WOW! What an accomplishment! WE did it! With your participation, attendance and interest in making childbirth mother friendly, the BOLD message reached OVER 200 people during the New Jersey premiere weekend September 5, 6, & 7th! We have started the movement in New Jersey. Exciting that you were a part of it!

Using one audience members feedback, “the play bring thoughts and feelings, the talkback brought answers and directions” I would like to continue a dialogue with you. Over the last few days you may have had the opportunity to think about the play and have other thoughts/feelings/reactions and/or additional questions/comments surface. Please forward them my way as we would love to hear from you!

BE BOLD with the RED TENT event coming up Friday October 3rd hosted by the Dar A Luz Jersey Shore Chapter - boldnj.org has further info.

As we had such an overwhelming response, those of you who did not receive a playbill I encourage you to visit BOLDnj.org for resource info that was found in the program.

There is still time to catch BOLD performances happening country-wide this month. Check boldaction.org for locations.

Here’s to BOLD 2009? Are you with me?

Postpartum,
Vivian
Vivian Taormina, NCTMB
Director/Producer of BIRTH
September 5, 6 & 7, 2008
BOLDnj.org

photo credit: andreaphox.com, graphic design: carol ingaro

New Jersey is part of a BOLD movement. Middletown New Jersey is the BOLD action and performance site for BIRTH, a play by Karen Brody. The BIRTH NJ 2008 premier production is under the direction of Vivian Taormina and produced by TaoMassage.

BOLD is a global arts-based movement inspiring communities to create childbirth choices that work for mothers. BOLD NEW JERSEY is one of several locations throughout the world organizing BOLD movements.

We are 38 weeks along and Birth will make its premier introduction to New Jersey at the Middletown Cultural Arts Center the weekend of Friday September 5, 6 & 7.

DOB: 9.5.08 NJ premier
BIRTHPLACE: Middletown Cultural Arts Center
TIME OF BIRTH: Friday & Saturday 7pm, Sunday 2pm

Click around to find out about BOLDs mission, WHAT the play is all about, WHOs in Birth, HOW to SPONSOR the production, HOW to be a part of the professional TalkBack panel following each performance, and HOW to BE BOLD in New Jersey…and last but not least COME SEE THE SHOW…BUY TICKETS!

BOLD Tshirts are IN and they are VERRRRY cool! By sure to choose the BUY Ticket option + a tshirt! Check them out…nice huh?

NJ BOLD tshirts ROCK!

As Labor Day approaches I am getting yet again that BOLD feeling in my
hands, feet and stomach. It’s not always comfortable – actually some
days I feel like I want it to go away, that groundless feeling of
going into the unknown – and then suddenly I realize why I’m doing
this BOLD work, why I’m feeding my kids too much pizza this summer,
not listening to my husband when he’s talking to me because I’m in
“BOLD mode. It’s because of a dream. (And how appropriate to dream
this week, the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have
a Dream Speech”).

After I gave birth to my son in 1999 I couldn’t believe the number of
mothers – low risk like me and educated – who had bad birth
experiences. Not just bad – I’m talking traumatic. It made no sense to
me. The character Lisa in the play was a woman I met through a
playgroup friend who had just moved to Little Rock with her husband
and young son back in 2001. Lisa was quiet and reserved around the
playgroup moms at first, her eyes tired and dark. Every day I’d see
her and we’d talk about mom things and I discovered how funny and
confident she was, but deep down I could see her sadness and knew she
had a story to tell. We became friends for two years and only as she
was leaving Little Rock with her family one evening at her farewell
party she had heard I was interviewing mothers about their birth
stories and she cornered me in a room and said, “I need to talk with
you.” She didn’t want to do it in person so several months later I
called her on the phone and she told me her birth story…she wept, I
wept; she said she was still so angry and didn’t know if she’d have
another baby and I understood. I understood – after I had interviewed
118 new mothers – that she is not alone. And that in order for
maternity care to change we had to start telling the birth stories of
mothers to tell the truth about childbirth.

My dream was that all people would know this truth and get so fired
up – not angry but inspired – to make childbirth center around the
woman, not the insurance companies or drug companies or hospitals.
Birth today is a justice issue, human rights issue, women’s rights
issue…whatever you want to call it. And you are all a part of it. A
part of my dream – now our dream. And I thank you. I thank you for
being BOLD, for doing something that puts you, your kids and your
families over the edge for a few months this year because you know
deep down that it’s right. It’s a dream we must make happen.

On the eve of over 100 BOLD performances next month I encourage all of
you to take a deep breath, remember the dream and then go for it – for
mothers, babies and future generations.

The time is now to be BOLD.

Warmly,
Karen

New Mothers Speak Out survey report! Check it out!