Mildred's Umbrella Presents World Premiere Of THE MOTHER PROJECT: A Collaboration To Honor Black Mothers And Their Children

Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company continues their 2022 season with the world premiere of THE MOTHER PROJECT: A Collaboration to Honor Black Mothers and their Children . In collaboration with Esurient Arts, and directed by Dabrina Sandifer, the production was created by a diverse group of six female artists in Mildred's Umbrella and Esurient Arts, based on direct interviews with 5 black mothers and a doula.

The idea came to Mildred's Umbrella's artistic director, Jennifer Decker, on May 26 2020. "My mother called me on my pandemic birthday that day, and she was upset about something my brother was going through. Right before she called, I had read an article about the death of George Floyd, which happened just the day before. A quote in the article that made me tear up was, "He cried for his mother." I am not a mother, but it struck me how intense the impact is on a mother when her child is suffering in any way. I felt like some of those stories needed a platform, and I decided to provide it."

She pitched the idea to the National Endowment for the Arts, who granted some funds to assist with the project. "I knew I wasn't going to create the play alone," says Decker, "so I gathered a group of female artists, diverse in age and ethnicity, as well as in area of expertise. We decided that black mothers in America have the most to fear concerning their children, so we took the focus in that direction."

The show was created based on interviews from black American mothers, midwives and doulas, illustrating the joy and heartbreak of being a black mother in an America that still does not treat all people equally. The creators include Artistic director Jennifer Decker, Associate Artistic Director Patricia Duran, company artists Dabrina Sandifer, Rebecca Ayres and Elizabeth Keel, and playwright Jelisa Robinson.

Houston playwright Jelisa Robinson says about the project, "I was brought on to the project later on and was drawn to the fact that it was seeking to honor the various and beautiful experiences of Black mothers. As a Black woman with a Black mother, it was part of honoring her in this process."

For more information www.mildredsumbrella.com.

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