"STEW," the latest play at Chicago's Theater Wit, takes place in the kitchen, where Mama, her daughters and granddaughters are awake early to prepare an important meal.
“Secrets are revealed, things are brought to light, and its showing the love of family. But also, the struggle in you’re trying to hold it all together," said actress Jazzma Pryor, who plays Lillian.
Velma Austin-Massey, who plays Mama, agrees.
"There’s quite a bit of love," she explained. "You can see that they love each other, even though they are picking at each other and secrets are coming out. You can absolutely see the love.”
A lot of the conversations bring joy and laughter, which Austin-Massey says resonates with the audience.
"One young lady comes up and says, ‘wow I’m going home for Thanksgiving this year. I hadn’t been home in about four years. She says I’m going home this year. I want to cook in the kitchen with my mom,'" Austin-Massey said.
There are also hard conversations and family secrets. Despite the tension, the story line is a reminder of the importance of interacting with family.
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"We all get caught up in our own lives, and things come up and time passes, but you can’t get that back," said Jazzma Pryor. "And I think the older you get the more you understand that.”
Every night before the curtain opens, the cast and crew pray together.
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“And one of our prayers is, 'Dear Lord, please allow us to touch someone tonight whether it’s by laughter, whether it’s by tears, whether it’s by a memory. We just want to make sure we are not doing this in vain,'" Austin-Massey said.
"STEW" is on stage at the Wit through Oct. 22.
