LILA Wildflower Project: Mothers & Daughters
Somerset County, NJ
April ‘07



In the LÎLA Wildflower Project/Mothers & Daughters workshop, mothers and daughters will delve into the theatrical playing space to explore the unique dynamic of the mother/daughter relationship. The living research we will “lab” in this workshop investigates such questions as:

What inspires us about this relationship, what frustrates us?

What brings us tremendous joy, what brings us great pain?

What are the things about this relationship that really sparks my imagination?

What stirs my gut? What moves, touches, intrigues me about this relationship?

Where are the places we intersect in this relationship, where do we diverge?

Where are we connected, where are we not?

What are the defining moments that really describe the essence of this relationship in myheart?

Through this spontaneous theater experimentation, we will explore themes, such as: identity, body image, love & family.

Our goals -

1. To explore the theatrical techniques of LÎLA’s 360º fusion –

The use of one’s 360º self – the physical, intellectual, psychological, and emotional instrument – in a fusion of theater and movement

2. To use this theatrical terrain to explore our lives as women on a journey together, and how this fits (or doesn’t fit) with our roles of “mother” and/or “daughter”

3. To culminate our work into a juxtaposition of images, relationship, and text, creating moving theatrical collages that deeply explore the question of what it means to be engaged in this universal and profound relationship.

What participants said about the workshop…

“I appreciated the opportunity to explore my relationship with my daughter in a new way. It’s a wonderful program. Very interesting and moving.” –
Margot Chalek, a mom

“It really helped me get closer to my mom.” –
Samantha Chalek, a daughter

“Thank you for offering an afternoon to connect with my daughter! It was tough mentally as well as physically but rewarding!” -
Val Kinsella, a mom

“I had a lot of fun tossing my mom into this work…I loved having my mom there to play off of! And then I liked breaking off into the separate groups so I could explore on my own. I learned a lot about myself by having my mom here.” -
Jessica Kinsella, a daughter

“I found translating feelings and impressions of myself into a physical vocabulary an interesting process….I found the day inspirational”
Susan Spielvogel, a mom

“I loved going into separate groups and creating compositions based on the mother/daughter relationship, then performing them for the whole group.” -
Emily Parker, a daughter

“I loved watching my daughter’s version of the exploration of these questions. It was a great physical and mental workout.” -
Ellen Parker, a mom

“I thought it was a really great experience and I learned a lot about myself and my relationship with my mom.”
Kristin Sarboukh, a daughter

“I have a new appreciation for the craft of acting. I now know that there’s more to acting than pretending.”
Mary Ehid, a mom

“I thought the workshop was inspirational. I think my father and brother would benefit from the class!”
Caity Danovsky, a daughter