Creators & Cast of MOMS: THE MUSICAL Talk Upcoming Workshop

So, if it's cool with everybody, I'll just jump in and get started

Great. Good for us. Yeah. Awesome. Kelly, first question is for you, but when did you have the idea for Moms the Musical

and when did you actually start writing it? That's a great question

So, I started writing it last August. Um, so I, uh, last August, last July, about a year ago, started writing it

Um, and I think it was a musical that has been on my heart since I was, became a mother

Um, I have a four-year-old daughter and a two-year-old daughter. Um, and I didn't necessarily take to motherhood in the way that I expected to

I, um, I thought that it was going to be this joyful, beautiful thing

And it was just, you know, what society tells us it's going to be. I thought it was going to be

And I really didn't find it that way. It was a struggle and a challenge for me, especially at the beginning

And I think the biggest piece that I struggled with was how do I step into this role as a

mother but maintain my individual identity as a woman? And that's really, that idea is truly what sparked me to write this show

because I believe there are so many women and mothers out there

I mean, I watch the women walking down my street and they're fighting with their toddler who's having a tantrum

And, you know, they're heroes. Their story and my story is a story that needs to be told

And I think Victoria actually said it best. She said, once she said to me that, you know

she really wanted to be a part of this because mothers are always the best friend or the supporting role

or, you know, they're the mother of the lead. And this is a show where the mothers get to be the lead

And I think that was really exciting for me and why I decided to write this piece

Absolutely. And Victoria, how did you two team up originally? So I feel very, very lucky

Whenever theater started to come back, I went on a crazy spree applying to every single job

I could find on Playbill and backstage and, you know, Facebook just trying to find everything

And Kelly interviewed me and I got the perusal script and the songs and made a pitch that she liked

And now I'm here. And it's been one of the most incredible partnerships

I've ever had, honestly. I feel like we're two women trying to make the show better

I remember I gave a suggestion to Kelly once and she, you know, and you're always scared

especially coming on as a new director of, sorry, as a director of a new piece

You're not sure how much of a give and take it's going to be. And Kelly looked at me once and said, we're all here to make the show better

And I just remember being like, that's incredible. Absolutely. I mean, on that note, I would love to hear from everybody about what the process has been like

of actually putting this together to do this live stream workshop. You know, when did you start rehearsing

How has it been? You know, was it virtual to begin with

Was it all in person? How have you guys all gotten along? You know, how's it all been

We've all definitely gotten along. That's, that happened pretty fast. It was unusual in that since we did have so

do have so little rehearsal time together, like it's only been weekends. We've only had two rehearsals so far

and we're back this weekend. we had to be completely off book before our first time meeting each other in person

So that was a little unusual and a little scary, but I think we all pulled it off

And it ended up making the first two days of rehearsal a lot easier to transition to

Like we had had like a week of music rehearsals and stuff leading up to it, even though we actually didn't

So that was unusual, but it was challenging. But I think we all definitely pulled it off

and I also think too what's great I think Kelly and Victoria set the tone

like there is so much talent in the room but there is no ego

in the room and the we're all here to make the show better

I think is like the theme that kind of courses through rehearsal like we were singing one piece and we were

like reworking the last song and Kelly was like just try this Jesse and just riff

on this and you do this and you do this and everybody did it without

and I just started crying and just because it was so good because everyone is so talented and 100

like locked in and committed to the work to serve the story that there's no ego in the room and it

just makes it so much more fun to play and Victoria as a director gives us also gives a specific

direction but also a lot of permission to play and and she trusts us and it's just it's a very warm

wonderful environment to be in and I can't wait for to be back in the room with all of you

I mean that's all you can really ask for right from from a rehearsal process and from a cast is

just collaboration and good vibes to be honest which sounds like that's exactly what it was

I mean how does it feel for you all to be staging a musical? Kelly you addressed this a little bit

but to be staging a musical with motherhood directly at its center which is not something that is common in a lot of musicals

Anyone? I think it's really exciting to be doing this, especially this year, because I'm not a mother yet

but watching my friends who are parents or family members who are parents and watching them have to

navigate the idea of being a mother throughout the pandemic has been like awe inspiring because

like people have had to step parents in general have had to step up an incredible amount this year

in particular I mean it's it's been hard since the beginning of time right but this year in

particular has been a crazy new challenge so I think tackling a show that gets to deal with all

of these trials and tribulations of being a mother at this time has been really interesting and like

beyond that, it's about people's lives not turning out the way they think it is. And

even for someone like me, who's not a mother, that has been the last year. I mean, like going

through the last year and seeing that, oh, this is what you expect that's going to happen. Never

it is. It's never going to be that. So I think it's been really exciting to be able to kind of

tell the story of people who have been working so hard and who've been trying and have been

you know, putting their full effort into being a mom, being a parent. So I think it's really

exciting, especially right now. I think it's also really critical right now to represent

this topic in the theater industry as well, because the theater industry is certainly

seems like, and I hope it is going through a renaissance where we're starting to amplify

the underrepresented voices and women on the stage and, you know, in the entertainment industry

altogether have been underrepresented and under, you know, undervalued in many ways. So I hope that

this musical is one step forward into amplifying those voices that so desperately need to be heard

in the musical theater community. Absolutely. I mean, on that note, how do you hope that the

musical changes the conversation about motherhood, especially in the theater world, and not only

on stage, but, you know, in the creation of a musical or of any kind of theater as well

how would you hope that this might change the conversation or help move it forward

