Funny, sad, universal, specific, metaphoric... - Ron Leibman (Tony Award Winning Actor), The Baby Project
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The Baby Project is a lovely piece. Lori Ada Jaroslow is a gifted writer with a beautiful story. - Kristin Hanggi (Broadway Director), The Baby Project
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Enter a new generation of writers who see female stories as central, important to life, relatable to both men and women and, best of all, entertaining! - The Pasadena Weekly, The Baby Project
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Funny, sad, universal, specific, metaphoric... - Ron Leibman (Tony Award Winning Actor), The Baby Project 〰️ The Baby Project is a lovely piece. Lori Ada Jaroslow is a gifted writer with a beautiful story. - Kristin Hanggi (Broadway Director), The Baby Project 〰️ Enter a new generation of writers who see female stories as central, important to life, relatable to both men and women and, best of all, entertaining! - The Pasadena Weekly, The Baby Project 〰️
More Than All The Sky
book and lyrics by
Lori Ada Jaroslow
music by
Morgan Hollingsworth
additional lyrics by
Morgan Hollingsworth
Lenna Harris, 27 years old is living on the street trapped in the stranglehold of addiction. Through an ambient and cinematic indie-rock score, More Than all the Sky reveals how a family can be ravaged by drugs and alcohol. And while recovery from the disease of alcoholism is a grueling process, it is possible to live a sober life beyond one's wildest dreams.
The Baby Project
The Baby Project is a semi – autobiographical story about a woman named Dana Jacobson, a 41- year old single, queer, Jewish, New Yorker, who after being sober for three years recognizes that what she wants most in her life is to have her own family.
In order to individuate, she leaves her colorful family of origin in New York and goes as far across the country as she can to Los Angeles where there is sunshine, palm trees and a really good sperm bank.
As she careens through the world of medically assisted fertility she is forced to ponder the question - what exactly constitutes a family? While maneuvering her way through the foster care system, the LA public schools, HMO’s and LA traffic, Dana falls in love with her black, bass playing/poet, next door neighbor, Jackie.
Ultimately, Jackie breaks up with Dana because she feels that Dana is unaware of her own white privilege. Heartbroken, she moves forward with her dream of motherhood, which does come true, but in a way she hadn’t envisioned. In the end she adopts a pregnant 14 year -old Latina teen and Dana becomes a mom and a grandma simultaneously.
Ultimately The Baby Project gives voice to the ever – evolving face of the American family.
book by
Lori Ada Jaroslow
lyrics by
Lori Ada Jaroslow and Fonda Feingold
additional lyrics by
Angela Parrish
music by
Fonda Feingold, Noriko Olling and Angela Parrish
Why now?
The Baby Project has an all - female creative team and an all - female identifying cast of five with three of the actresses playing multiple roles.
The piece explores adoption, bi - racial relationships, foster care and socio – economic disparity.
History
Solo reading at The Art House in Provincetown.
The Road Theatre received an NEA grant to produce a workshop with 12 culminating public performances
Developmental workshop/reading at NYMF, NY
Developmental workshop/reading in the Living Room Series at The Blank Theatre, LA
Reading at Rockwell Table and Stage/ Foundation fo New American Musicals, LA
Developmental workshop/reading in The Music Stand Reading Series at The Whitefire Theatre 2022, LA