Lumina Studio Theatre presents
Say You’re Sorry
by Call Your Mom
Emma Bergman, Elif Cadoux,
Sophie Goldberg, Mia Massimino
PEOPLE
Protagonist: Sophie Goldberg
Dead Dad: Emma Bergman
Sample 1 (Anxious Child, Public Apologizer, Cursing Sibling, Devoted Follower, Old Friend): Elif Cadoux
Sample 2 (Overbearing Mother, Assistant, Avoidant Sibling, Spiritual Entrepreneur, Old Friend): Mia Massimino
Rulemaker: Nick Byron
Original music by Douglas Hertz.
Lighting Designer: Hailey LaRoe
Board Operator: Ron Murphy
Costume Consultant: Cornelia Isaksson
Special thanks to...
* Sophie Cameron, Meg Lebow, and the Board of Lumina Studio Theatre for bringing Lumina and CYM together
* Centro NAVE, Perfect Storm, Brunakra Temporary, Gylleboverket, and Lifeworld for the gifts of space and time
* Nick Byron and Clare Lefebure for acting coaching
* Elisa Massimino, Pierre Donahue, and Joan Susie for hosting us
* Every out-of-towner in the audience for the care and effort it took to be here
PROGRAM NOTE
In 2018, Call Your Mom began compiling questions about trends, cultures, and rituals of forgiveness and redemption. Drawing on our experiences as organizers, artists, teachers, and friends, we asked: How are children taught to apologize? What is the societal role of a public apology? Where do forgiving and forgetting diverge? Should some grudge-holding be celebrated? Do truces make the world as we know it possible? How do people forgive themselves? What metrics do they use to judge the actions of others?
These questions became the inspiration for 7 interactive works that engaged over 600 audience members, workshop participants, and interview subjects worldwide. Say You’re Sorry comes out of 5 years of creative research, experimentation, public workshops, and collective playwriting. In 2019, we played tug-of-war in a field in Baltimore, MD, because conflict comes before apology. In 2020, we had audience members in Santiago, Chile punch a beet juice punching bag we made in the name of self-forgiveness. When the pandemic hit, we made an interactive e-book and drew treasure maps with kids online. In 2021, we wrote the first scenes of the play you’ll see tonight. In 2022, an elderly Swedish man saw the work-in-progress reading of that same play and told us, “I don’t speak English, but I got it!”
We are thrilled to partner with Lumina Studio Theatre to bring you the product of this work. Please enjoy the world premiere of Say You’re Sorry.
--Emma, Elif, Sophie, and Mia
Follow us @call.your.mom
In 2018, Call Your Mom began compiling questions about trends, cultures, and rituals of forgiveness and redemption. Drawing on our experiences as organizers, artists, teachers, and friends, we asked: How are children taught to apologize? What is the societal role of a public apology? Where do forgiving and forgetting diverge? Should some grudge-holding be celebrated? Do truces make the world as we know it possible? How do people forgive themselves? What metrics do they use to judge the actions of others?
These questions became the inspiration for 7 interactive works that engaged over 600 audience members, workshop participants, and interview subjects worldwide. Say You’re Sorry comes out of 5 years of creative research, experimentation, public workshops, and collective playwriting. In 2019, we played tug-of-war in a field in Baltimore, MD, because conflict comes before apology. In 2020, we had audience members in Santiago, Chile punch a beet juice punching bag we made in the name of self-forgiveness. When the pandemic hit, we made an interactive e-book and drew treasure maps with kids online. In 2021, we wrote the first scenes of the play you’ll see tonight. In 2022, an elderly Swedish man saw the work-in-progress reading of that same play and told us, “I don’t speak English, but I got it!”
We are thrilled to partner with Lumina Studio Theatre to bring you the product of this work. Please enjoy the world premiere of Say You’re Sorry.
--Emma, Elif, Sophie, and Mia
Follow us @call.your.mom
Say You’re Sorry is generously supported by the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC).