press release

A play that starts in the leafy lanes of Devon and ends up in the dusty dirt roads of Afghanistan, Every Mother's Son embraces the frictions and the fun of family life familiar to us all but made all the more intense when lives are on the line.

Chrissie and Doug upped sticks twelve years ago to give their sons a better life in Devon. Their eldest boy, Ben, climbs mountains. Their youngest son, Josh, is about to return for a second tour of duty to Afghanistan. If they are to see him off then they must leave in an hour. But whilst Chrissie is in the kitchen baking cakes for Josh and his mates, Doug is down in the cellar in front of his computer screens refusing to accompany his wife. In fact things have come to such a pass that Chrissie and Doug only communicate by Skype.

multi story theatre company’s production invites the audience to experience Chrissie and Doug’s dilemma from the inside. Sat around tables between the 'kitchen' and the 'cellar', the audience can both eat Chrissie’s cakes and watch Doug’s video-mixing on two large screens as the pair of them search for common ground and try to find a way forward for their family.

How have Chrissie and Doug’s choices shaped their children’s lives? Why does one son find fulfilment at the top of a mountain, the other with a gun in his hand? Are a parent’s love and support unconditional? And are the 21st century communication channels that we use a help or a hindrance?

The performance of Every Mother's Son at [... ] is part of a national tour that already has audiences buzzing – both moved and amused by commonly shared experiences. Many choose to stay in the theatre long after the end of the play, finishing off the cake and chewing over questions raised by the production.

multi story “illuminate their chronicles with intelligence and theatricality. And they are marvellous actors.” Edmonton Sun