The Annual “Listen To Your Mother” show, presented at the Art Theater in Hobart, was a beautiful way to honor mothers. Saturday evening, Queen B Productions presented different cast members with each of their own unique stories. The director and producer of the show was Carrie Bedwell, a teacher of more than 20 years who dedicated the show to her mother who is battling lung cancer. The Master of the Ceremony Chris Mahlmann hosted the event. Mahlmann has countless awards and is the owner of Ideas in Motion Media. The whole night evoked many different emotions within the speakers and the audience. Whether it was laughter or tears, the message remained the same: mothers know what is best.
The seats were packed for this sold out show, which brought the community closer together by supporting a wonderful cause: The American Cancer Society.
Behind the scenes, many of the cast members shared why this was an excellent opportunity for them to interact with the community. Tina Porter, author of “A Bushel and a Peck,” said the event opened up her eyes to her community.
“I have met women through this project that I would never have met before,” Porter said. “It gets me talking outside my bubble. I think it is really valuable to me to connect to different people.”
Porter’s story is about learning to say “I love you,” but her experiences from working with her community also represented another meaningful way to connect hundreds of women through heart-felt stories. Lisa Winstead, speaker of “Rules of Engagement,” described each story as unique.
“The speeches are so diverse. We have speeches from mothers who have adopted a child. Mothers who have made confessions,” Winstead said. “We even have comedians talking about how their mothers shaped them to be who they are. I think it is all about celebrating motherhood.”
Winstead performed her piece along with Rose Murphy-Gordon who both spoke about how it is okay to make mistakes and that no one is perfect. Another writer, Don Baron, who wrote “Married to a MILF,” explained how different each piece is from the next.
“There will be a range of emotions that people will be going through the whole night,” Baron said. “Get the Kleenex out! People will be both laughing and crying because it is a very emotional night, but an uplifting one as well.”
Bedwell said the stories are meaningful to her in many ways.
“All of the stories to me represent the different nuances of motherhood the triumphs and tribulations,” she said.
The whole cast was very thankful to the sponsors and the people who assisted with the production. The night filled everyone’s heart with love and appreciation to the women who gave them life.
