Katie’s boys took up taxodermy and turned her garage into a “little shop of horrors,” a story she shared at last year’s Listen to Your Mother show.

Last year was the inaugural year in Rochester and was widely advertised in the media and sold out. This year it’s coming back, and if you have a piece of mothering wisdom you’d like to share, you sign up to audition now by clicking here.

Images from LTYM Rochester 2015

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Listen to Your Mother Rochester 2015

The first session of the production team took place at the Memorial Art Gallery.

This image was featured in the Democrat and Chronicle on May 2nd, 2015.

The second photographed event was the cast’s first read through, which was hilarious and tear jerking.  The cast had a huge range of life experience with plenty of material to resonate with everyone.

Then the main event was the performance the Friday night before mother’s day. The cast read to a sold out audience of more than 500 people.

To view more images from the performance click here.

LTYM has been loved on in the local media.  Check out all these features from its inaugural year:

Fox News Rochester, April 15th, 2015

the Genesee Valley Parent, March/April 2015

the Chronicle Express, May 1st, 2015

Democrat and Chronicle Blog, May 2nd, 2015

the City Newspaper, May 6th, 2015

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children Blog, May 15, 2015

Listen to Your Mother Rochester 2016

The follow year, the production team was at it again.

They chose Writers and Books as their location, which is a community organization that supports lifelong literacy. To see more of the 2016 production team, click here.

The read through was wildly different but also familiar. The format was the same, but the experience of listening evoked completely different emotions. There were still the hilarious stories and the poignant ones, each woman sharing her own journey providing a group therapy of sorts.

To see more images from the LTYM Rochester Read Through 2016, click here.

The event was moved to a larger venue in 2016 and even though it wasn’t sold out, had an even larger crowd than the year before raising well over $10,000 for charity.

And while the money raising is important, I think the heard of the production team is their belief in the power of story telling. Several LTYM cast members have launched writing careers after being on the LTYM stage.

Like the year before it, LTYM 2016 appeared all over the media again.

News 10 WHEC April 14, 2016
Democrat and Chronicle, April 26, 2016
CityWise City of Rochester NY Mayor’s Office, April 26, 2016
Fox News Rochester, April 27, 2016
Democrat and Chronicle, November 26, 2016

Listen to Your Mother Rochester 2017

Earlier this year, headquarters announced that this would be the final year of LTYM. One production team member moved to Colorado, so a 2016 cast member stepped in for this year’s final performance.  This year, the team chose Nazareth College for the production team photos.

This is the 2017 cast at their first read through. This year’s stories took on a different shape than the year before them, and the year before that.

In previous years I have to confess that I didn’t fully grasp the power of LTYM. I was on the outside looking in, not quite grasping the power of story. This year, shortly after the cast read through, on the day of the meet and greet happy hour, and just 18 days before the show, my 12 year old son died.

I wrote this. It was a story meant to be shared and it was shared widely.

As a result of our story – both the telling and the witnessing, the cast and production team wrapped me in a giant group hug. One by one they came up and asked me about Christian and the experience of losing him. They sent me cards, gave me flowers, brought me dinner, and gave us one of the most unexpected and generous gifts we’ve ever received. We were floored.

And that’s when I understood Listen to Your Mother.

The power of story is bigger than we know.

And this is this year’s team the night of the show.

LTYM will be back next year either with the same name or a different one. Stay tuned!

Rochester’s debut is on Friday, May 8th at 7 pm at the Memorial Art Gallery and you can purchase your tickets by clicking here.  The cost is $17 per ticket which supports two local charities: the Society for the Protection and Care of Children and Parenting Village.

Monica, one of the producers, told me I was the very first sponsor – who knew!  So I recently had the privilege of attending the first read through.  I had read the book and I wasn’t a huge fan and I have a short attention span so I wasn’t sure how the read through would turn out.  I was floored.  What an incredible diversity of stories and individuals all with something interesting and unique to say about motherhood.  I thought it might drag, but it felt like it was over before it started.  I wished there was more.

Everyone getting comfortable at Writers and Books, one of LTYM Rochester’s Local Sponsors.

The lovely Emily Horowitz, displaying the LTYM Rochester Poster.

A touching piece about her son being born with Down’s Syndrome.

A touching story about coping with secondary infertility.

The readings cover all aspects of motherhood – you’ll need an empty bladder and a box of tissues.  To learn more about LTYM Rochester click here.

Born of the creative work of mothers who publish on-line, each production is directed, produced, and performed by local communities, for local communities.”

In 2015 there are 39 cities across the country that will be hosting LTYM and Rochester is one of them! I’m excited to be the official photographer. Here is a glimpse behind the scenes of the lovely women who are throwing themselves into this production.

Auditions filled up quickly, but you can still attend.  Mark your calendar for Friday, May 8th, 2015 at the Memorial Art Gallery at 7:30 pm.