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Washington, DC
What a BOLD night in Washington, DC! BOLD’s founder and the playwright of Birth , Karen Brody, attended the Washington, DC performance with Henci Goer, author of The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth . It was a homecoming for Karen, who started the Takoma Park Birthing Circle in the DC area, the organization that benefited from the performance. With air conditioning problems and then a tropical storm outside, Larissa - Takoma Park Birthing Circle’s director - and Angela, the show’s director (and BOLD’s 2006 national Coordinator!) pulled off an incredible event. Angela writes: Our reading of Birth on September 1 was a victim of a bit of a weather situation. A hurricane was predicted to hit Washington DC on the night of our show. With limited advanced ticket sales, a venue without parking, and lights out in most residential neighborhoods near us, it seemed our event just wasn't going to happen the way we hoped, but something happened shortly before curtain time. No, the clouds didn't clear, in fact, the winds kicked up and the rain poured down; but that didn't stop the crowds. We played to a standing room only crowd, exceeded our fundraising goals, and made a significant contribution to discussions about how to make maternity care in Washington DC mother-friendly. Our show was a success in the worst of weather conditions because people not only want to see Birth, they NEED to see it. They need a safe forum to tell the truth about their birth experience, to educate themselves or loved ones about the state of birth today, and to feel empowered to take action to make the world better for birthing moms. Our proceeds went to the Takoma Birthing Circle which is a community-based resource for information, referral, and support to women and their families before, during, and after pregnancy. I think the power of BOLD is it's ability to touch communities at this micro-levels. BOLD has the ability to change lives of mothers and their families community by community through the transformative properties of theatre.
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