Posted by unregistered user at 8/4/07 1:46 p.m.

I attended last year's production of BOLD in Seattle. Being male and childless I went with a little apprehension, but few ideas of what was in store for the evening. I was very glad I attended. The dialogs in Birth presented a wide range of attitudes and experiences about child birth, many of which I had never considered before. On some level I expected an "agenda-packed play that tells women to hop in a bathtub to deliver their babies", but left with an understanding that the play was much more about making choices that work well for you. Definitely worth a repeat visit.

Posted by unregistered user at 8/7/07 1:12 p.m.

I saw this play in Austin TX and again last year in Seattle. The Seattle production was far superior--I think because most of the performers had either given birth or attended births (the performers in Austin had little direct birth experiences). I took a friend to the Seattle show, (she is single/no kids) and she was amazed at all the issues involved that she'd never thought about before (and she's a smart woman--getting her PhD in sociology). I've taught young college students who don't realize that birth is VERY political; they don't realize midwives are legal in Washington state; they don't realize that most doctors don't follow 'best practices' as outlined by medical research (visit www.lamaze.org for more information on that) and they don't realize that the US has much poorer outcomes than most other developed countries but spends a lot more money. BOLD doesn't address these larger issues but instead looks at how they impact individual women. No woman should feel "guilty" because of how they gave birth but I think every woman ought to know whether they were given the best care available....or not. Knowing they were not given the best care for themselves and their babies should make them angry, not guilty.

--christine morton, phd, research sociologist, Redmond WA

Posted by unregistered user at 8/7/07 1:47 p.m.

I was blown away by the Seattle production of "Birth" last year and by the decidedly balanced representation of various birth experiences portrayed in it. This play does not judge which is the better way - obstetricians, midwives, hospitals, birth centers, home birth, doulas all have their up and down sides and each is covered in an delicate balancing act of portraying the American woman's real experience. In fact, the play doesn't judge at all and that is why both I and my husband enjoyed and learned from the experience. But it does present critical questions for women and families -- what is best for the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of mom and baby? It opened up a dialogue between my husband and I that was deep and healing. Why did I want a home birth and he want a birth with every person masked and covered in white when our first child was born? Anyone who has had a baby or is planning one in the future really ought to mark their calendars for "Birth." Cheryl, mother of 2, Seattle