New Tampa Players
Motherhood Out Loud
By Leslie Ayvazian, Brooke Berman, David Cale, Jessica Goldberg, Beth Henley, Lameece Issaq, Claire LaZebnik, Lisa Loomer, Michele Lowe, Marco Pennette, Theresa Rebeck, Luanne Rice, Annie Weisman and Cheryl L. West
Motherhood Out Loud is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service
Please silence your cell phones.
There is one 15 minute intermission.
Produced with the Generous Support of
Meet the Artists
Lisa Celona
Lisa Celona was born and raised in St. Petersburg, FL. As a child, she fell in love with theater and the arts. Most days you could find her writing and performing her own plays with her siblings as the cast. She minored in theater at the University of South Florida and has spent her career working as a director in assisted living. After over a decade away from theater, she decided to dive back in. Being a member of the cast of Motherhood Out Loud has been a dream come true for Lisa and she couldn’t be more excited to be among such a talented crew.
Ashley Collins
Ashley Collins is a Woman of passions, giving them to the world as a way of sharing life experiences, not just with others, but as a reminder to herself. Ashley has been involved in the arts for years, starting with acting in Church plays, being involved in Chorus while in school, and getting her Bachelor's in Theatre from Florida State University. Ashley has Directed several projects such as Trojan Women, No Exit, and Matilda. Not limited by the world's perception of who she might be, she informs us of who she is via a podcast/vlog and utilizes that medium to help others as well, asking pertinent questions and immersing herself in the conversation so that it defies the norm and makes the viewer feel as if they are a part of the dialogue. Ashley is not just the sum of her parts, she is evolving and utilizing those parts to redefine a new whole Ashley Collins.
Jamey Feshold
Jamey Feshold is a Tampa native who has been on a wild adventure of building an eclectic performance resume. From theme parks, dinner theatre, community plays, renaissance festivals, all the way to crashing motorcycles on fire in China, he has focused on seeing everything the performance world has to offer.
After returning from China last March, he was able to dive back in to the musical theatre world here, performing as the Jamie understudy for 8 o clock theatre, Nick Bottom from Something Rotten at Stage West community playhouse, and Sky from Mamma Mia at the same. He even had his directorial Debut at Stage West with their production of “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged”!
All the while he has been working as the Managing Director of Show on the Road Tampa, where he is able to help his students learn and build their own foundation and passion for the performance experience.
He looks forward to continuing his performance journey and seeing what else he can accomplish, and he appreciates all The friends and colleagues he is able to meet along the way!
Andi Laaker
Andi Laaker is so excited to be back on stage portraying different facets of motherhood (a job she knows well) within her second production with New Tamp Players. She made her debut “motherhood” role with NTP in the 2019 production of “Snapshots: A Musical Memoir,” by Stephen Swartz. In real life, Andi is a proud mom of two grown children. By the grace of God, they are both productive members of society. Andi is a semi-retired teacher that also enjoys helping coordinate the Penguin Project with NTP.
Cheryl McDonald-
Stage Manager
Cheryl McDonald is excited to be working with New Tampa Players. A recent Hillsborough Community College Graduate, she has previously worked as a assistant stage manager for HCC Ybor City Theatre Department , Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind.
With her obtained Associates Degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences ; she strives to also achieve her bachelor’s and master’s degree in Film Production. After recently making a short film , Cheryl is continuing to use her passion for film and movies as a gateway to open her own movie production company.
Production Team
Director: Ashley Collins
Production Manager: Joshua Eberhart
Stage Manager: Cheryl McDonald
Lighting Setup: Craig Hartfield
Lighting Design: Joshua Eberhart
Lighting Technician: Mark Weisenmiller
Sound Design: Ashley Collins
Sound Technician: Cheryl MacDonald
A Message from the Director:
My Mother loves Virgin Strawberry Daiquiris. She is a highly skilled visual Artist and can draw a portrait with ease. She also does not know how to whisper and yells during every conversation. The thing about my Mother that is most unforgettable is she leaves love notes to every person she meets. I had a collection of them starting from when I was a child. (Most of them are lost). During the rehearsal process of this project I would ask my Mom "random" questions. They weren't "random" because they pertained to the play but she didn't know that. One evening I asked her, why she likes leaving letters to ppl? She said she likes to encourage and strengthen people. If that doesn't scream the definition of a Mother, then I don't know what does.