I'll jump in there if that's okay. I really hope that it shows, like, I think mothers are

superheroes and I think that it shows that the the ability for women to balance things like I

one of my best friends is also a director and people have you know she's applied and has once

she's gotten a job and then people saw her social media and that she had two children and then they

called her back and said like oh we actually don't think you really have time for this and then they

reneged the offer and things like that and just that people can balance the time for that and

And so like there's that aspect of it, but then also normalizing like children in the workplace

and children in the theater and just having that around. And so not only women, but women with children

And, you know, Kelly and I were talking, I think in my very first interview of like having a baby days

where women are able to bring their children to the theater and nurse in the theater

And just having this conversation of like, yes, this is okay. and that we can have, you know, kids might be screaming and crying, but that's, that's part of

life. And that's part of what is process. Like we wouldn't have any of these adults creating theaters

if they all weren't once babies. And that's part of it. And, um, just really make, there are things

that we don't talk about and, uh, like across the board and that theater starts those conversations

And I love that this is starting those conversations about motherhood. it looked like maybe jesse had jesse were you trying to flag yeah i i was just thinking so um

yeah i feel like growing up similar to what kelly was saying there's like this idea

the ideal of like motherhood and what it's like to have a kid and it was interesting during the

past like two three years probably because i'm getting into the place where you know i'm married

i'm thinking about having a kid like i'm just thinking about what would my life look like if

i could add a kid into this equation and then my friends started trying to get pregnant

she had a really hard time getting pregnant like we took advantage of the fact that like people

could get pregnant and like the fact that oh you might have to do another route to get pregnant

like what about artificial insemination and then what about like adoption and then like I saw my

sister go through um having a baby during the pandemic and like seeing how horrible it was that

her husband like couldn't come with her to all of her appointments like he wasn't available like to

go into the like the delivery room with her and all these like vulnerable moments that you don't

really get to showcase or that you just don't really talk about like Vittoria was saying like

you don't talk about how a lot of mothers have a lot of trouble breastfeeding and like what that

kind of feels like after you have a baby and the feeling that you can't provide to your baby what

you feel like you should like there's this kind of like filter that kind of gets screened away

when you look at the musical because it really pointing out things at first I was like oh that uncomfortable it kind of makes me like ah but then I was like wow these are things that these are just normal everyday things that a lot of women go through on an everyday basis and it become kind of taboo

to maybe talk about or just bring it up and I really it's so exciting to be involved in something

that kind of part of that changing process where it is more normalized and you recognize

and see the struggle that it takes to really put like a lot of people putting on that front of how

amazing motherhood is but not really showing you know how difficult it is and I think that's really

exciting to be a part of that and like it's mother motherhood is not martyrdom and I think

how we were raised it's like the best compliment that mothers our mothers could have to them is

like oh you're so selfless and you're selfless you're giving and you're giving and and your

self becomes erased I have um a lot of my friends are new moms and I was very impressed with one of

my friends who I am I'm now this this baby's god godmother which I'm very excited about I've never

been I'm not a mother but now I'm a godmother so I asked at the christening if I could wear a robe

and a cape and she said no but um but i but maybe maybe at the after party i will be dressed up as

the fairy godmother but we were over for dinner and she just starts breastfeeding and it was just

it was really great for her that she is so comfortable and comfortable around me and my husband and and friends that she's able to do that because that also used to be a conversation right

the free the nipple thing was a conversation a couple of years ago with with breastfeeding in

public and as at jobs as well like if as a teacher sometimes you can only breastfeed on your prep

periods and there's really no designated space in a school to to breast pump or to to pump or

whatever so even like maybe changing the conversation in in Broadway houses and making

things more equitable what if there was like a nursing room in the hospital or in the in the

theater so that way like new moms who want to go see a show could be able to

breast pump safely and still have a night out and like how do you how do you do

both because you your name gets erased you become mom and not Annie or Kelly or

Victoria or whatever and how do you still maintain that balance and that's

and the best way to learn anything is through a musical so it's just it's just

nice and there's songs about it and it's just and for me too as not a mom but like

Jesse said, we're of that age. Right. And also there's that age thing, too. I am I am 35 now

And back in the day, they called that a geriatric pregnancy if I were to get pregnant now. And I was

like, that's terrible. I am not I'm not a geriatric. I mean, maybe I should get an AARP card

but like, you know what I mean? So there's that thing, too, of age of women and the type of mom

