Reston's Hood Finds Voice in Show For Moms

Reston resident Kate Coveny Hood wants to give moms a voice.

She started with herself as she began a blog called The Big Piece of Cake in 2008.

She shared her adventures with three young children, including a set of twins and a child with special needs. She continued by commenting on the blogs of other moms, making many new friends in the process.

Hood, 40, recently made a big move out of cyberspace. Last month, Hood produced the DC-area version of Listen To Your Mother,  a live show featuring 14 women bloggers and writers (including Hood) who read their stories aloud to an audience. Three hundred people filled the Synetic Theater in Crystal City to hear and see the moms share their stories.

“What people get out of it as an audience is that everyone has a story to tell,” Hood says. “Even if the stories seem small, they can teach or enlighten. No one’s really alone here. We’re all doing the same things.”

A month removed from the conclusion of a successful show, Hood recalls it happily and calmly. But the months leading up to it were a bit frenetic, she says. First she casually suggested to a friend of hers, who began the Listen To Your Mother concept two years ago in Madison, WI, that there should be a show in the DC area.

“I didn’t necessarily mean I was going to do it!” Hood says. “I had never produced a show. But she sent me an application. "

Once she made the decision, she began to break down the task. She had been a conference planner and knew how to produce an event, so she felt comfortable on that end. But she needed someone who knew something about show business.

“Luckily I have a friend who is an actress,” Hood says. They applied together, with her friend as the director.

Next up was to pick a date, book a venue, and get the word out that they were holding auditions. Hood says she was overwhelmed by the talent.

“It was like separating diamonds from diamonds,” she says, but eventually the team found the 12 women whom, in addition to themselves, that they wanted to feature.

The next task was to procure sponsors and do publicity. Hood says they were hoping that at least 200 people would buy tickets, and when 300 did, they were ecstatic.

She says she “would love to do it again next year,” although they will have to re-apply.  It’s the kind of show that touches hearts, Hood says.

“Even the cameraman was crying.”