This play was written with the intent to laugh out loud (hence the "out loud" in the title). Although the characters are fictional, there is something very authentic about the way this play was written. I wonder which character reminds you of your parent or reminds you of yourself? You can ask yourself those questions or sit back and enjoy getting outside the house!
"I love you so much more than you will be able to tolerate." This play has been smothered with love from the phenomenal cast and wonderfully, helpful team from New Tampa Players. I hope you feel the warmth.
Ashley Collins, Director
A message from the President:
Welcome and thank you so much for supporting New Tampa Players and our cast and crew of “Motherhood Out Loud”!
This is our second production here in our new space at Uptown Stage, and I am so grateful to the many people who are making this possible. Thank you to our donors, who supported NTP through COVID-19 and continue to support the work that we do. Thank you to our Board of Directors for their leadership and support. Thank you to our awesome artistic team and production team for bringing Ashley’s vision to reality.
Thank you to Ashley for bringing your vision and talent to New Tampa Players!
Thank you to you, our audience, for your support. We hope that you laugh, and maybe even shed a couple of tears as you see motherhood and its ups and downs from so many different perspectives.
Live theater is back!
-Nora Paine, President of New Tampa Players
Please let us know what you would like to see at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center.
Thank you to all of our volunteers for all of their hard work to make this production of Motherhood Out Loud possible.
Craig Hartfield
James Cass, Picture This of Palma Ceia
Support Live Theatre
Thank you so much for supporting New Tampa Players, the arts, and live theatre through your presence tonight. As NTP reopens and recovers from COVID, your financial support is crucial. With reduced seating, your support can help bridge the gap between ticket sales and operating and production expenses, keeping us financially healthy and able to provide diverse and accessible performing arts opportunities.
About Uptown Stage
Welcome to Uptown Stage, New Tampa Player’s new space! For your safety and the safety of those around you, please wear a mask while you are inside Uptown Stage. Restrooms are located in the main mall near Burlington Coat Factory. Maps are provided at the front of the theater.
Thank you so much for supporting New Tampa Players and live performance!
Join us for the rest of our summer season!
Motherhood Out Loud
When entrusting the subject of motherhood to such a dazzling collection of celebrated American writers, what results is a joyous, moving, hilarious, and altogether thrilling theatrical play. Utterly unpredictable, Motherhood Out Loud shatters traditional notions about parenthood, unveils its inherent comedy and celebrates the deeply personal truths that span and unite generations.
Motherhood Out Loud reveals with illuminating insight the humor, raw emotions and rocky roads we experience in life.
Bloom
Following the death of his father, 15-year-old Daniel and his mother, Lisa, are forced to move to unfamiliar Flint, Michigan. After a violent outburst at his new school, Daniel’s social worker, Michelle, suggests he spend a week working with her father, Bobby, an urban gardener of several abandoned lots in the middle of the city. A week soon turns into a few months, and, as the two men spend the summer tending the gardens, they begin to plant some much-needed hope in a neighborhood plagued by blight and help each other heal some old wounds. A finalist at the Write Now Festival and a winner of the Aurand Harris Memorial Playwriting Award, Bloom is a coming-of-age story about grief, gardening and growing up.
Polkadots:
The Cool Kids’ Musical
Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical with book by Melvin Tunstall III, music by Greg Borowsky, and and Books, Lyrics and Original Music by Douglas Lyons, follows 8-year-old Lily Polkadot who just moved to the “Squares Only” small town of Rockaway. As the first Polkadot in an all Square school, Lily faces an almost impossible task of gaining acceptance from her peers. From daily bullying to segregated drinking fountains, Lily’s quest seems hopeless until she meets Sky, a shy Square boy whose curiosity for her unique polkadot skin blooms into an unexpected pal-ship. Inspired by the events of The Little Rock 9, Polkadots serves as a colorful history lesson for children, reminding them that our individual differences make us awesome, not outcasts.