The Mass Music & Arts Society presents the Off-Broadway Hit

Love, Loss and What I Wore – June 26-27

by Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron

Based on the book by Ilene Beckerman

Directed by Linda Strano

Featuring

Judi Burns-Kotta

Cindy McCarron

Michelle Monti

Alice Springer

Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27 at 2:00 PM

Outdoor Live, In Person Performance under the MMAS Tent

Bring your own lawn chair. 

This material may not be suitable for all audiences.
Includes some profanity, adult situations, and sexual innuendos.

Tickets are $25, with limited seating.

Beer and wine and limited “cookout food” will be available for purchase.

 Come early and enjoy the Lake View!

Synopsis

Love, Loss, and What I Wore is a play of monologues and ensemble pieces about women, clothes, and memory covering all the important subjects — wardrobe malfunctions, puberty, first date outfits, lucky underwear, prom dresses, favorite boots, irreplaceable shirts, the detested, disorganized purse, and experiences in the dressing room. Based on the bestselling 1995 book by Ilene Beckerman, this dramatic comedy presents a diverse array of stories all centered around clothing and the female experience.

A rotating cast of four principal women portray almost 30 different characters as they relay memories of pivotal moments in their lives. Each story is framed through the lens of the clothing the characters wore using the female wardrobe as a time capsule of a woman’s life. This compelling piece underscores something all women know: that our memories are often tied to our favorite clothes.

The show has a running time of about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Generally composed of comic stories, the show also addresses sad, bitter, or sentimental issues. Beckerman’s memoir takes as its departure the clothing worn at pivotal times of her life and serves as the foundation for the show. The Ephrons augmented this with a collection of similarly themed stories presented by four additional characters.  

The show is staged in what is described as an “unapologetically low-tech” manner. In addition to clothing, accessories such as a purse are important, and Charles Isherwood of The New York Times noted that when Nora Ephron viewed a purse: “In the chaos of its interior she sees a symbol of herself, as in a dark mirror smudged with old lipstick and smelling of spilled perfume.” 

MMAS invites the audience to come reflect on your own lives, and the clothing items that symbolize those memories.

About Our Cast

Judi Burns-Kotta (Gingy & misc. characters) first joined MMAS in 2001. She is excited to be working with Linda Strano and sharing the stage again with Cindy, Alice, and Michelle. This play resonates with Judi as she has had to wear a “uniform” much of her life — in parochial school and later working for the USPS. While studying Voice in college (UMass-Lowell), Judi often wore “costumes” as an actor and singer. She has appeared on and off/backstage for over 35 years. MMAS directing credits include 1776, Boys Next Door (with MMAS’ Glenn Fournier), and Wait Until Dark (with castmate, Cindy McCarron). Judi has also performed on the MMAS stage in The Diary of Anne Frank, Blithe Spirit, Stepping Out, Nuncrackers, Scrooge, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. In 1997, Judi won a Best Actress EMACT Award as Olive Madison for The Odd Couple: The Female Version with Linda Strano directing (Stoughton Little Theatre). Currently, Judi co-teaches the Adult Acting Class at the MMAS Academy with fellow cast member, Alice Springer. Embracing retirement from the “uniform” and the USPS, Judi now practices a different career as a Reiki Practitioner. Judi is a “Winter.”

Cindy McCarron (misc. characters) joined MMAS in 1994 and served as a MMAS Board Member for 15 years. She started on the ground floor working on fundraisers with Ken Butler and the late Georgette Cote. She then helped produce the Student Scholarship Showcases and Dinner Shows, where she got to perform with her daughter Chelsey and met her husband Mark as the Piano accompanist. She also co-hosted the MMAS cable TV show, “Arts in The Spotlight.” Cindy graduated with a BFA from Emerson College and has performed at many community theaters. Her MMAS performances include: Lost in Yonkers, Scrooge the Musical, Stepping Out, 1940’s Radio Hour, Rumors, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Nine, The Miracle Worker, and Hair. This past year, Zoom rehearsals, outside rehearsals, and finally indoor rehearsals with Linda, Judi, Michelle, and Alice have kept her grounded and in her happy, creative place. Cindy still has her High School letter jacket as it brings back many happy memories of when she was Captain of the Track team. Cindy is an “Autumn.”

Michelle Monti (misc. characters) joined MMAS in 2006 when she worked crew on Wait Until Dark under the direction of castmate Judi Burns-Kotta. In October 2008, Michelle stepped onto MMAS’s stage as Mollie Ralston in The Mousetrap. Other favorite MMAS roles include: Sonia in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Gwendolyn Pigeon in The Odd Couple, and Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In 2009, she received a Motif Magazine nomination for Best Lead Actress as young Lynette in Frame 312 (Attleboro Community Theater). Michelle was also named “Funniest Mom in Rhode Island” by Catch a Rising Star in 2007. Currently, Michelle runs her own communications consulting business. She is truly grateful to Linda Strano, Judi Burns-Kotta, Cindy McCarron, and Alice Springer for proposing this fun project to get through the pandemic. Michelle thinks she is an “Autumn,” but usually buys whatever color is on sale.

Alice Springer (misc. characters) joined MMAS in 1996. Since then, she has performed there numerous times, most recently in her one-woman show, Becoming Dr. Ruth, which she has also performed at other venues. She has appeared in plays and musicals throughout the New England area. Alice received an EMACT award for her portrayal of Commissioner Doyle in Annie Warbucks (Little Theater of Stoughton.). She has studied acting with Tom Hunter (New England Repertory Company), Fred Sullivan, Jr. (Trinity Repertory Company and Gamm Theatre), and Joe Wilson, Jr. (Trinity Repertory Company). Alice is a retired teacher from the Brockton, Mass. school system. She taught acting classes alongside MMAS Executive Director Ken Butler, and also classes and musicals with actor-director Gary Poholek. She currently co-teaches an adult acting class at MMAS with fellow cast member Judi Kotta. Alice lives in Sharon with her musician-author husband Mel and their rescue dogs. She thanks Director, Linda Strano for the opportunity to talk about something she loves: clothes. Alice is a “Summer.”

All COVID guidelines will be followed for this seated show come Rain or Shine.