White Mama Stage Adaptation

Before I started to write my plays, I was a college student focused on studying Theater Arts Performance. My life was on hiatus when I found out I was pregnant with my son. I was at home bored out of my mind didn't what to do with myself. I was going through a phase of no job, no money, and no college because I didn't had enough money to pay for my tuition until I started taking this group survey and I won a $25 Amazon gift card. I didn't know what to buy so I started look for books to read on Amazon. That's when I found White Mama by Robert C.S. Downs.

A story about Estelle Malone, an elderly white widow who lives in a New York Apartment becomes a foster mother to an African American juvenile B.T. Williamson for the support money to pay her bills. When Estelle gets an eviction notice from her apartment, B.T. enters a brutal boxing match to fight for the money that Estelle needs. The two of them may have nothing in common but in the end, a special kind of friendship has grown in between them.

When I completed the script, I email the author Robert C.S. Downs for permission and gave me his answer. He said, "Yes".

I was so glad he gave me permission to adapt his novel to a stage adaptation. So far, I have send my scripts to every theater and festivals and still nothing back from any theaters or festivals until I received the most exciting news that my play White Mama has been accepted in New York Theater Festival this year. As excited as I am, I only had small amount of money that is not enough to cover my trip to New York.

I started a GoFundMe page (which I later deleted after I fail to met my funding goal).

On the campaign page:

I have a story I would like to share with you. I am an aspiring playwright and undergraduate student at Montgomery College raising funds to go to New York to produce my play. I started writing when I was in eleventh grade when I entered my first essay contest After I graduated high school, I enrolled at Montgomery College. Just when I thought I was getting into my path on. After I had my son, I was terminated from my job, and I owe the school $1,500. I spent all my years as a single mom taking care of my son alone with the help of my family and trying to look for a job. I won a $25 Amazon gift card. I didn't know what to buy. So I looking for a book to read. And that's where I found WHITE MAMA. After I read the book, I decided to write to stage play adaptation The story was 37 years old.

I have shared my page on Twitter and haven't received any donations. It was tough to get my play's attention. So I had no choice but cancel the show. When the Covid hit, I thought about an online Zoom staged reading since all the theaters are shutdown and I saw everyone streaming and recording it on YouTube. But it was another disastrous event, not many actors auditions, time differences, and too much technical difficulties. I had to cancel again but I still not giving up on White Mama.

I am passionate about writing this play because I want the audience to get to know B.T. and Estelle's character and the friendship they share. It is a heartwarming, loving play that any audience at any age will love and share with families and friends.

Even if you're fans of the movie, I recommend seeing this stage adaptation.

White Mama Movie (1980)

Movie trailer