WORLD PREMIERE

“That bed. King-sized, at least. With space for visitors, and belongings and much much more. We used to lay towels on it and have Chinese food. We used to play Scrabble… I know you love me. That you are doing your best.”

Late at night, while his baby daughter sleeps, a son makes notes on his mother’s daily life and scenes from their complicated relationship. He is shaping a play, and a perspective. Two blocks away, his mother naps, and smokes, and reads, and drinks coffee. She is shaping her existence within encroaching confines. This New York story asks how we come to know one another as parents and as children. How do we care for those we love, and what does it take to live with – and without – them?

Reviews of Notes on My Mother’s Decline: 

“Intimate but distant by design, Andy Bragen’s play takes us on a journey many are likely to face with an aging parent.”
–The New York Times

“Bragen’s play is possessed of a stealth emotional power that is deeply felt… don’t be surprised if you hear the lines reverberating in your head for days afterward. Seeing Caroline Lagerfelt onstage again feels like catching up with an old friend. Ari Fliakos performs with unfailing concentration and commitment.”
–Lighting & Sound America

“Notes has a brave and graceful moral. This play has a reverence for life. You should go see it.”
–Hi! Drama

“With a certain and subdued beauty, Notes on My Mother’s Decline softens the blow that expectations, memory and loss deal to a contemporary mother/son relationship.”
–BroadwayWorld

Click to read the TDF Interview with playwright Andy Bragen

Photos by Julieta Cervantes

IDEA LAB EVENTS

The Idea Lab complements our productions with an eclectic series of free public conversations, events, and activities with artists, scholars, and community leaders.

All events are free and open to the public.

Ticket purchase to the performance is not required. For those joining us for just the Idea Lab event, seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

ACCESSIBILITY

The Fourth Street Theatre is not an ADA-compliant venue. However, we do our best to accommodate all theatre guests.

The only entrance to the theatre is up a flight of eight stairs from the street level. Restrooms are located on the lower level down a flight of stairs. Fully accessible restrooms are available on the street level in NYTW’s adjacent venue. For more information about accessibility at New York Theatre Workshop, please visit the NYTW site.