“I gave it my all. People were heaving with laughter. I met girls from that audience 16 years later who still remembered that part! I don’t think I was on the stage for more than five minutes.”

It’s show season! For many women that spells an evening out — a magical escape from the daily grind. For others, however, it’s all part of an evening’s work… and not just for them, but for their mothers, sisters, and daughters, too! How does working together on a complex production impact the family? Does it enhance the parent-child bond or strain it? Women share the highs and lows of a multigenerational family on stage

An excited hum buzzes through the Jerusalem living room. Girls are pirouetting, stretching their arms, and warming up for a long-anticipated round of auditions. Longtime comedienne and director, Avigayil Hool, also known for her parts in the popular Zir Chemed shows, is once again directing a show of her own. Partnering with Ruti Wolfson — who has years of experience designing costumes — Avigayil is working on a debut show, Daddy Act, for their freshly minted LOL Productions.

Avigayil’s daughter whispers something in her ear. Striking her forehead in dismay, Avigayil mutters hasty instructions and runs out of the room.

Later, in a frank interview around her dining room table, Avigayil shares the source of her frustration. “My daughter Sari had her heart set on the main part. She was sure she had it in the bag. I mean, I’m her mother, after all!” But as director and coproducer, Avigayil can’t dish out parts based on maternal affection. Try explaining that to a sensitive nine-year-old.

Avigayil wrings her hands and her face contorts theatrically. “It was awful! But what could I do? There was another kid far more suited to the part.” Avigayil had been planning to call her daughter for tryouts anyway, but with the million details competing for her attention, she had overlooked her, until Hadassa told her Sari was crying on her bed. “My heart was breaking for her! I ran to tell her we would find her another part more suited to her talents.”

Ruti relates a similar tale. “One of my younger daughters was meant to be in the chorus. She sings wonderfully, so in my mind it was a given. When we called girls in her age group to step forward, it didn’t occur to me to call her name as well.” The little girl was bitterly disappointed at the thought that she had been ousted from the show, when, in fact, it was only a misunderstanding.

“They all get what they need in the end,” say Ruti and Avigayil. “But us mothers are left with the scars!”