March 11th and March 13th in Hamilton Ontario!

Perfectly Norma Productions and The Staircase Presents
Suddenly Mommy!
She got married and had kids for the glamour and there is no glamour!
Written & Performed by Anne Marie SchefflerCanadian Comedy Award nominee, Second City Alumna, and star of her own comedy special on CTV/ The Comedy Network, Anne Marie Scheffler is back with her 7th one person show: Suddenly Mommy! Having her babies later in life, Scheffler demands answers from a world where she is no longer first! Like can I have the same goals I had before I had kids? How do the Hollywood moms do it? And when will I ever sleep again? Spoofing Celine Dion and Supernanny, Scheffler speaks the truth of the “Sex and The City turned Yummy Mommy” crowd: there’s not much time to put make-up on anymore! Recognizing that she is at bad at parenting as she was at dating, Scheffler refuses to repeat her relationship mistakes, so she finds a backbone. Not an easy thing to do when you are told to put everyone first, now that you’re a mom! “Anne Marie Scheffler didn't think motherhood would be this hard. She thought she could be the sexy showbiz mom, with a baby in one arm, a movie script in the other. Her jarring realization otherwise makes for a humorous and entertaining show. Scheffler is a charismatic, sparkling performer.”- CBC ReviewThe Staircase Theatre27 Dundurn Street North, Hamilton OntarioThursday March 11th , 8 PMSaturday March 13th , 8 PM$15/ ticket.info@staircase.org or905-529-3000 for ticketsTwo shows only! Book the babysitter now!!!!

February 27th and February 28th

I love being a mom so much. I love my little sons, who are batman and spiderman crazy and need me to rock them and read them betime stories.

I love my step-daughter and buying things for her, and finding girlie things for her to wear.

I love my husband, and this domestic life we've created. It's nice to have a family and do family things.

So why am I doing a show instead of staying home and cuddling with my kids? Because parenting did not come naturally to me. And I approached it in my same "give-myself-away" method that I used when dating. Then, I spent a long time, as a single woman, realizing that I had to have a back bone and love myself before I could have a solid romantic relationship. And now, as a mom, with my sons, I see myself repeating mistakes. I have spent the last 5 years finding that same back bone again, and loving myself well again. Because if I'm really me, I'm a better mom.

That's why I'm doing my show. I have something to say. I feel this show will be as powerful as Not Getting It. I'm looking forward to seeing you at The Candy Box! xoxo AMS

Mommy Wants Candy

Did you know that there's a new theatre in town? The John Candy Box Theatre, a part of Second City. I will be performing Suddenly Mommy there on Saturday February 27th at 8pm! And the next day too! (At Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace, Sunday Feb 28th, 2pm). What can I say? It's a mini run. If you missed the show before, here's your chance!

I've been home with Jake for the last 2 days because he's had a fever and a cough. I know he'd be okay in daycare tomorrow but I'm just enjoying babying the heck out of him. He turned 3 on Tuesday. We went to Chuck E Cheese on the weekend. He's been wandering around saying "I'm the birthday star." My kids are going to be confident if nothing else. Delusional and confident. And today he's been saying "I'm a girl- you not a girl. You a boy." Cute. Don't know what that's all about but he's just cute, so whatever.

Which reminds me, we got a Wii for Christmas from my in-laws. Really, it's for my husband. But the kids like it too. When we play the car racing game, a CGI blonde comes out and waves a flag to start the race. I've trained Jake to point at that girl in her Daisy Dukes and hot pink halter and say "That's you Mommy!" Yes it is Jake. Yes it is. Cute and delusional: Jake's mommy that is. See you at The Candy Box. xoxo AMS
ps: for tickets to Suddenly Mommy on Feb 27th and February 28th: http://www.artsboxoffice.ca/ or call 416.504.7529

Juggling my children

I was talking to my husband this evening as we drove home from my sister's place. The boys were in their car seats blathering away about who was Batman and who was Spiderman. Me, thinking that no one under 5 was listening to me, began to talk about the CBC interview I had done today. (For the upcoming show at Second City! Dec 20th, 2pm, please come!) I said something like "and I was describing the show about juggling my kids and career." Well, of course, Nathan picked up on it. "Mommy! You just said you are juggling your kids! You're not juggling me and Jakey!" Now I know what my next poster or book cover will be...

Suddenly Mommy at The Second City Sunday Dec 20th

Okay, it's late and I should be going to sleep, but I need to give you the low-down, you know, before it's morning, and the kids are up, and I get too busy again.

Here's the thing. The Children's Storefront burned down on Oct 31st. It was the original mommy-baby drop in. It opened 35 years ago, to help mommies and daddies, and babies. You know, a drop in. A place to go. Especially in the winter. And now we have drop ins every where. And I swear it's all thanks to Roona Maloney and The Children's Storefront.

So, when I heard the tragic news, first I cried. Then I emailed Roona and asked if I could do my mommy show for her. And when she said "I'd love it!" I went about finding a venue. So I asked Andrew Alexander at Second City who said "Of course!" and then I asked for posters and postcards and Industry Images said "we'd love to!"

