Music and Lyrics by KEVIN CONNORS Book by KEVIN CONNORS and JOE LANDRY

Currently Available for Production For licensing information, please contact: Achilles Tsakiridis Achilles Group Management, Inc. 12 Desbrosses Street New York, NY 10031 212.476.0908 theachillesgroup@gmail.com

About MOTHERS AND SONS

In the tradition of shows like The Laramie Project and Spring Awakening, Mothers and Sons is a cutting-edge new musical as well as compelling reflection of today’s social challenges of hate crimes, extremist groups, civil rights, and unsecured personal access through the internet. The show’s setting of bucolic Fairlawn, Connecticut soon becomes “everytown USA”, and the coming of age struggle of Sarah, her son Mark, and the tragic scenario that develops resonates with every family and becomes frighteningly possible if we, as a society, do not address the social challenges that face us all on a very local level. Unlike many “teenage angst” pieces, Mothers and Sons is an original, as it traces the coming of age journey through the eyes of the parent. It is evocative, brutally honest, compassionate, and brings home the dangers of a modern world that many suburban residents complacently think only happen “somewhere else.” Most of all, Mothers and Sons is a journey of hope, love and transformation through crisis and tragedy. Audiences have been deeply moved by this thought-provoking musical, and have continued to experience their own social awakening long after the curtain has fallen.

Synopsis
Set in the bucolic New York City suburb of Fairlawn, Connecticut, Mothers and Sons is a contemporary new musical of hope, love, and family. Dr. Sarah Masters, a conservative celebrity talk show host, joins forces with the American Family Council, a right-wing political organization, who offers to sponsor her nationally syndicated television show and take it to the next level. As Sarah’s career begins to skyrocket, her 18-year-old son Mark contemplates his own private coming out without damaging his mother’s conservative image. Seeking support from his high school math teacher, Daniel Milling, Mark learns he isn’t alone in managing identity versus family. When Tim Noble, a teenage protege of the American Family Council, declares a “Day of Action” against alternative lifestyles, he personally makes (in his own mind) the ultimate statement against hypocrisy and liberalism by gunning down Mark in the school library. After the incident, and with the help of her oldest friend Abby, Abby’s son Bobby (the surgeon who tries in vain to save Mark’s life) and his partner Daniel (Mark’s earlier confidant), Sarah learns how to move forward following the death of her only child, while battling her own demons of lifelong conservative values and judgmental perspectives in favor of unconditional love. Set against a backdrop of Daniel and Bobby’s civil union and Sarah’s first PFLAG meeting, Mothers and Sons ends with Sarah taking the first bittersweet steps toward her new life.

History/Background
Mothers and Sons was developed at Roundabout Theatre Company in New York City and as part of the Monday Night Musicals series at The Rich Forum/Stamford Center for the Arts. The January 2009 production, as part of the MTC MainStage 2008/09 Season in Westport, CT, will mark the official world premiere. A number of New York producers and regional theatres throughout the country have already expressed interest in staging Mothers and Sons following the 2009 Westport production.

About the Writers
Music, Lyrics and Book by KEVIN CONNORS (bio)
Book by JOE LANDRY

JOE LANDRY (Book) Joe’s published plays include It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play (named one of the top-ten most produced plays in America by American Theatre Magazine), Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play and Reefer Madness. Other plays include Eve & Co., Beautiful, Hollywood Babylon, Flavor of the Month and Numb. Joe is founder and artistic director of Second Guess Stage/Screen and a member of the Dramatists’ Guild. www.joelandry.com



Songs from Mothers and Sons
Click on the titles below to listen to MP3s of songs from the show.

Fairlawn
You've Got Mail
What Have You Got to Lose?
Sarah
Have You Ever Loved?
Kitchen Table
Growing Old Alone

Photos from the MTC MainStage 2009 Production of Mothers and Sons
Photos by Kerry Long. Click on images for larger view.

Currently Available for Production
For licensing information, please contact:

Achilles Tsakiridis
Achilles Group Management, Inc.
12 Desbrosses Street
New York, NY 10031
212.476.0908
theachillesgroup@gmail.com