Barter Theatre

Event Guide

Table of Contents

Director's Note

Cast List

Cast Biographies

Collaborators

Collaborator Biographies

Production Crew

Sponsors

Cry It Out

June 21st - August 17th at Barter's Smith Theatre

Director's Note

To kick off our rehearsal process for Cry It Out, a group of Barter moms gathered to share their experiences of motherhood, from the acute challenges to the divine joys raising a child brings. These women saw their experiences reflected in Cry It Out, in its messy, unfiltered, raw depiction of what it means to be a mom today--it illuminates realities of motherhood that are often relegated to the shadows.

In Cry It Out, we follow four new parents from vastly different socioeconomic backgrounds as they adjust to life with a newborn. They grapple with distinct challenges born from class differences and simultaneously find common ground over the realities of raising a child. We witness these characters navigate a transformation of heart, body, and soul as they discover a new sense of self. They mourn the loss of their lives before parenthood, and also celebrate the profound love for the baby now in arms.

Cry It Out invites us to hold both the miraculous joy of new life and the grief rooted in monumental change together. After stepping into the backyard with these moms, perhaps we will see the moms in our own lives in a new light.

- Sarah Van Deusen, Director of Cry It Out