‘Night, Mother hits the stage

By Melissa Piche Times Contributor

For her graduation project at the Rosebud School of the Arts, fourth-year student Hayley Rosenau is producing and starring in ’Night, Mother by Marsha Norman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning play that confronts difficult topics of suicide and mental health.

“I kind of found it by accident on a trip to New York,” Rosenau recalled. “I was in a drama bookstore, and it literally fell in my hand. I read the back of it and I was like, ‘oh my gosh, it’s amazing.’ And then I read it on the plane. It has a lot of parallels to my own life.”

Rosenau says she connects deeply with her character, Jessie, who faces similar struggles. 

“The kind of theatre I’m interested the most in making is stories that have a harder story to tell – that aren’t always the prettiest or the funnest – but have an important message to them,” she said. “That’s what I found with ’Night, Mother. It’s an important story to tell. And I want to start a conversation going about mental health and how it looks different for everyone.”

While some advised her to choose something lighter, Rosenau was determined. 

“A lot of people tried to advise me, do a comedy or something a bit less depressing,” she said with a smile. “And I was like, no, I think this is my story. Part of it was my stubbornness for sure. I didn’t want to do a comedy –I wanted to make people cry.”

The decision was carefully reviewed by faculty. 

“They were mostly concerned about how my mental health could be afterward,” Rosenau explained. “They wanted to make sure I had all my things in order – like a trigger warning in the program and in my marketing – to make sure my audience was taken care of and that I would be taken care of. Once they said that, one of the instructors who had advised me against it was actually my biggest supporter.”

As both producer and actor, Rosenau has been balancing a dual role since March. 

“It’s a lot of time management,” she said. “I had to carve out my schedule and be like, when do I have my producer hat on and when do I have my actor hat on? Once rehearsals started, I could be 80 per cent in my actor role all the time and just have a little bit of producer stuff to do.”

The production has also been a learning experience she’s embraced. 

“I enjoy a challenge, and I like to be busy,” she said. “This has been stressful at times for sure, but I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s kind of a perfect storm for me.”

Rosenau hopes the play will spark empathy and deeper understanding in the community. 

“I grew up kind of hearing suicide is a coward’s way out,” she said. “It wasn’t until I got most of the things taken from me – the pressure – that I saw the other side of it. I saw the humanity in it and how painful of a decision it is for everybody involved. I hope people see it’s not black and white. Take the time to show empathy and love to somebody going through one of the worst things in their life. We don’t know other people’s stories.”

For those attending, Rosenau emphasized honesty and preparation. 

“I want them to know what they’re walking into,” she said. “It is a very frank discussion about suicide and mental health. Four pages into the play – boom, we’re in there. But there are also some really beautiful things, even a bit of humour, because you need a bit of humour with the darkness.”

To support audience members, Rosenau’s stage manager – who holds a degree in social work – will ensure resources are available if anyone has a strong emotional reaction.

Looking ahead, Rosenau said she hopes to make Rosebud her home base while pursuing opportunities across Canada. 

“I would love to just kind of go where the work is,” she said. “Rosebud will be home, but I’ll be a bit of a nomad. That’s the life of an artist.”

’Night, Mother runs Oct. 8–10 at 7 p.m. and Oct. 11 at 4:30 p.m. at the Rosebud Studio Stage. Tickets can be reserved by email (hayleyr@rosebudschoolofthearts.com).