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The Mamalogues

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  3w

Lisa B. Thompson

From the award-winning writer of Single Black Female comes this new comedy about the exhilaration and exhaustion that come from being a Black single mother in America.

The Mamalogues

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary

The Mamalogues portrays the experience of parenting while Black, unmarried, and middle class in the age of anxiety. During a single mother’s retreat, three women share their angst about racial profiling on the playground, their child being the “only one” at their school, and the politics of soccer in the hood. The satirical comedy follows the agonies and joys of motherhood as these moms lean in, stress out and guide precious black children from diapers to college in a dangerous world.

History
The Mamalogues made its world premiere at The Vortex in Austin, Texas, on August 23, 2019, produced by Color of Arc Productions. Directed by Rudy Ramirez, the production featured Melody Fullylove, Yvonne Oaks and Valoneecia Tolbert.
Keywords
Performing Groups

TASHA SIMMONS – A fifty-year-old African American woman. Widowed. Pediatrician. Soulful, sweet and sassy. She’s wearing a head wrap or has a natural hairstyle (braids or locks). She’s wearing a colorful dress and comfortable sandals.

LAUREN HOLMES – A forty-nine-year-old African American woman. Single. College professor. Lesbian. Uptight, sarcastic, and tired. She has natural hair and wears minimal make-up. She is dressed in a crisp white dress shirt, a colorful and stylish cardigan, black pants, and loafers.

BEVERLY FRANKLIN – A forty-one-year-old African American woman. Divorced. Salon owner. Calm, efficient, forthright and wise. She wears make-up and has straightened hair styled in a simple bob (perhaps with a tortoise-shell headband). She is dressed in a shirt, skirt and stylish yet sensible low heels.

  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day, New Millennium/21st Century
  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Additional Features No Intermission
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • Alcohol
    • Strong Language
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“A moving, funny, inspiring exploration of Black motherhood in today’s America... a vibrant and vital piece of theater.” – Andrew Friedenthal

“Motherhood is the through line of The Mamalogues, and Thompson treats it in a way that everyone can recognize; even if you have not been a mother, you've had one. The pains, physical and emotional, endured by moms; the protectiveness that borders on the irrational; the control-freakishness that totally is irrational; the full-hearted, unequaled, wondrous love of mother for child – all show up, and all are made easy for anyone to relate to and often laugh at. But the impact and import of The Mamalogues... may be in the moments between the laughs, in the silences where we feel the weight borne by these brave mothers.” – Austin Chronicle

“Vivid... Playright Lisa B. Thompson has a commitment and an almost uncanny gift for describing, embodying, and sharing her lived Black experience with all other ethnicities and cultures. Whatever the source, her writing is very good at showing the world life lived in the Black community.” – CTX Live Theatre

“A moving, funny, inspiring exploration of Black motherhood in today’s America... The Mamalogues is a vibrant and vital piece of theater that will speak to all audience members, whether they are mothers or not, and serves as a potent reminder – just when we need it the most – that sometimes the most heroic thing we can do as humans is to stand up to a cruel world and protect those around us.” – Andrew Friedenthal

Videos

  • Dr. Lisa B. Thompson in Conversation youtube thumbnail

    Dr. Lisa B. Thompson in Conversation

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

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Authors

Lisa B. Thompson

Lisa B. Thompson

Lisa B. Thompson’s satirical comedies and poignant dramas explode stereotypes about Black life in the US, particularly the experiences of the Black middle class. Her plays include Single Black Female, Underground, Monroe, The Mamalogues and Dinner. She is also the author of B ...

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