Amy Irving Talks MOTHERHOOD OUT LOUD: 'There's No Avoiding Mothers, Even If You Try'

Hartford Stage's production of 'Motherhood Out Loud' is a collection of 15 pieces by 16 writers on the subject of motherhood. The show is directed by Lisa Peterson and features Amy Irving, Amy Irving, James Lecesne, and April Yvette Thompson. In an interview with Frank Rizzo of the Hartford Courant, Amy Irving discusses her own experiences with motherhood and reflects on her family growing up as daughter of theatrical director and producer Jules Irving and actress Priscilla Pointer.

Irving says the material of 'Motherhood Out Loud' resonated with her in a deeply personal way, particularly one scene which centers on a mother facing the "empty nest" syndrome. "That one hits way too close to home now," she said during a recent interview in downtown Hartford during a break from rehearsals. "I keep saying to myself, 'I'm over it. They came home for Thanksgiving. They came home for Christmas and I'm fine now but ..."

Of her own childhood, Irving talks about how her mother balanced a career and family responsibilities. "Even though she was a working actress, I knew what her priorities were and my boys know what my priorities are. I remember my mom coming home from the theater and she would tuck me in and I would ask her if anything went wrong on the stage because that's always the most fascinating thing to a kid. Cut to the next generation and I would come home from doing a play and Gabe or Max would ask 'did anything mess up on stage?' They loved it when the set fell on my head and things like that."

To read the rest of the interview in the Hartford Courant, click here.

'Motherhood Out Loud' is playing at Hartford Stage through March 21, 2010. For tickets and information, visit http://www.hartfordstage.org/

Highlights of actress Amy Irving's film career include Carrie, Yentl (for which she received an Oscar nomination), Crossing Delancey, and Deconstructing Harry; Broadway theater credits include The Coast of Utopia at Lincoln Center Theater, The Three Sisters at the Roundabout Theatre, and Heartbreak House at The Circle in the Square; off-Broadway credits include Ghosts at Classic Stage Company and The Road to Mecca at the Promenade Theater.  Sian Phillips was the villainess Livia in the acclaimed TV series I, Claudius, and Alec Guinness's unfaithful wife in the BBC's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People; film credits include Becket (opposite Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole) and David Lynch's Dune.