• Auditions for Momming, an original community musical about motherhood, will be held today, Sept. 9, and Saturday, Sept. 12.
  • Creator Carmelina Karas wrote the musical after realizing there were few productions that focused on the true realities of being a mother.
  • The story follows Ella, an expectant mother who learns that parenting is far more challenging, emotional, and rewarding than she imagined.
  • A key message of the show is the importance of community support, highlighted through a song called “It Takes a Village.”
  • Karas hopes to stage the production in November or December and is seeking actors, singers, children, ensemble members, and backstage volunteers.

 

A Stouffville writer and composer is turning the joys, struggles, and realities of motherhood into an original stage production and is inviting the community to help bring the project to life.

Carmelina Karas will hold auditions for her new musical, Momming, today, Sept. 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Harmony Hall. Another auditioning session will take place on Saturday, Sept. 12, from 10 a.m. to noon in the lower-level room at Saints on Main.

The production, which Karas wrote and composed, follows the journey of a mother navigating pregnancy, parenthood, and the challenges that come with raising children. The idea was born from her own experiences and years of conversations with mothers in the community.

“Three years ago, I wrote the original songs for the play and just put it away,” Karas said. “Then recently, about a month or so ago, the melody and the music just sort of came to me one day. I said, ‘This needs to happen.’”

Karas, who runs a local mothers’ WhatsApp group with hundreds of members, said she recognized a lack of stories on stage that truly reflected the motherhood experience.

The musical centres on Ella, an expectant mother convinced she will be a “super mom.” As the story unfolds, Ella faces sleepless nights, feeding challenges, loneliness, tantrums, and the countless unexpected realities of parenting.

A key moment in the production comes when the character realizes she cannot do everything alone.

“She gets to this point where she goes, ‘I cannot do this on my own anymore,’” Karas said. “Then a village of moms come around her to support her in one of the songs, which I named ‘It Takes a Village.’”

While the opening acts focus on the emotional challenges of motherhood, the production later shifts toward a more comedic tone as the children grow older. Ultimately, the story embraces the idea that motherhood is “perfectly imperfect,” and that parents are simply doing the best they can.

Karas believes the story will resonate strongly with audiences, particularly mothers who may see their own experiences reflected on stage.

She is currently seeking performers for several roles, including the lead character of Ella, supporting female cast members, a grandmother figure, child performers, and ensemble members. Volunteers with experience in sound, lighting, stage management, and other backstage roles are also encouraged to get involved.

If rehearsals go as planned, Karas hopes to stage the musical later this year.

“I would like to have it performed in November or December,” she said. “Once the original cast does that performance, I’m hoping to video-record it and send it off to other venues to do repeat performances.”

Karas said her goal is to share the production with as many audiences as possible and to give mothers a chance to feel seen, heard, and understood through music, storytelling, and community.