One-of-a-kind show about mums to hit Harvey stage

A one-of-a-kind storytelling experience all about the joys to heartbreaks of having a mother is hitting the stage in Harvey this week.

Perth production company Whiskey & Boots have returned to Harvey with their new show Mama Stitch — a bespoke musical experience telling the stories of people in town.

Following the success of their 2021 Harvey show Bystander, producers and storytellers Mark Storen and Georgia King said they were thrilled to be back in Harvey — an open and welcoming community.

King said with existing shows about the challenges of being a mother, they wanted to bring something new and relatable — stories about having a mum.

“Mums are probably the most influential person in your life,” she said.

“When I thought of my own mum, there are so many stories that are funny, heart-breaking and relatable, and we thought other people must have similar experiences also.”

King and Storen interviewed the Harvey community then wove the responses into stories shared with musicians Luke Dux and Bridget Turner.

“We become a conduit for them, we don’t change anything. The pitch, tone, cadence, and rhythm of the way they speak flows though us,” Storen said.

“The musicians provide an underscore and then typically, there’s a song at the end of each story to encapsulate the flavour of that particular person and that particulate story.”

King said the stories cover a diverse range of people.

“We’ve got two Italian sisters, a well-known Indigenous person, a young Filipino girl, someone who has been in Harvey for a shorter amount of time and some well-known fellows in the community,” she said.

“Each version of this show is bespoke to that community. And, at the end of each performance we’ve ever done, we invite the audience to write an anonymous letter to their own mum, which comes on tour with us.”

The Harvey Recreation and Cultural Centre will be transformed for the performance with thousands of letters go on display.

With the Friday show already sold out, and the show on September 14 having limited spaces, King and Storen are keen to be performing for the community once again.

“This is a really immersive experience,” Storen said.

“It is just lovely to be back here with another show, and it is lovely to reconnect with some of the folk we met last time.”