MOM BABY GOD Set for Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, 6/3-7

MOM BABY GOD, Madeline Burrows' one-woman show based on her 2 years undercover at pro-life conferences taps into the smoldering political conflict in the US surrounding reproductive rights and is leaving audiences around the country inspired and galvanized to action. This June, MOM BABY GOD will be presented as part of New York City's 6th Annual Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. Performances are at the Paradise Factory, 64 East 4th St., New York, New York. Tickets are $18 and may be purchased through mombabygod.com/schedule.

MOM BABY GOD plays the following schedule as part of the Festivity:
Tuesday, June 3, 2014 at 4:00pm
Thursday, June 5, 2014 at 7:00pm
Friday, June 6, 2014 at 3:00pm
Saturday, June 7, 2014 at 7:30pm

MOM BABY GOD's humble beginnings as a thesis project at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA laid the ground work for the show's quick rise to national prominence. Its small, driven team of young feminists has invigorated a new generation of activists and the play's stand-alone quality as a piece of art fills seats with theatre critics and activists alike. Audiences from all walks of life are engaged by the promise of provocative content and voyeuristic participation in how the other half lives. The Nation's Dave Zirin describes MOM BABY GOD as "a tour de force that serves both the movement for reproductive rights and the art of theater with extreme effectiveness." Gwen Tulin, a Chicago theater artist and audience member says, "I haven't seen anything that made me feel such a strong call to action since the original Laramie Project." It's clear that MOM BABY GOD is on to something: reestablishing theatre as a tool for political change.

MOM BABY GOD has seen its share of conflict: At the show's New York premiere last October, Students for Life of America Executive Director Kristan Hawkins sent a member of her organization to the performance equipped with spy-glasses to illegally videotape the event. In her 'exposé' of MOM BABY GOD in the National Review, Hawkins called the footage "...too vulgar to release to the general public" and other right-wing media outlets have published reviews condemning the play - despite having never seen it or read the script. "We suspect that Hawkins quickly realized she would be in gross copyright infringement should she release the footage," says Burrows. "That, and people would actually see what the play is about."

Now on the heels of successful tours and shows all over the country, Burrows and her team are emboldened by the positive receptions they've received with each successive performance: "It's about time the pro-choice movement pushed back; we've been stumbling and failed to notice just how close we are to losing the rights to control our own bodies. I couldn't be prouder to stand at the helm. Bring it on." In this spirit, MOM BABY GOD is partnering with the New York Abortion Access Fund (NYAAF) to help promote their valuable work. The NYAAF supports anyone who is unable to pay fully for an abortion and is living in or traveling to New York State by providing financial assistance and connections to other resources.