The show started in 2012 by two friends who were moms that just really needed to get out and commiserate about issues they were facing as new moms. Founders Shayna Ferm and Tracey Tee started the show in their hometown of Denver, and it eventually got too big and was taken out on the road.
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The show combines comedy with singing, games, slideshows, improvisation and audience participation. The show is all about those things parents have in common. Besides being a great time, the show has a meaningful message.
“Besides the original music that will make you laugh so hard you’ll cry, there is a core message at The Pump and Dump Show that is truly uplifting for every kind of mom, no matter what you are struggling with. It’s something we developed organically from doing the show for so long and meeting moms everywhere around the country and we continue to deliver it from a very real and authentic place,” said Ferm.
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This will be the first time the show will be performed in Dayton. The show has grown so much that there are now Midwest and West Coast casts. The Midwest cast, which will perform in Dayton next week, was chosen by Ferm and Tee.
“We worked with an amazing casting director in Chicago who was basically tasked with finding some unicorns. We were looking for two women, moms of young kids (like under 8) who are funny, can improvise, are great performers, musicians and play piano and guitar. But boy did we find them,” Ferm said.
The Midwest cast consists of performers Angela Peel and Molly Kirk. Both have been performing since they were very young, and both say they have learned a lot from being part of the show.
“Parenthood is the true equalizer for us all. It brings us all so much joy AND anguish. Rehearsing the show with Tracey and Shayna, as well as Angela my partner, and Kristin, our director, has been so reaffirming that we're all just playing everything by ear and we need our friends and family to help us survive ... and not screw up our kids,” Kirk said.
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Peel studied at Chicago’s Sherwood Conservatory of Music, and said she loves performing the songs the most. However, she has learned a great deal about comedy and timing.
“I have learned just how much orchestration goes into comedy, so much more than cracking any old joke. There's a specifically woven fabric to it. Parenthood IS funny, but Shayna and Tracey have worked so hard to make the show perfect,” she said.
Kirk studied fine arts in theater at Drake University, and she is known for her work as the lead singer for the Bluewater Kings Band. She hopes the show will give parents a chance to have a night off from chores and life.
“We've heard amazing thing about Ohio mamas, and I hope we're able to just take your minds' off the to-do list at home (hello, laundry pile) and just let you laugh your butts off (without leaking),” she said.
While the title of the show makes it seem the show is exclusively for moms, it isn’t. The term Pump and Dump refers to pumping breast milk and dumping it, so the baby doesn’t ingest any alcohol. Ferm said the title is a metaphor for getting things off your chest.
“Funny is funny. While the show is obviously geared for moms, dads love it, teachers love it, doulas love it — basically anyone who has ever known a child,” Ferm said.
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The original cast still performs and is constantly writing new material that they pass on to the regional casts. They original also have a weekly podcast where they discuss all sorts of issues.
“We cover everything from makeup tips to financial issues to learning about one’s Enneagram number. We love to explore it all and see how being parents has changed our views on things and how we integrate subjects into our lives,” Ferm said.
WANT TO GO?
What: The Pump and Dump Show: Parentally Incorrect
When: Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Dayton Funny Bone, 88 Plum St., Suite 200, The Greene in Beavercreek
Cost: $25
More info: Call the box office at 937-429-5233 or visit dayton.funnybone.com.
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