Mothermorphosis
A powerful one-woman theatrical experience revealing the absurdities of motherhood.
“One Woman tour de force” – Theatre People ★★★★
“Bizarre Delights” – The Age ★★★★
“Belly aching hilarity” – What Did She Think ★★★★★
The artist formerly known as Liz Skitch, now known to all as ‘mother of two’, has teamed up with trail-blazing theater maker Maude Davey, to create a ground-breaking one-woman show exploring the changes and surprises that one encounters on entering motherhood. Mothermorphosis premiered at La Mama in 2018, played to sold out houses and received critical acclaim:
“You couldn’t ask for a show that channels the spirit of La Mama with more irreverence and passion” – Cameron Woodhead, The Age
Inspired by Kafka’s Metamorphosis, Skitch unpacks the taboos and challenges of transforming from a woman, into a mother. Comedic, dynamic and honest, Mothermorphosis combines intimate confessional and absurdist physical theatre with an exquisite soundscape designed by Chris Wenn, which features the voices of mothers who share a wide variety of lived experiences.
Utilising Skitch’s extensive experience as a clown, satirist, comedic writer and actor, the pastiche of performance styles serves to explore the inexplicable.
And yes there IS a live chicken in the show, hypno-birthing and nudity. This is motherhood, laid bare.
Image by Nayt Houseman.
Production Team
Writer/ Performer: Liz Skitch
Director: Maude Davey
Set Designer: Lara Week
Lighting Designer: Richard Vabre
Sound Designer: Chris Wenn
Movement Advisor: Steph Keheo
Photographer: Nayt Houseman
Production History
Premier Season: La Mama at Trades Hall, 22 August – 2 September 2018, 10 shows.
Touring Info
Remount fee – $4,800
Weekly fee – $2,940
Per performance fee – negotiable
Moved reading and workshop package – $400Artform: theatre / interdisiplinary / hybrid
Target Audience
Specific: Mothers & parents 25–65
Wider Appeal: Comedy lovers, creative women, adventurous theatre goersTechnical Specifications
Technical rating: D
Theatre formats: Black box, flat floor, hall, thrust. Could be adapted to proscenium arch.
Bump-in time: 3 hours (audio), including testing, tuning and quiet time.
Bump-out time: 2 hoursIn-brief lighting requirements: The production is designed to work with 2 dimmer racks, but a console that can accommodate 24 Channels of conventional fixtures as well as several Channels of LED fixtures is required.
Below are the touring LX requirements for Mothermorphosis:
- warm wash, separatable into 3 sections across the stage (OP, CS and P) and Upstage and Downstage
- cool flown sidelight
- low cool sidelight
- LED backlight (preferably LEDpars)
- 10 assorted specials
Independent control of houselights at operator position is required. If this is unavailable, extra fixtures should be rigged to make this possible – 2 x 500w Floods should suffice, depending on the size of the venue.
The production will tour with a number of practical fixtures – some desk lamps that are used as footlights, a standard lamp, and a hanging pendant lamp.A generic touring LX design will be made available to venues prior to arrival.
Presenter is to have pre-rigged and coloured all fixtures. Presenter is to supply colour.
In-Brief Audio Requirements: The minimum basic requirement for any presenter is a stereo PA system with the capacity to take input from a laptop headphone output.
MAKE AN ENQUIRYOther Presentation Types
The show can be performed with full lights, sound and set but a paired down version/ moved reading of the show is also available (sans lights and less set).
Marketing Support/Collateral
- high quality flyer and poster images
- high quality publicity images
- high quality production images
- high quality rehearsal shots
- 1 min trailer
- 3 min trailer
- Facebook marketing campaign (including fun and interactive ‘chook auditions’ clips and images)
- Press releases – major papers, local papers, mum blogs
- Artist/Mum Q&A – useful content (written)
Special reading & workshop package
Special reading and workshop package: $400
Book award winning comedian and theatre maker Liz Skitch to visit your theatre for a creative development weekend. In the morning, Liz will run a workshop with local creative mums on new ways of finding your voice as a writer and bringing your story to life, real or imagined.
Then after lunch, Liz will conduct a moved reading of the show followed by a post show discussion about maintaining your creativity and your sanity as a mum.
MAKE AN ENQUIRYCommunity Engagement
- Physical Comedy Workshops: Clowning, Physical Comedy and Satire.
- Comedy Writing: Stand-up and comic characters.
- Residency: Connecting with local creative mums through recording interviews about motherhood / capturing the community’s voice then run a ‘share your story’ theatre-making workshop (incorporating recordings). As part of the residency Liz can also provide an intimate preview reading of Mothermorphosis followed by a Q&A or a show and tell of works developed in the workshop, followed by tea and treats. (A weekend like this was carried out at Stratford Courthouse Theatre during the premier season in 2018.)
Images
Click on any of the thumbnails below to view.
Reviews
★★★★ “You couldn’t ask for a show that channels the spirit of La Mama with more irreverence and passion.” – The Age
[Read full review transcript]What Did She Think, review by Samsara Dunstan, Thursday 23 August 2018. [Read full review transcript]
Stage Whispers, review by Flora Georgiou, 2018. [Read full review transcript]
Theatre People, review by David Gardette, 28 August 2018. [Read full review transcript]
Hugging Comedians, 29 August 2018. [Read full review transcript]
