AARP Host National Touring Play ‘Mama’s Girls’ in Philadelphia

[gallery type="slideshow" ids="36435,36436,36439,36440,36441,36445,36447,36448,36451,36455,36456,36458,36460,36461,36462,36463,36466,36467,36468,36469,36470" orderby="rand"]

A free performance about family caregiving

Seen by thousands of theater goers across the country, “Mama’s Girls,” authored by award-winning playwright Garrett Davis recently came to Philadelphia’s Temple Performance Arts Center. The sold-out performance for 1000+ audience members witnessed a soul-stirring play about the rewards and challenges of caregiving in an African American family.

“Mama’s Girls” tells the story of five sisters living in five different cities who are forced to come together to care for their aging mother. The play featured Tony Award Nominee Samantha McSwain, Julie Logan from the Tri-City Singers, LaTonya Simms from the stage play “Forget Me Not,” R&B singer Keisha Williams and Kynya Milam from the stage play “The Lord Will Make a Way.”

The production was supported by the AARP Prepare to Care program, an initiative that helps caregivers determine what they'll need in their new roles, how to assemble an action plan for providing care, and how to access caregiving support services in the community.

AARP supports increased awareness and resources for the growing number of older workers who, in addition to their day jobs, serve as unpaid caregivers. In Pennsylvania, over 1 million family members serve as caregivers.

“’The number of caregivers in Pennsylvania and across the country grows every day,” said AARP Pennsylvania State President Jim Palmquist. “’Mama’s Girls’ did not only entertain but inspired people in the audience who provide regular care for loved ones in the community, and the play provided useful information they can apply in their everyday lives.”

This production was written, directed and co-produced with AARP by playwright Garrett Davis, CEO and Founder of Gdavis Productions and the nationally acclaimed Forget Me Not Project. Davis also serves as an Ambassador for the National Alzheimer's Association and was named the 2012 Alzheimer's “Advocate of the Year.”

Visit www.aarp.org/preparetocare to download the Prepare to Care Resource Guide, find caregiving tools, locate resources, and determine how to access resources in your community.