Mission Statement
The WE'RE NOT YOUR MOTHER Players is an educational entity with teaching and performance components. The group is dedicated to the promotion
of improvisational theatre/comedy as the most effective tool not only for the study of the art of acting but also the facilitation of optimal interaction among persons of all walks of life. A Brief History
The We're Not Your Mother Players can be traced back to Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. The group architect Ken Terrell formed the group as a
means to sharpen acting skills. The group eventually felt the urge to perform in front of an audience and the performance group began. After Terrell and others finished their studies, it was agreed that members could
start chapters of the "Mothers". Chapters were eventually started in Chicago and Toronto and in South Carolina.
In 1990, original member Jayce Tromsness, began the South Carolina chapter. Over the years many people
have been involved with the group and have gone on to form other groups or to start acting careers.
The group became a fixture at Trustus Theatre, performing during their "Late Night" series.
From 1990 until the Spring of '96, the "Mothers" was mostly made up of students from the University of South Carolina. The number of players ranged from 15 to 20. A move was made to split the group into a
performance group and an educational group. Auditions were held and six members were chosen by Tromsness to head up the performance group.
In 1996, Tromsness was no longer directly involved in the
group as a member and control fell into the hands of the first six performers, John Bailey, Tom Dalton, Matt Horgan, John Kline, Holli Poole and Monica Wyche.
In 2000 the group was once again reformed and is now
performing on a regular basis at Trustus Theatre. Some of the names may have changed but the objective remains the same...to educate and entertain! What's in a name?
Many people wonder what, "in the name of all
that's holy", does your name mean? The short version was best summed up by group member Matt Horgan, who said simply, "Thou Shalt Not Suckle Here!". But for those of you who are wondering, this is why
We're Not Your Mother:
When people grow up they often look to their mothers for answers to many of life's questions. Well simply put, we are not here to tell you what you should and should not do,
say, or see. In fact, it's just the opposite with improvisational comedy, you are here to tell us what to do. Hence the name, We're Not Your Mother". The Rolling Pin
This symbol stands for mothers the world over! If it means nothing to you, then you never had homemade pizza or pasta. You don't know what you're missing. Many improv groups have come up with ways to give the
audience different degrees of control during a show. Here are two devices that we use:
The "Boxers of Shame"
If, at any time during our show the audience feels that a player has said something that is offensive or "unfit for Christian ears", they can hell "shame, shame, shame". The offending player must
then wear the "boxers of Shame" on their head for the remainder of the game.
The "Towel of Death"
If the audience feels that a game has gone on for too long or is going nowhere, they can yell "die". At that point a towel (the "Towel of Death) is
thrown in and the players have 30 sec. to bring the game to a successful conclusion before it dies. Sound Bites
**Note: If you don't have Real Audio's RealPlayer installed, you might as well Download it now. It's free!!! The introduction of our show begins with the Portsmith Symphonia's rendition of Thus Spake Zarathustra
(the "2001" theme). This orchestra, from Portsmith England, was arguably (or not so arguably) hailed as the worst gathering of musicians in history. Unless they've re-formed, they no longer exist. This is followed by a sound bite and finally a song for the introduction of the players.
|
