←Recommendations of Mother Of

We expect a play in which the Virgin Mary casually swears, uses oat milk lattes as bribes, and wants herself portrayed as having considered an abortion to be played as broad farce, but "MOTHER OF" is instead contemplative, subtle, rich with complexity. Divine inspiration should be enough for any author, but not when it comes laced with blunt critiques and second-guessing from someone who can forgive sins AND make up her own Confessional Protocol.

I was lucky enough to see a proof-of-concept reading of this script (in a church no less) that made my jaw drop. A stunning work from Gwynn that demands productions all across the country. In a sea of toothless scripts, this play bites your heart. I’ll be thinking of that ending for a good long time. AMEN!

A play that responds and defines our current moment - it is contemporary but not reactionary. A play about religion that finds fresh relevance and intriguing questions within centuries of tradition. It is emotional and gripping but not without moments of humor and lightness. Katherine's writing is so clear and defined it's impossible to not envision the beauty that is bound to emerge from a fully realized production. The kind of play we all yearn to see - where the conversations afterwards are just as thrilling and compelling as the time we spent with the performance.

An achingly, beautiful play about making art, divine intervention and the power of free will. This is a play that needs to be produced. A play that will be talked about for a long time.

I was lucky enough to get to see a reading of this in Chicago this past week. Visionary, daring, beautiful, thought-provoking.

I’m completely floored by the depth of Gwynn’s writing throughout this play. A deeply felt and personal reckoning with the self, with the church, with desire and want and the divine fear that comes from choosing. It’s a masterful, poetic play that truly feels - appropriately - miraculous.

Katherine Gwynn is the bravest playwright I know. Not only does this script challenge conventional form, it unflinchingly challenges the heart the patriarchy. With humor and pathos, some of Gwynn's lines are pure poetry. Two of my favorites:

The angel has lived through too much to not need the comfort of humor.

I am god-wrought and god-rotten