Mom: Sand on the Floor by Thomasina Petrus
February 22-23 | Sat 7:30pm / Sun 2:00pm
A poignant and lyrical exploration of grief and healing, this piece weaves song, poetry, and storytelling into a heartfelt journey. As the sadness of loss begins to soften, the narrator reflects on the emotional labor of remembering a mother—transitioning from tears to laughter, from past to present. It’s the beginning of a new self, the middle of healing, and the end of her… here.
Poem:
When the sadness of a great loss starts to soften there is a hesitated beginning
Without.
That pinching participation of speaking in past tenses.
The emotional labor of early storytelling that challenges your crying laughter as you transition to remembering her with required hilarity.
This piece of song, poem and storytelling is
The beginning of
The middle of me, and
The end of her
Here!
-Thomasina Higgins Taylor Petrus
About the Playwright
Hi I’m Thomasina Petrus, a professional jazz singer, songwriter and 35yr (AEA) actor who’s cultivated my multi-talents through study, mentorships, and friendships of many Twin Cities elite artists. I’m a creative muse rooted in the legacy of black women’s voices, and now create exceptional music and theatre experiences for stage, film, corporate and commercial marketing. I’ve toured the country honoring Billie Holiday with productions of “Lady Day @ Emerson’s Bar & Grill” by Lanie Robertson and staged original productions “The Best of Billie & Me”. “Etta James…Dreams to Remember”, “Hot Chocolate”, a multi-Holiday concert series and full musical stage production. I’m co-author (Austene Van) of “Hold” a musical poem/play with incarcerated women through HCL. scored music for the world premiere of “Ashti’s Journey to Jazz” by Carmen Rubin and was most recently honored by the Twin Cities Film Festival 2023 for work on the documentary soundtrack “The Water Cries” for “The Juneteenth Story, From Galveston, TX to Minnesota”, and “Bells for Philando” in 2022, both produced with OMG Media Solutions.