Liman Productions brings award-winning playwright Shaun Prendergast’s show Two Mums to this year’s Fringe which will explore the themes of single parenthood, surrogacy and co-parenting, offering a poignant, yet comic and timely perspective on these significant topics.
With actors Maria Liman and Louise Amos, the show is taking place at Greenside @ George Street. Two Mums will be performed till August 10, 9pm. The 50-minute show follows two women, Lucinda and Natasha, as they embark on a journey fraught with the perils of unconventional routes to parenthood.
After years of unsuccessful attempts to get pregnant, Lucinda is at the end of her tether. A chance encounter with cash-strapped Natasha presents a possible solution. But what begins as a simple business arrangement becomes more difficult as the two women negotiate dodgy donors, dark secrets, and depths of feeling neither were expecting. Frank, poignant, fast paced and funny, Two Mums is a contemporary comedy about fear, friendship and finding a way through.
The show has been inspired by Louise’s lived experiences of baby loss, IUI and embryo transfer. After tragically suffering a late miscarriage and her relationship breaking down, she still wanted to be a parent so decided to go it alone. Due to the multiple hurdles and high cost associated with treatment in the UK, she found a clinic in Denmark for IUI and when that failed tried embryo transfer in Cyprus. The show sees the characters follow Louise’s journey across Europe in quest for a baby.
Actor Maria Liman explains, “I met Louise when she was a tutor and directed my solo show at East 15 where I had come from abroad to study. We got talking about my idea for a play about two women who have a baby together but are not in a relationship. Louise shared her experiences and through improvisation and working with the brilliant writer, Shaun Prendergast, Two Mums evolved. I graduated at the end of June and started my own production company on the first of July! When I decide to do something I generally do it! I am thrilled to be bringing a show to Edinburgh for the first time.
“Both a comedy and tragedy, Two Mums doesn’t shy away from pain but takes a humorous journey through the scenarios faced by those struggling to get – and stay – pregnant. The show is a tragi-comic romp for anyone who loves theatre. And we hope to give voice to those who have lived through similar experiences. And for those who feel it as a lonely journey a place to know they’re not alone…..and did I mention – it’s very funny?!”
By Maria Camara
