←Recommendations of Motherland

Lisa’s play garnered a lot of interest when we first saw it in 2014 (it was even a Semi-Finalist that year!). She’s gone back, workshopped, revised, and totally nailed it. I love when that happens.

A powerful and captivating play about memories, reclaiming identity and moving forward after mental illness. Touching and beautifully done.

Strong roles for women in a strong generational play about inherited trauma and how we process it when all we want to do is run from it.

Sometimes you read a play and are shocked to find out that it hasn't been produced. This play is an amazing family history play that somehow avoids cliches and says something new about mental illness and a culture's collective trauma. I love this play and this voice, I hope it gets it's deserved production soon.

Motherland was a delight from start to finish. Delicate. Beautiful. An ethereal piece that explores the cyclical nature of family and the ability to pass on invisible wounds to those we love the most. I adore the three generations of complex woman dealing with the inexplicable things life throws at each of them... and how by confronting their secrets they can all finally be set free. Bravo! Can't wait to see on the stage.

MOTHERLAND is a jewel of a play... delicate and shimmering. A kaleidoscope of memory and mission, heritage and healing, MOTHERLAND explores the nature of trauma, how it is passed on from generation to generation and how it is confronted at long last. It’s a testament to the power of love and to mothers and daughters everywhere… All this, while being both deeply engaging and very entertaining!

A beautifully evocative play that captures not only the essence of the experience of Russian immigrants but the legacy that their trauma visits on future generations. Kenner-Grissom's gorgeous dialogue threads throughout heartbreaking scenes of family drama, all feeling at once authentic and theatrical. The doubling underscores the repetition of familial history in a unique and lovely way. Produce this play!

This is a gorgeous play about the intricate relationship between three generations of women, and how the choices of each generation have affected the next. It is both heartbreaking and captivating to watch these women come together to reclaim their identities through pursuing and revealing their truths to themselves and each other. Lisa Kenner Grissom is a beautiful writer who creates vivid and fully formed characters that are lovable and relatable and whole.

Motherland, full of endearing and flawed characters, explores the ways families both harbor and must let go of painful, secret histories. It's rich with moving specifics while being effortlessly relatable, inviting reflection on one's own family history. The lead role is deep and dynamic for a strong actress, but then all the roles are complex and challenging. Added bonus: there's a thrilling doubling scheme/historic subplot that would be as exciting to stage as it would be to experience.

This play has all the ingredients-- strong and fully realized characters (each so clearly defined,) a mother/daughter/granddaughter relationship that crackles with so much humanity, lyrical storytelling that flows easily between the past and present, humor (so much humor) that comes from the characters' and the circumstances and many surprises. I felt completely taken care of with Lisa's deft writing. She explores loss, family secrets, emotional inheritance, mental illness, love & forgiveness with skill, poignancy and charm. I loved these women and their stories.