My Mother's in the Audience

My Mother's in the Audience is the first play I wrote and produced at age 17 in the San Diego International Fringe Festival. My Mother's in the Audience tells the story of Kevin Venter as he confronts a trio of overbearing stage moms on opening night of his high school's production of Macbeth. When an award for best stage mother in the region is announced, the moms launch into a murderous frenzy, stopping at nothing to win the prize. Stage fright, sword fights, and Satanism ensues. It made its world premiere at the 2015 San Diego International Fringe Festival where it won the 1st Annual Jonathan Dunn-Rankin Scholarship Award.

Summoning Satan

Debra chokes Wanda under the shadow of the devil. Photo by Sue Brenner Photography.

One of the most ambitious scenes in My Mother's in the Audience included a dramatic battle as one of the mothers transformed into a satanic demon and battled another mother to the death. From the beginning, this was a daunting scene to stage. Ultimately, I utilized my toolbox as a puppeteer/puppet fabricator and built a shadow puppet to represent the demonic presence. While most shadow puppets are made of paper or card stock to create a crisp shadow, I wanted Satan to appear more blurred and organic, so I opted to use soft materials like foam and faux furs. I also mechanized the mouth so that its shadow would be able to lip sync to Satan's dialogue. The final effect was a striking 20 foot tall shadow projection that dominated the stage and impressed audiences.

Photos

Below are some production stills from My Mother's in the Audience. Click on an image to make the image larger and learn more information about it. Photos by Sue Brenner Photography