Welcome to the digital program for our 2026 public sharings of The Birth/Death Project
2026 Sharings:
Friday, June 26: 7pm at The LAVA Center, Greenfield
Saturday, July 11: 1pm at Holyoke Public Library and 4pm at Forbes Library, Northampton
Devised by: Ellen Morbyrne with Dorian Gregory, Trenda Loftin, Seth Olsen, Lauren Ostberg, Em Rawls, Jordan Reed, Lena Vani; inspired by interviews with folks across the Valley
Directed by Ellen Morbyrne
Performed by Dorian Gregory, Trenda Loftin, Seth Olsen, Lauren Ostberg, Em Rawls
Produced by Ellen Morbyrne, Lena Vani, Rachel Hall
A performance collage inspired by the real stories local folks have shared with our project has been woven together to share with all of you. Joy, grief, wonder, fear, amazement, mess, glory, hilarity, pain, connection. Join us in remembering what it feels like to be truly human together.
Thank you to those whose interviews contributed to these first sharings:
Dr. Caballera Roca, Kathleen Hulton, Amie Hyson, Jan Maher, Sheila MacNab Millar, and many others!
Thank you to the following folks for their support in a variety of ways:
Michele B., Toby Vera Bercovici, Annie DelBusto Cohen, Ash Goverman, Becca King, Dan Morbyrne, Myka Plunkett, Jordan Reed, Linda Tardif, Julia V. Whalen, and many others!
Special Thanks to Molly Brennan for donating the masks we’re able to offer audiences!
Our sharings are free to attend! We welcome your donations in support of the project (please click here). Donations made on June 26 will be split 50/50 with The LAVA Center.
The 2026 phase of this project is supported in part by grants from the Conway, Hadley, Holyoke, and Shelburne Cultural Councils, local agencies which are supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Photos of Production & Performance Team (from top left): Ellen Morbyrne, Lena Vani, Rachel Hall, Trenda Loftin, Jordan Reed, Em Rawls, Dorian Gregory, Seth Olsen