BOLD Locations

Northhampton, Massachusetts

BIRTH was a huge success here in the Pioneer Valley -- Western, MA. We sold out both of our evening performances and came close for our matinee. Amazing!

I am so incredibly proud of our cast, director and crew. Such a talented group. I am also so grateful to our local birth community which really spread the word about this production!

So, a quick synopsis:

We held a fabulous all-day BOLD RED TENT EVENT -- under an actual RED TENT in downtown Northampton, MA on Thursday, September 6th! It was very well attended. We shared birth stories, did art, wrote letter, journaled and video-taped more than 2 hours of individual birth stories. The day was beautiful and many people commented on just how lovely our decked out red tent looked. We were so pleased to see many member of the birth community participating but equally as many women just stopping in to see what it was all about.

On Friday evening we held our first show -- we were so nervous. We felt good that we had sold 50% of our tickets in advance but still we wanted so much to have a full house -- AND THEN WE DID! The show went beautifully and on top of that we were lucky enough to have Kris Holloway-Bidwell (author of Monique and the Mango Rains) join us for our Talk Back. It was thrilling to see all our hard work pay off.

On Saturday we held two performances -- a matinee and evening. The evening performance more than sold out -- we actual had to add chairs and then turn some folks away at the door. One interesting side note, one of our local IBCLC's came up and told me she thought she knew the charcter Lisa and Justin. She had never heard that their story was in the play but just couldn't get over the similarities. Well, when she called them today -- low and behold -- she was right. Small world!

There is still a tremendous about of buzz about the BOLD events. Many have commented how moving a provocative the production was. Women enjoyed sharing their birth experiences and thinking about the changes they would like to see in maternity care.

The most rewarding experience for me was selling out the performances, watching our cast create a community of friends, drinking champagne at the post-party production, watching the ripple effect of women feeling empowered by having witnessed the play and moving forward with taking control of their own health care choices.

Thank you so much BOLD for all your support! What an experience!

From an attendee at the BOLD Red Tent in Northhampton. She emails:

Just thought I would send you my reaction to a BOLD-inspired event that I went to yesterday in Northampton, MA.

 I witnessed a tiny little miracle yesterday.  Sitting on the sidewalk of downtown Northampton, under a BOLD Red Tent, with a spontaneously-formed group of women, we shared birth stories.   Within the warm and protective embrace of the Red Tent the little bit of sidewalk became a sacred space.  Inspired by the Red Tent of biblical times, the local organizers carved out a space to recognize that as women birth children we ourselves are transformed by the power of giving birth.   Many of us cling to our birth experiences, be they life-affirming or horrific, ones where we were heard and held, or ones that were disappointing or even tragic.  I was reminded yesterday of the strength we can draw from one another – if we allow ourselves the time, and the ego-free, comparison-free, judgment-free space.   We live in an enormous, oftentimes overwhelming world but if we brush away the clutter and the noise we can witness the connections that tie us together.

Sarah Rossmassler
Hatfield, MA

Kristen Lane was the BOLD Organizer in Northhampton. BOLD Northhampton’s performances raised money for MotherWoman.