"Returning to the Mother"
(AKA "Guardians of Gaia Live")
Conceived and Written
by Angela Bennett
This 25 minute ritualized performance art piece was originally launched as part of Atlanta's 7 Stages Homebrew Series and has had a couple additional showcases with the help of Gateway Productions, receiving positive feedback on new adaptations.
"Returning to the Mother" is a powerful tool for inspiring and motivating its participants to take action, transforming their relationship with the natural world. Currently, it will be a highlighted performance at Get Off the Grid Fest in August of this year. We intend to continuing being part of other festivals- environmentally themed or otherwise just awesome!
"The stories, characters, and show is strong with the intention of offering healing and active movement towards coming together as humans to make decisions for the greater health of the planet. While it was whimsical and magical, it was grounded and focused; a hard thing to do in a concise and presentational style. Overall, the work was well received and their engagement with our community was phenomenal. I look forward to hearing how this show progresses and evolves throughout it’s lifetime."
(Heidi S Howard, Artistic Director, 7 Stages, Atlanta, GA)
The audience is visited by three goddesses who represent different elements of Mother Nature: Pele, the Hawaiian fire goddess of the volcano, creator/destroyer of the land; the water sprite of Warm Springs, a daughter of Mother Oshun, goddess of all bodies of fresh water; and, White Buffalo Calf Woman, a goddess of the Sioux/Lakota nation representing the living beings of the earth. These goddesses have come not only to praise and celebrate Mother Nature for all that she does to sustain us but with an important message that will help heal and transform our relationship with Her which in turn will heal and transform ourselves.
THANKS for joining us on the journey! Angela
(Heidi S Howard, Artistic Director, 7 Stages, Atlanta, GA)
The audience is visited by three goddesses who represent different elements of Mother Nature: Pele, the Hawaiian fire goddess of the volcano, creator/destroyer of the land; the water sprite of Warm Springs, a daughter of Mother Oshun, goddess of all bodies of fresh water; and, White Buffalo Calf Woman, a goddess of the Sioux/Lakota nation representing the living beings of the earth. These goddesses have come not only to praise and celebrate Mother Nature for all that she does to sustain us but with an important message that will help heal and transform our relationship with Her which in turn will heal and transform ourselves.
THANKS for joining us on the journey! Angela
At the conclusion of the show, as the three goddesses reappear, their last lines in the script are from the introduction to "Spiritual Ecology" by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee's and used with his permission.
Please visit HERE for more info about Llewellyn's inspiring work.
The below video is a shortened version of the show's opening number "Indra's Net". Music by Anahata Iradah, text from the ancient sanskrit hymn in the Rig Veda, meditation taken from an open sourced meditation by Joanna Macey, arrangement and vocals by Angela Bennett.
Please visit HERE for more info about Llewellyn's inspiring work.
The below video is a shortened version of the show's opening number "Indra's Net". Music by Anahata Iradah, text from the ancient sanskrit hymn in the Rig Veda, meditation taken from an open sourced meditation by Joanna Macey, arrangement and vocals by Angela Bennett.
"Home-made" video taken of the "work in progress at 7 Stages
Angela (Angie) Bennett:
Conceiver, Co-writer, Director, Producer
Award-winning actress and talent scholarship recipient, Angela (Holley) Bennett is a graduate of Michigan State University with a BA in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in performance and arts management. Her professional experience includes producing and directing, as well as working as an Actors Equity member. She has received multiple awards and nominations including those from “Creative Loafing Magazine”(Charlotte, NC) for Actress of the Year, Best Actress in a Comedy, Best Actress in a Musical and Best Actress in a Drama for consecutive years. As an entrepreneur she owned Cabaret Creations where she created, and directed musical reviews as well as multiple shows of "Singin Swing" and “Holley’s Follies” to critics’ raves. One of her most ambitious projects to date is her acclaimed tour de force, “Wildwood Flowers: the June Carter Musical” which she conceived, co-wrote, produced and debuted at Opryland’ s Roy Acuff Theater. A subsequent performance of this musical at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte, NC won Creative Loafing's Best Musical of the Year. In the last few years, she has been writing and performing her own music some of which she has recorded with the group: The Pacha Mamas. She has been a member of Alternate Roots , an organization that supports artist activists, and was awarded a project grant from them for the producing some of the music for "Guardians of Gaia".
Vivian Slade: Music Director/Collaborator, Performer
Vivian’s eclectic formal education includes: The University of Siena, Italy (vocal performance); Etruscan Studies at Trinity University in Vescovado di Murlo, Italy (archaeology); Mannes College of Music, New York, NY (vocal performance); Belmont University, Nashville, TN, (vocal performance and composition); BFA in Art History, Cum Laude, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX. Slade is a seasoned professional vocalist, guitarist, pianist and composer in multiple musical genres including: jazz, rock, pop, cabaret, folk and children’s music. She has toured the East coast and the South receiving rave reviews and airplay on over 70 college and independent radio stations with subsequent charting to CMJ. Vivian has three solo albums under her belt, in addition to other collaborative music projects. Vivian has extended her performing career into the theatrical world by playing several different characters in productions of Nashville’s acclaimed children’s theatre company, Olde Worlde Theatre. In addition, she has directed children’s choir and recently finished a children’s illustrated audio book and musical entitled The Dragon King.
Dawn Douglas, Performer
Dawn Mahealani Douglas has been entertaining audiences on stage and on camera for over 20 years. She has studied and performed many dance styles, but she fell in love with the dances of Hawaii, Tahiti, and New Zealand after studying at a halau on the island of Oahu. Since launching Mahealani’s Polynesian Entertainment in January 2017, she has booked over 200 shows ranging from family to corporate to public events. Some of her corporate clients include Turner Broadcasting, Chick-fil-A, The Home Depot, Harley-Davidson, Clayton State University, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Zoo Atlanta, Auburn Parks and Recreation, Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital, and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta just to name a few. Dawn’s dancing has also been featured on CBS46 and FOX 5 Atlanta. Her family of performers includes female dancers, male fire performers, and children.
Catherine Adunni, Performer
Catherine Adunni is in service to the Divine as a powerful medicine mother, claircognizant empath, relationship coach, Tarot coach and mentor. She has hosted several workshops ushering in the Divine Feminine and Masculine through events like Sound baths, Medicine Women -Red Tent, and Shamanic journeys. Since a child , the healing path has been part of Catherine's life and she has evolved her knowledge into her own unique field of medicine work. Through her exploration and studies Catherine has had the opportunity to work with many teachers and study many spiritual practices like Sufism, Taoism, Sukiyo Mahikari, Ifa (Yoruba), Tibetan/Sanskrit chanting, Ausar Auset (Kemetic/Egyptian rituals), and Hermetic Teachings. Her very first teacher Tijuan (Dogon tribe), from Mali West Africa taught her the art of several different methods of divinations and also introduced her to the ancestral spirits of the Nommo (Masters of the water). Catherine's passion is to assist in letting go of destructive programs in order to build a lasting relationship with the higher self and the Divine Source thus creating a harmonious relationship between us and Mother Earth. She is also the founder of Adunni Medicine Music.