So, in about 19 days, we're going to raise some money for The Children's Storefront. And have a laugh! I'm performing Suddenly Mommy!, a funny one woman show about being an old, new mom, at The Second City, on Sunday December 20th at 2pm. $20. http://www.secondcity.com/ for tickets. Please come. You'll laugh and laugh and laugh. And feel really good about yourself for giving to this important cause. A great way to kick off the holiday season! xoxo AMS

Adam Sandler and My Guilty Hand

I had a crazy dream last night. I dreamt I was discovering a new playground near my house, at the bottom of a steep hill. When I got down there, I passed by the swings and went into a building. It was a fringe festival office (a theatre office). I was dismayed that no one recognized me for my past fringe performance successes. I figured it was because I had kids and it had been a while so I had better get back on the fringe circuit and make a name for myself again. I sat at a table with other performers who were watching TV. I was beside Adam Sandler. He held my hand under the table. I was excited that he liked me and recognized me as a fellow talent, but I was feeling guilty because I was married. How could I hold his hand?! I kept holding it, working through my guilt by trying to figure things out so my husband wouldn’t know. I also felt guilty about being away from the kids. I had meant to come and find a playground for them and here I was, in an entertainment office, with a fellow comic genius. Clearly I felt love for this place of potential, but I was there without consent.
Then the dream morphed into a murder mystery dream… I’m currently in the main cast at Mysteriously Yours theatre… which I am really enjoying… and then Jake, my 2 year old, came and woke me up.
But the dream stayed with me, and I had a chance to write it down. I know what it means too. I have been feeling guilty about having a Hollywood style, successful career because it would clearly be a compromise to my husband and children. There is so much guilt for wanting a film and television career it seems. Don’t get me wrong. The guilt comes from me. No one else is making me feel bad. I’m doing it to myself.
It’s like I should be transferring my career aspirations onto my children, and become a stage mom. Or I should keep my dreams of success to myself and not share them with my husband. I should perhaps go to teacher’s college or join the bank fulltime. And I ask you, how would any of this help?
You know it is evil to have career plans for your child. And my husband knows I’m an actor and writer and that I have big plans. He wants to know and wants to help me succeed. And living a compromised life (not following my bliss) is no example to set for my kids…
Do you know how much my family would benefit from my successful TV and film career? If Adam Sandler has faith in me, then at least I should too. Tomorrow I’m getting my production team together, (my husband and kids) and going over the time lines for the rest of the year.

Suddenly Home and Mommy Again

Hi there.
So, just to recap, I went to The Winnipeg Fringe to do my new show Suddenly Mommy! And when I say new, I mean, new. As in "hello folks, you are hearing this for the first time..." And I went without my husband and kids! So, it was intense in many ways.

Firstly, when you do The Winnipeg Fringe (just in case you are thinking of taking your show there) it is arguably the best fringe in the world. The reviewers and audiences want to see the show you have been crafting for years. So, I had to really work for it. But I worked. And I worked hard. I opened a good show. But I closed a great show! And it is only going to get better with every run, with every performance, because that's what happens when you create a show. It grows! It gets better! It makes more sense! Just like a baby!

And to address the other point: I went to Winnipeg without my 2 year old, or my 4 year old, or my 10 year old step-daughter or my 41 year old husband. (I'm sure he hates it when I mention his age. Personally, I just turned 30. Again.) But I was away from the children for almost 2 weeks! Putting up a new show in a new city! I didn't even bring a stage manager! Or a director! Or a girl friend! I stayed with three 25 year old girls who were lovely. I went to yoga every other day. I spent my free time working on my show, writing, or working over Skype with my director. (I now know what Skype is! You can video chat on your computer! Who knew!) Or I talked to other mothers who take there one woman shows out into the world!

Third point! There are some fabulous women out there on the fringe circuit who do their solo shows and sell out and are amazing and talented and have kids too! Specifically Rachelle Elie, Colette Kendal and Precious Chong. Then there are other cool women, sans enfants, who gave me oodles of support and feedback around my show! Specifically Susan Jeremy and Sherri Sutton. My show got so much better so fast with help from these stand up comics! Let me put it into perspective: Susan Jeremy has been invited to Just For Laughs not once but twice! And Sherri Sutton opened for Roseanne! And they came to my show, and I went to theirs, and I learned and I grew, and I was in paradise! In a beer tent! In Winnipeg! So happy!

Forth point! My audience included more amazing women. Buffalo Gals came to see me! And so did NSI! And men! Farpoint Films! (These are important names in the world of film and television, so I won't go on). But I had such incredible feedback, not to mention lunch, from great people who saw what I was bringing to the world! A fresh new look at motherhood!

Erica Ehm from Yummy Mummy Club also emailed me to offer sponsorship! Do you see where I am going here! Winnipeg was my creative incubator! I stepped on stage with my bean sprout and I left with a beanstalk to a castle in the sky! (I think I need to go to bed soon...)

But finally, and I will end it here, I could not have had the experience I had if it weren't for my husband. He raised the kids without me for two weeks. He did not complain. (He did go to his mother's for the last, which was a great idea. Gramma and Poppa got to spend lots of time getting to know their grandsons). And suddenly mommy was suddenly free to get some much needed work done on her show. Suddenly, being a mommy is not what it used to be. And that's good. xoxo AMS