I’m a mom of 2 children, now aged 11 and 9. So yes, I’ve had experiences with babies and children – and I’ve gained some wisdom in this realm – wisdom that I am proud of, because it’s hard-earned through many sleepless nursing nights, walking in the wilderness of motherhood with sometimes nothing but your instincts and your best-mom-friend, and leaning into the fact that we are in the the Holocene Era – and since humans have taken over the world – most people must figure this shit out somehow.

That said, just because I’ve lived through the baby and toddler phases of 2 children – does not mean that I inherently know how to write, develop, craft, direct and produce a sophisticated professional young children’s show for them.
I was able to conceive, fundraise, create and professionally present “Buoyant Sea” a symbiotic new play for young children and their grown-ups – because I am a kick ass, hard working, incredibly talented, and disciplined, professional theater artist with 20 years of experience and two impressive degrees. And that hard-earned wisdom of motherhood is helpful – but is not why this show is successful.

On May 19th, “Buoyant Sea” opened as a part of the Pittsburgh International Children’s Festival and was produced by my company Hiawatha Project in collaboration with The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. A show for young children and their grown-ups, “Buoyant Sea” infuses water as a metaphor for change and states of being. Audience members explore, touch, breath-in and melt in relation to tactile experiences with water, steam and ice while a choreographed story unfolds in time with these changes in states and being, supported with acapella song, clever choreography and some stunning interactive media and lighting design, not to mention it’s all done with an undercurrent of quotes from Rumi and DiVinci.

I wrote the hell out of this piece. I crushed this as a director, and I rose to the challenge of fundraising and producing this complicated beauty. I also recruited, hired and was grateful to work with some keenly talented folks on this show, which I led through a successful creative and production process.

So please don’t diminish these Herculean efforts by calling the show “cute.” Don’t assume that because I am a mother and a woman – I should innately be able to create this world premiere show. If I was a 20 year old man, you might call this show sensitive, insightful, clever, full of technical prowess – maybe even brilliant. (Because it kind of is – in its way.)

You know, I can’t go down Taylor Swift’s THE MAN melody too often, because as a woman business owner, director and playwright – it’s literally MA(N)DDENING.

But since I just saw her powerful, dynamic, spirit-filled and awe-inspiring ERAS concert last week – only a mere week after closing my beautiful, anything but simply “cute” baby of a show, “Buoyant Sea,” I’m just saying…well, Taylor says it best.

TAYLOR SWIFT – THE MAN

Here’s the promo video for “Buoyant Sea” along with some stunning photos of the show, and featured articles in Broadway World and PIttsburgh Magazine.

And for now I’m gonna lay my weapons down on this, but I know where I keep them. And I don’t ever plan to conceal them.