The Myth of Motherhood by Kate Black-Spence

An examination of the expectations society sets around women and motherhood, and what it means to have regrets as a new mother.
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The Myth of Motherhood

Recommended by

  • Julie Zaffarano:
    8 Dec. 2021
    “ An intense, hard-hitting play about what we currently call post-partum depression. Kate Black-Spence explores women’s feelings and the pressures of society to act and feel in an “acceptable” way about motherhood. A strong and important piece that resonates. ”

Character Information

It's possible to double the Doctor and Nurse with the characters of Katie and Lemon. Race is flexible but the show should not be cast with all white actors.

  • Winona/Wife
    28-42,
    Any
    ,
    Cis female
    Never imagined she'd be a mom, but the pressure and expectations made it also feel like a forgone conclusion. Is madly inlove with Davis/Husband and would have been happy to keep things the way they were.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Davis/Husband
    28-42,
    Any
    ,
    a cis Male
    Always knew he'd be a dad and always believed Winona/Wife would come around to the idea of being a mom. Is in love with Winona/Wife and has blissful ideas of what parenting will be like.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Nurse
    25-70,
    Any
    ,
    She/Her/Hers
    Uses she/her/hers pronouns but does not have to be cis. She has more patience with mothers than Doctor, and radiates a comforting energy. She is truly perplexed by Winona/Wife's complicated feelings about her child.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Doctor
    30-70,
    Any
    ,
    She/Her/Hers
    Uses she/her/hers pronouns but does not have to be cis. She is a product of medical training in a patriarchal healthcare system. She loves babies and mothers, but there is no room for flexibility in her methodology.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s, 50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Katie
    28-42,
    White
    ,
    a cis Female
    Has been friends with Winona and Lemon since they were kids, but if they all met today they would have nothing in common and probably immensely dislike one another. Katie is the mom who captures all the perfect moments on social media, and quietly washes antidepressants down at dinner with a glass of Rose.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Lemon
    28-42,
    Any
    ,
    a cis Female
    Has been friends with Katie and Winona since they were kids, but if they all met today they would probably dislike one another. She's always been the wilder one of the group. She's the one who seems to always be able to get out of the house and still have a fabulous life, and is rarely seen with her kid, outside of their Christmas cards.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female