Story teller Rachel Sherk spoke with us about what inspires her collaboration with LABA kids, “Stories About My Mom” taking place at the Theater at the 14th Street Y on April 6th at 2pm for the whole family.
Q: What makes your mom unique?
A: There are so many things that make my mom unique! Here are just a few: Her name is Pat Badt, which rhymes, and she is a painter. She has the curliest hair in the whole wide world. We used to make stuffed-animal dolls together when I was little—which was maybe my first go at puppet making! We still love to play dress-up together. 
Q: What is your favorite childhood memory?
A: I can’t tell you all of my favorite childhood memories right now because I talk about them in the show, but here is one of many that is not mentioned in Stories About My Mom: When I turned five my mom, dad and I were living in Japan for the year. I only had one friend, and so I invited this friend to my birthday party. My friend just happened to be allergic to almost every ingredient that goes into birthday cake (eggs, wheat, and milk), so my mom made a three layered Jell-O cake for us to eat at my birthday party! The candles bounced as she walked it out to the table, and they almost blew themselves out! It turns out, Jell-O cakes are delicious.
Q: What defines family?
A: Love. Being there for each other no matter what. Being there to help one another. Being able to be grumpy around these people, and for that to be ok. Love, love, love.
Q: What kind of performance and creative art do you explore?
A: I play with stories and the way in which we tell them. I work with collage across mediums—sometimes it is performance, sometimes it is visual, sometimes it is aural.
Q: What should we look forward to at “Stories About My Mom?”
A: A magical world of stories, songs and puppets! There might be an avocado tree, there might be a cactus, but shhhh, it is a secret. My mom will even be in the audience, but she is too shy to come on stage, so don’t even ask!
To share in this wonderful experience and make some memories with your own family, CLICK HERE for family tickets to “Stories About My Mom” on April 6th at 2pm.
Thoughts + Happenings 