Cygnet Salon’s staged literary reading this month is Mother of the Maid by Jane Anderson Monday, September 16, 7 pm. Intimate, messy and modern, Mother of the Maid takes on the Joan of Arc story from a riveting new perspective—through the eyes of her mother, swept up in the baffling journey of her odd and extraordinary girl.
Mother of the Maid speaks to the burden of disposability of celebrity, and the hard road of common people confronting a titanic political agenda. But most importantly, it asks, how can we possibly release our different, “other” children to make their own fate in a brutal, beautiful world?
Six actors—Jerilyn Armstrong, Grant Byington, Michael Fisher-Welsh, Akitora Ishli, Ariel Puls and Marily Stacey—play 10 roles in this game of wills and strategies. Its people are connected to the land and know that life can be brutal and short. Anderson’s women fight to be believed as they cross swords and words with men determined to win regardless of moral cost.
The staged reading takes place at 21Ten Theatre, 2110 SE 10th Ave. Tickets ($15) available at 21ten.org/readings.