'Night, Mother

CONTENT WARNING: depression, mental health issues
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The scene is the living room/kitchen of a small house on an isolated country road, which is shared by Jessie and her mother. Jessie’s father is dead; her loveless marriage ended in divorce; her absent son is a petty thief and ne’er-do-well; her last job didn’t work out and, in general, her life is a stale and unprofitable. As the play begins Jessie asks for her father’s service revolver and calmly announces that she intends to kill herself. At first her mother refuses to take her seriously, but as Jessie sets about tidying up the house and making lists of things to be looked after, her sense of desperate helplessness begins to build.  Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.  “It is sparse and concise, introspective and penetrating, powerful and uncompromising, intense and intelligent, warm and theatrical.” – New England Entertainment Digest. “Something I hadn’t seen in a long time happened at ‘Night, Mother: The audience still sat applauding after the house lights came up, as if waiting for the cast to come around and join them.” – Village Voice. “… a shattering evening … “ – NY Times.

This play deals openly with suicide. We encourage you to read about the show before deciding whether it’s for you. Suggested reading (reviews of other productions of this show): 

• https://www.dallasnews.com/arts/theater/2016/09/16/night-mother-cautionary-tale-missing-deadly-signs-depression


• https://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/story/news/2019/04/25/night-mother-play-highlights-realities-suicide-mental-illness/3566941002/