Mad Like Us
a modern Celtic myth
Mad Like Us invites us
into the thin places.
The sight of Ireland’s west coast.
The sound of your sister’s voice..
The smell of your mother’s perfume.
According to Celtic tradition, heaven and earth are only three feet apart, but when you enter these thin places, that distance becomes even shorter.
When three sisters are separated and sent far from their hometown in Ireland, they seek out thin places in order to find one another again.
And again.
Mad Like Us premiered at Piven Theatre Workshop on March 11, 2019 and has been touring to spots in the Midwest since then.
Personal Narrative, Myth, and Story Theatre
Hemme draws from family lore, Celtic tales, and her deep study of story theatre.
She is interested in the ways we can tell culturally significant stories through the lens of myth, and how we can offer opportunities for ancestral healing through enactment and embodiment.
Through each MLU performance, Hemme connects and collaborates with a different musical artist. She has worked with a solo fiddler, a string trio, and she is planning an upcoming show with a solo vocalist. She not so secretly dreams of a version that includes 50 live Irish step dancers thundering up a storm.
Mad Like Us Videos
mother walks into the ocean
Filmed by Abby Pierce
Performed and edited by Gillian Hemme
Location: Montrose Beach, Chicago, IL
one-minute show trailer
Written & Performed by Gillian Hemme
Filmed and edited by Audrey Palumbo
Directed by Sam Bianchini
Fiddle by Molly Ferguson
Location: Piven Theatre Workshop
Bring Mad Like Us to your school or organization.
The Mad Like Us Performance + Workshop Series has traveled to educational institutions like Highland Park High School and Grinnell College.
For a quote, please email gillianhemme at gmail dot com or fill out the form below.
