2015 Capital Fringe Preview #35: ‘How to Be a Good Mom…When You’ve Got a Schizophrenic Mother for a Role Model’ by Pam Meek

Told with humor and gravitas the show is about the twists and turns in life that lead me to the birth of my daughter, Nora, at age 44. Stumbles along the way include blocks to reaching my dream career, dating mishaps and fertility dramas. Grateful to have finally produced a child I, then, wondered whether I would be a good enough mother given the trials and tribulations of my own difficult upbringing with a schizophrenic mom.

Pamela Meek.
Pamela Meek.

All of my fear dissolved when Nora gave me an essay she wrote in her senior year of high school. Instructed to write about the most influential person in her life, the essay was about me. After reading it, I knew for sure that I had been a good mother. I was so taken with her words that I started examining the concept of legacy and what attributes are given to us and what we pass on.

This started a re-examination of my relationship with my schizophrenic mother. Had it all been bad? If not, what did she do that had a positive effect on me? If there was anything positive, is that what I passed on to my child? What is the meaning of life and how do we become who we are meant to be?

Although not too many have been raised by a schizophrenic, people relate to the show’s themes of persistence, resilience and forgiveness because, after all, many of us come from or know someone who has survived a dysfunctional family. Audience comments after previous shows in Takoma Park and Gaithersburg included “Mesmerizing!” “You took my breath away!” “A must for mental health professionals!” “A story of survival and hope!”

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PERFORMANCES AT:

The Argonaut

1433 H Street NE, in Washington, DC 20002

Saturday 7/11 at 2:30 PM
Sunday 7/19 at 6:30 PM
Friday 7/24 at 9:20 PM
Saturday 7/25 at 5:00 PM

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FOR TICKETS, CALL  (866) 811-4111, OR PURCHASE THEM ONLINE.

I am honored to be performing in New York City on 42ND Street at the United Solo Theater Festival on Nov. 20, 2015 at 7:30 pm. I hope to see you there.

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