Stanford Repertory Theater is proud to host the online screen debut of the film Mother Lear, based on the stage production which garnered Best Performance awards for Bay Area creators Courtney Walsh and Ava Roy.

Attendance is free for any of the three online screenings on April 23, April 30 and May 7, 2023, followed by panel discussions. Information and registration at http://stanfordreptheater.com/ To get a glimpse of what lies in store, here's a link to the trailer: https://youtu.be/hyouK-vW434

ABOUT MOTHER LEAR

Mother Lear tells the story of an irascible middle-aged Shakespeare scholar with dementia who communicates with her caretaker daughter using only the text of King Lear, as the two struggle with aging, love and their own balance of power. A surprisingly funny and deeply moving adaptation of Shakespeare’s great play, Mother Lear provides a keenly intelligent look at issues that face us all.

After several years of We Players' producing the original award-winning play by Courtney Walsh and Ava Roy in unexpected locations from California redwood groves to New York public parks, in hospices and assisted living facilities, for audiences ranging from 8 to 88 years old, this powerful experience is being made into a film! Join us in April-May 2023 for any of our three free online 50-minute screenings, followed by a Zoom discussion facilitated by Stanford Repertory Theater, with experts on theatre, dementia care and Shakespeare. In these discussions, with questions from the audience, we will explore topics raised by the screening of Mother Lear.

SCREENING AND PANEL DISCUSSION SCHEDULE

SUNDAY, APRIL 23, 2023: 2 TO 3 PM PDT (PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME) MOTHER LEAR SCREENING

3 to 4 pm (PDT) Discussion on "Best Practices in Dementia Care". Hosted by Rush Rehm (SRT Artistic Director and Professor, Theater and Classics) with Courtney Walsh (co-writer/director, and performer, Mother Lear), Dr. Dawn Gross (Ph.D, MD, Palliative Care Physician, UCSF), and Nader Shabahangi (Ph.D., Vice President, Codirector of Clinical Training, at Oakland’s Existential-Humanistic Institute)

SUNDAY, APRIL 30, 2023: 2 TO 3 PM PDT (PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME) MOTHER LEAR SCREENING

3 to 4 pm (PDT) Discussion on "Shakespeare on Aging". Hosted by Rush Rehm (SRT Artistic Director and Professor, Theater and Classics) with Courtney Walsh (co-writer/director, and performer, Mother Lear), Linda Paulson (Associate Provost and Director, Stanford Master of Liberal Arts Program), and Dr. Philippa Kelly (Resident Dramaturg, California Shakespeare Festival)

SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2023: 2 TO 3 PM PDT (PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME) MOTHER LEAR SCREENING

3 to 4 pm (PDT) Discussion on "Adapting Shakespeare". Hosted by Rush Rehm (SRT Artistic Director and Professor, Theater and Classics) with Courtney Walsh and Ava Roy (co-writers/directors, and performers, Mother Lear) and Amy Freed (Artist in Residence, Stanford University, Pulitzer Prize Finalist playwright, adapter of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus and Taming of the Shrew).