburbs, the story spans 40 years and five evictions, following two teenage siblings (Martha and Carl) growing up LGBTQ+ in the suffocating orbit of their glamorous, exacting, and alcoholic mother, Phyllis. The narrative explores how this difficult matriarch's rigid expectations clash with her children's changing identities and the evolving world around them. Ultimately, it is an unflinching but tender look at the complex, lifelong relationships we have with our parents and the power of forgiveness.