There are going to be a lot of changes : a full-length drama

Abstract

This play began for me conceptually as an investigation of a couple lingering questions I have always had: can one ever really change? How much of life do we have control over? How much does belief play a role in our abilities to move on? I have explored this question in this play through a strained mother-daughter relationship framed by a return home from prison, a custody battle, an engagement, and falling back on hold patterns.

Ayelet, the protagonist in this story, is hellbent on ensuring her new life will be nothing like her old one. Sharon, her mother, will do anything to keep things the same while welcoming her daughter back. The wants and needs of Isaac, Tom, and Casey come second to the tornado that is the relationship of Ayelet and Sharon. This is the method in which I've used to deliver themes of change versus stasis, rehabilitation, reform, and trying to evade our fates.

My interest in writing a story like this one comes from my experience in the Jewish community and the concept of tikkun olam, or healing the world. Reform, healing, and returning are large concepts in Judaism, and I wanted to write a story that reflected them while utilising the complexities that a mother-daughter relationship provides. Though this is not a story based on true events, the dynamics in it are also those of my life. In the beginning, I called this my "big Jewish play." It has evolved into a play not about religion, but instead one about cultural expectations in extreme situations.