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Adriana Amendola-Rogers
Author, Playwright, and Mama-Extraordinare!
(845) 228-5601
ynctar@comcast.net
ROSIE (the Riveter) by Adriana Amendola-Rogers
Mamapalooza & The n Westchester Office For Women in Partnership with a M&M Productions Acting Company:
Rosie (the Riveter) by Adriana Rogers
Saturday, Sept. 20 at 11:00 AM Croton Free Library, 171 Cleveland Drive, Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520
APPROPRIATE FOR FAMILY AUDIENCES – AGE 8-9 IS THE TARGET AGE GROUP
A bustling Rosie, eight months pregnant and wearing a 1950's apron, bids her two-year-old sweet dreams, then greets her audience and quickly sets them straight about not being limited to “women’s work.” After shedding her pregnancy, Rosie enters into a flashback, where she is 18 again, growing up on a farm with her dad in rural Kansas and doing all the chores a man would do. When the Great Depression hits and her father loses the farm, Rosie then tearfully kisses her father goodbye and boards a train headed to the city of Billings, Montana, where she lives with some relatives during such a hard period. In Billings, Rosie is turned down for factory work because she is a woman and eventually takes a job as a waitress where she meets her future husband, Sam. When the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, Sam enlists and Rosie is suddenly in demand for factory work. She slips into her jumpsuit, dons her signature kerchief and reveals the iconic image of Rosie, The Riveter. Some audience members help Rosie along her journey, and they learn how it feels when men and women receive different pay for the same work. She demonstrates the dangers of wartime factory work, particularly for women of color. When the war is finally won, Rosie finds she is no longer needed at the factory. She is told by her demeaning boss to "hit the bricks, sister. The men are coming home and they want their jobs back!" As dejected as she feels in that moment, we later see just how empowered she has become by her work experience. Rosie embraces domestic life while celebrating her own accomplishments and the accomplishments of all women in the workplace.
MADAM
a musical based on the life of Madam C.J. Walker
Book and Lyrics by Adriana Amendola-Rogers
Music by Paul L. Johnson
Play Summary
Born the fifth child of Owen and Minerva Breedlove in rural Louisiana 1867, Sarah Breedlove is the first of her siblings born into freedom after the Emancipation Proclamation. Sarah Breedlove would later grow up to be forever known in history as Madam C.J. Walker, not just America’s first, black, self-made millionaire, but the first woman of any race or rank to become a millionaire through her own efforts.
Being poor, black and a woman in the 19th century southern states of America, Sarah learns early on the harsh realities of racism and extreme poverty. After being orphaned at seven years old, Sarah clings to the words of her dying mother and takes them with her throughout her life’s journey. After a race riot leaves her first husband dead, and after her second husband’s extreme abuse, Sarah finally finds inner strength through her church, through her life-long friend, Jessie, and through her daughter, Lelia.
With her mother’s lessons in tow, an extreme love and unfaltering faith in God, and a life-altering experience equated only to divine intervention, Sarah Breedlove builds an international empire. Her claim to fame - due to her own massive scalp and hair problems, Sarah invents hair and beauty products exclusive to the black woman. Enduring three marriages and countless abuses, Sarah perseveres. With daughter Lelia, and best friend Jessie by her side, Sarah becomes known as Madam C.J. Walker and soars to heights that only white men in America have the privilege of enjoying. But however successful Madam Walker, she never forgets her humble beginnings and becomes one of the great philanthropists of her time. She incorporates in her every-day life and her every-day business practice the concept of helping lift others to succeed.
Revered for her vast wealth and business genius, yet doubted for her race and gender, Madam C.J. Walker secures a place in history with her inspirational and true rags-to-riches story that transcends race, gender and class, and instills in us the very essence of the human will.
Audience comment: Greetings Adriana and congratulations! I would attend any performance of your exceptional musical. I'm not at all surprised you attracted a "The Color Purple" performer; the music, lyrics, AND subject matter speak powerfully to the women lucky enough to see your material. I'll continue to pray for additional exposure for your memorable work; have a blessed day!
GIVING BIRTH TO MOMMY:
a journey from "I'm never having a baby - ever!"
to "Because I said so, that's why!
A memoir by Adriana Amendola-Rogers
Many women are extremely conflicted with the idea of having a baby. Today's world tells us that having a baby is a choice, and we often ignore the natural desire to carry on our bloodline. Women will find a million excuses to choose not to have a baby. Much to the disapproval of my mother, who desperately wanted to be a grandmother, I was one such woman.
My memoir starts at my wedding in 1994 and proceeds through an eight-year span of me never having a baby - ever! However, life happened. My dad developed what would become a six-year battle with cancer, my husband was diagnosed with heart failure, and 9/11 secured its place in American history. All three life-altering events occurred within a year-and-a-half span and became tremendous epiphanies for me. Maybe I shouldn't ignore that which is inherent, and maybe I should, in fact, revisit my steadfast decision of never having a baby.
With a combination of humor and sentiment, I disclose my enormous self-doubt and my quest to find the unconditional love for my baby, which I assumed would come naturally, but it didn't. I finally realized that it's okay to have doubts and fears and not-so-maternal feelings; it's actually quite normal.
GIVING BIRTH TO MOMMY: a journey from "I'm never having a baby - ever!" to "Because I said so, that's why!" is a sharing of all my experiences from deciding to have a baby, to pregnancy, to labor and childbirth, to the mixed emotions of bringing home a newborn and expecting to love him and care for him for the rest of my life, to the eventual discovery of
unconditional love. Many women may feel the same way I did, but are too scared to admit it for fear of being dubbed as an inadequate mom. The purpose of my memoir is to not only share my story, but to let such women know that they are justified in their shaky emotions, and they are
certainly not alone.
BIO/RESUME
Adriana Amendola-Rogers (Playwright) Adriana’s writing career started in 1992, when she first wrote the lyrics for a new musical, You Never Can Tell!!. In 1999, she and her husband Rick wrote three original audience participation mysteries: Zoot Suit Swing Time Murders, Murder at the Sock Hop and Death at the Disco, which were performed in the tri-state area for five years. In March of 2004, Adriana teamed up with composer Paul Johnson and wrote the musical MADAM based on the life of Madam C.J. Walker, which had three staged readings, including one equity reading at Harlem's famed Abyssinian Baptist Church and which is slated to have a full production in Nashville, TN in February 2009. Adriana has also written a one-woman play, Rosie, based on the life and times of Rosie the Riveter, which has been picked up by Enrichment Works, based out of Valley Glen, California for their 2006-2008 seasons. Rosie was also picked up by Urban Stages in Manhattan and began its east-coast run in March of 2007 and is now also in a three-month run for M&M Productions. Adriana has also written a new, one-woman play, Ursaline, Chattle No. 248, the story of a slave woman sold during The Weeping Time. She was also on a team of writers to write 10-minute plays for Enrichment Works’s outreach programs for teens. Adriana has recently finished her memoir, Giving Birth to Mommy: a journey from "I'm never having a baby - ever" to "Because I said so, that's why!" about her experiences with pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, childbirth and being a first-time mom, and she is currently working to have it published. Adriana is a graduate of Pace University and is a member of the Dramatist Guild of America, TRU and AAPEX., and Mamapalooza!