And there's a lot of judgment surrounding how to parent. And this kind of dispels all of that

that there's no one of the lines in the show is there's no perfect way to parent and it's up to

the individual mom to find that way and to find her voice and that's what these moms do they each

find their own voice of how to parent for themselves and to to look inward more as opposed

to looking on social media and seeing what moms are doing on social media and what the perfect mom

is because nine times out of ten that's just a filter and that's not real life and this kind of

lifts the veil on that, which is so awesome. Absolutely. I think that, sorry, Kelly, I was

just going to say, I think that sometimes it takes art to, you know, show people that there could be

a new way of doing things. You know, art matters. It's like sometimes the only way that people see

themselves. And so I think this is wonderful. I think Lucy was trying to say something there, right

oh we're not hearing you there we go no jesse was just having like a similar

similar story to like what i'm my own personal circumstance i'm just engaged and i'm in a spot

where she like she said it's a matter of some women can't get pregnant but i'm in the boat where

um one of my sisters can and one of my sisters can't get pregnant so learning a lot of experiences

from just like watching documentaries of moms, reading books, like this definitely will change

the perspective in the musical theater world, just to kind of see where the conversation should go

just kind of like what Annie said about like putting like pumping rooms into theaters and

whatnot. But yeah. I think that it's, you know, the musical, we did our very best, you know

to include all different kinds of moms. And we hope that every mom will see herself on the stage

in some way. Obviously we couldn't include every kind of mom and everything related to motherhood

But I think that what we did do was tell a story about two women who step into motherhood

and how that affects them and how their relationships with the other women around them affect them And I think that you know it a start It a place to start for the Broadway community to start to talk about motherhood

to represent motherhood, to embrace moms and embrace women, which is also a really big piece

of what this story is about. Absolutely. Do you know what your plans for the show are

after the live stream? Would you like to take it to the stage? Have we gotten that far

Do we know? Victoria, why don't you answer that? Great. There's so many options, and I feel like the sky's the limit

We, you know, this is primarily, we're doing it in person for some investors and some producers

and things like that with hopes that they'll see it and be able to take it to the stage

So we are live streaming it right now for the general public so they can see it

and for our wonderful cast families and things like that. But we do have some people in person watching it

with hopes that they can take it to Off-Broadway or Broadway or things like that

because it is such an important story that we hope that many more people can see it to come

Amazing. Well, those are actually all my questions for you today. Does anybody have any final thoughts they'd like to share

anyone they want uh you know anything they want to get out uh you know anything before the live

stream i know jenna didn't yeah there we go i want to say something um so this is my first time being

in a like a new work and i just want to say that it has been beautiful to watch kelly in rehearsals

see her creation come to life. And it is just like something that I, I get like teary eyed just

watching Kelly. And it's so special to see someone work so hard for something and have it, you know

come to life and wow, what a year, you know, and here we are. And I, it just feels so good to be

in a room with people again. And, you know, yeah, that's all

and kelly's a great role model for us because she shows being a mom of two that it can be done

and then here's how she and she's doing it with grace and integrity and heart and just warmth and

it's it's she's a good role model for us as like potential future mothers that is so kind and I

think I think that it's really important just for me to mention that like I would not have written

the show without my two daughters and their inspiration. Um, they, I, I had a choice. It was

you know, be this 100% dedicated to my two daughters, mom, but also go after my dream

How do I do that? And, um, I think that by going after this dream and putting this work out there

and telling this story that I'm actually honoring my two daughters and my own mother

Um, so, you know, that's very important to me. Kelly, I think in a way that that is like, like a step of revolutionizing the theater

industry, right? Because you are now a woman in the theater industry, in the workplace, who is a mother

and that's what we need more and more. I, you know, I think that sometimes we're quick to make accommodations for female actors

on stage, but not as often for female creatives, which is also not appropriate. You know, I've had

one female stage manager who is now a mother, and she's been talking about her struggles of

making those accommodations, and that's not good. And we need to, you know, you're saying what you

hope this show does for theater in the workplace, I hope it normalizes mother creatives as well as

mother actors and that that should be across the board, that we should have, you know, nursing rooms

for lighting designers, nursing rooms for directors, nursing rooms for choreographers and composers

and it should be across the board. And Kelly writing the show is not only telling a story

about it, it is putting a female creative mother in the workplace. And it's incredible

Well, I cannot wait to see it. And I know so many people feel the same. I think it's amazing

and I'm so looking forward to it. It has been so great having the chance

to speak with you all today. And I thank you so much

Thank you so much. It's been a pleasure to be here and we hope that everyone will come out

You can purchase tickets. The general public can watch the live stream

at you can purchase tickets right on our website at www.sarettenhall.com slash moms dash the dash musical

and Surette is spelled S-U-R-E-T-T-E and the and is written out. So you can purchase tickets right there

They're only $5. There's actually a student price. So if you're a student

you can get tickets there for a little bit of a cheaper discount

And if you are an industry professional and you're interested in coming to see the show

you can email us for a complimentary ticket. Let us know if you'd like to come in person

or get the link to the live stream. Amazing. thank you so much you guys thank you thank you thank you