Finishing this musical during quarantine turned out to be absolutely perfect, both symbolically, as we were all "Stalled" in the progress of our normal lives, and functionally, as Andy and I found working together on zoom sessions both fruitful and joyful.  When I wrote the short story "Stalled Symphony" in 2008, it was one of those rare bits of writing that just bubbled up from within, from a zillion little moments with women, in bathrooms and out, colliding or passing by each other like charged particles inside a tiled-and-bleached container, and now, fast-forward all these years and we've added music and boom! A beautiful explosion. The women of STALLED came to life fully at Hedgebrook, an amazing retreat for female-identifying writers, where I developed a television pilot living both in the Seattle Tech City Mall bathroom and in the homes of the main characters. In the TV and stage versions, I was able to delve more deeply into all things motherhood and daughterhood, and to touch on addiction, learning to tell the truth, and accepting our own individual eccentricities and identities as women-identifying people in a world often arranged to thwart our progress and expression of self. My Pacific Resident Theatre family has nurtured me and the show and lifted us higher than I had ever hoped. All the gratitude and love to them and everyone who helped along the way, particularly Marilyn Fox and my family – Jeff, Taylor and Julia, my dearests.

How do we look at ourselves in the mirror? Do we love or loathe what we see? Perhaps a mix of both? Stalled takes an intimate look at the lives of four women all stuck but trying their best to take a step forward. This musical deals with love, loss, motherhood, identity, and connection. Most of the women come in to the bathroom to seek refuge from the outside world. It is a place where time slows down. Where the women can look in the mirror and say, how the hell am I going to get through this? Where they can privately reset and take a deep breath. Working on this beautiful piece has allowed me to examine the rules and expectations that I have placed on myself. It has given me a chance to confront that nagging, critical voice in my head that says, “why can’t you be different?”. I hope that you fall in love with the complex characters that Liesl Wilke has created as well as the gorgeous music written by Andy Marsh. Lastly, I hope that when you look in the mirror you are able to see yourself in a way that makes you happy and truly content.

With Love,
Cal