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ARTS & CULTURE
KANSAN.COM
Alumnae explore motherhood in new production
Jennifer Mays, Nancy Nail, Sara Carolynn Kennedy, Vanessa Severo and Anthony Gasbarre rehearse for "MotherFreakingHood!" "MotherFreakingHood!" is a play written by alumnae Julie Dunlap and Sara Stotts.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
BY SAMANTHA SEXTON @SAMBISCUIT
Once in a while, a story is written that depicts life honestly and uncensored. This one was produced for the stage by two University alumnae who have little background experience in theatre and music.
Julie Dunlap, class of 1994, and Sara Stotts, class of 1993, never thought they would be co-playrights of one of Kansas City's newest summer plays. The musical, "MotherFreakingHood! (Maternal Discretion Advised)," has been in production for the past two years, but has finally been released and is showing at the Goppert Theatre at Avila University until Sunday, June 14.
The play focuses on three main characters, all mothers, and how each of them handle the experience in their own way. It's an uncensored look at all things motherhood — from diapers to prom — through a comedic lens.
"It's very graphic, but nobody dies or gets divorced or gets cancer," Dunlap said. "Nothing is sad in this show; it's either funny or touching. And it isn't a male-bashing show — celebrating the baby-daddies was really important to us."
Dunlap majored in human biology and Stotts earned a degree in exercise science, but the two science students came together to write and produce the full-fledged musical.
"I always liked writing and creating and theatre, and I wish I hadn't listened to my parents and majored in theatre instead of others things that smart kids major in," Dunlap said.
Stotts agreed.
"I always had a love for musicals and comedy," she said.
It was when Dunlap and Stotts were paired together by their sororities for Rock Chalk Revue, an annual philanthropic production, that the two were able to discover their creative sides.
"We were paired up together to make this pretty awful show, but we had so much fun," Dunlap said. "If it hadn't been for that opportunity a biology major and an exercise therapy major getting into musical theater — this all would never have happened."
After graduation, Stotts found herself in Chicago with her own physical therapy practice while she studied comedy and improv on the side. Dunlap married her college sweetheart whom she had also met at Rock Chalk Review, and the two friends started their own families in the real world.
At Stotts' birthday party 17 years after graduation, the pair became inspired by a comedy group and began writing silly songs about motherhood, a new experience they shared.
The notion of turning a few songs into a musical was conceived shortly after. The two began writing songs in March 2011, meeting in Lawrence and Chicago and uploading song ideas to their private YouTube account when they couldn't meet
"I honestly thought at the time that we'd write a couple songs,we'd laugh about it and maybe we would get together with our friends and entertain them and that would be it," Dunlap said.
face-to-face.
The two friends-turned-playwrights found a producer in Seth Eckelman, founder of Moonshine Variety Co., in 2013. With Eckelman's assistance, the simple melodies recorded on cell phones were given facelifts and turned into performance pieces after being introduced to the play's music director, Daniel Doss.
The play has been well-received by the The Kansas City Star and BroadwayWorld.com.
"Every time there are mothers clapping at the end of the show, I realize that the reason they enjoy it is because they see themselves in it," Dunlap said. "You are an awesome
mom; you do not suck even if you do something wrong."
Both women, as mothers, wanted to share their experiences and express that there's no perfect mother.
"Even though we have our own unique experience, everyone's going through it with you," Stotts said.
Given that this is their first project in the theater world, the women were baffled by its success.
"I didn't think anyone would like it; maybe our family, but they're obligated to like it," Stotts said. "I especially didn't think that men would enjoy it."
Despite having two careers and six children between them, the co-playwrights said there could be more
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projects coming in the future, perhaps even a "FatherFreakingHood!" next.
WHERE TO WATCH
Students.and Non-Students Welcome
Confidential
"MotherFreakingHood!" runs through June 14, Thursday through Sunday, at the Goppert Theatre at Avila University in Kansas City, Mo. Tickets cost between $41 to $59 and can be purchased at mvtix.com.
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