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‘Mama Mama Can’t You See’: explosive new play about human connection
and the mythology of war from ‘dangerously imaginative’ Coin & Ghost
LOS ANGELES (September 29, 2023) — There is no “I” or “me” in combat. Dangerously imaginative Coin & Ghost theater company presents Mama Mama Can’t You See, an explosive new play about human connection and the mythology of war written by ex-Marine Stan Mayer and Cecilia Fairchild. A four-week run, directed and choreographed by Coin & Ghost artistic director Zachary Reeve Davidson, runs November 10 through December 10 at Studio/Stage.
Highly physical, sensual, funny, angry and surreal, Mama Mama was inspired by playwright Stan Mayer’s life as a U.S. Marine. But don’t get it twisted: this is not a play about war. Rather, it’s a play about how to tell a war story.
“Coin & Ghost has a long history of remixing mythologies in a way that feels extremely fresh — think punk rock, high-fashion skate brand, or yes, a mixtape,” explains Davidson. “Here, we’re recontextualizing the classic war story. This play isn’t about the war itself, but how we make sense of the moments that shape us, how our innate connection to each other is a necessary part of our processing. It’s not a pro- or anti-war treatise; it’s a play about being human that requires audiences to engage back with us, exploring time and reality in a way that feels extremely relevant and exciting within the multiverse-heavy, pop-culture zeitgeist.”
In addition to Mayer, Mama Mama introduces us to three Marines from the war in Iraq, played by Julián Juaquín, Ryan Nebreja and Zack Rocklin–Waltch, and four sex workers from the U.S. Civil War (the only war in which America faced off against itself), portrayed by Marguerite French, Kathleen Leary, Carene Rose Mekertichyan, Hannah Trujillo and swing Stephanie Lee, who join together across time to help Stan recount events that took place in Haditha, Iraq on May 7th, 2005: an explosion and the ensuing firefight that killed four of his buddies, including his best friend, Lance. The play is set inside that explosion, or as one of the characters says, “in the cacophony of time that gets crammed into the last moment of your life.” It was half a lifetime ago, but the remembering makes it now, and through the act of remembering, the characters (including Mayer, played by the real-life Stan) start to blur the boundaries of time, space, truth — and death itself.
Discussing an earlier incarnation of the production that took place last year, Stage Raw podcast hosts Terry Morgan and Inger Tudor recommended Mama Mama for its “specificity,” “energy,” “surreal choreographed movement,” “beautiful dark songs” and high caliber of acting.
The Coin & Ghost creative team includes scenic designer Elisa Rosin; lighting designer Joey Guthman; sound designer Joseph “Sloe” Slawinski; costume designer Athena Lawton; and intimacy director Carly DW Bones. The production manager is Veronica Bowers and the production stage manager is Mads Felder.
“We use the term ‘mythology’ to refer to the stories that simultaneously shaped and were shaped by a culture,” Davidson says. “Mama Mama represents Coin & Ghost’s first exploration of the stories that America tells itself.”
Coin & Ghost is a Los Angeles-based company dedicated to adventurous and accessible theater that inspires empathy, imagination and community through creative works and education programs rooted in cultural mythologies.
Mama Mama Can’t You See runs from November 10 (the official birthday of the U.S. Marines) through December 10, with performances on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. (dark November 23 through November 26.) Tickets range from $5 to $35: general admission is $35, except opening weekend (Nov 10–Nov. 12) which is pay–what–you–choose starting at $5. “Earlybird” tickets are available for $25 until October 20.
Warning: Mama Mama Can’t You See contains vivid descriptions of war and violence that may be triggering to some audiences, particularly those with combat experience and/or post-traumatic stress disorder. The production makes use of explicit/graphic language, simulated sex acts, herbal cigarettes, theatrical haze, strobe lighting effects and sudden loud sounds. Recommended for mature audiences ages 16 and up.
Studio/Stage is located at 520 N Western Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90004. For reservations and information, go to coinandghost.org.
Details for Calendar Listings
‘Mama Mama Can’t You See’
WHAT:
There is no “I” or “me” in combat. Dangerously imaginative Coin & Ghost theater company presents Mama Mama Can’t You See, an explosive new play about human connection and the mythology of war. Highly physical, sensual, funny, angry and surreal, Mama Mama is inspired by playwright Stan Mayer’s life as a U.S. Marine. But don’t get it twisted: this is not a play about war. Rather, it’s a play about how to tell a war story.
WHO:
• Written by Stan Mayer and Cecilia Fairchild
• Directed and choreogrpahed by Zachary Reeve Davidson
• Starring Marguerite French, Julián Juaquín, Kathleen Leary, Stephanie Lee, Stan Mayer, Carene Rose Mekertichyan, Ryan Nebreja, Zack Rocklin–Waltch, Hannah Trujillo
• Presented by Coin & Ghost
WHEN:
November 10 – December 10
• Thursdays at 8 p.m.: Nov. 16; Nov. 30; Dec. 7 (dark Nov. 23)
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: Nov. 10 (Opening Night); Nov. 17; Dec. 1; Dec. 8 (dark Nov. 24)
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: Nov. 11 (Veteran’s Day); Nov. 18; Dec. 2; Dec. 9 (dark Nov. 25)
• Sundays at 7 p.m.: Nov. 12; Nov. 19; Dec. 3; Dec. 10 (dark Nov. 26)
WHERE:
Studio/Stage
520 N Western Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(1½ blocks south of Melrose)
TICKET PRICES:
$5–$35
• Earlybird tickets (until Oct. 20): $25
• General Admission (except opening weekend): $35
• Opening weekend (Nov 10–Nov. 12): Pay-What-You-Choose starting at $5
OTHER:
Contains vivid descriptions of war and violence that may be triggering to some audiences, particularly those with combat experience and/or post-traumatic stress disorder. The production makes use of explicit/graphic language, simulated sex acts, herbal cigarettes, theatrical haze, strobe lighting effects and sudden loud sounds. Recommended for mature audiences ages 16+.
HOW:
coinandghost.org
(818) 925-4928
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