Show — Love Labor Project

Rachel Austin and her mother have been riding the cancer roller coaster for the last 16 years. We are all familiar with folks caring for aging parents, but what happens when that person is 16, or 20, or 22, or 26, or 29, or 32 years old? What happens to someone who goes through this trauma all alone, fighting tooth and nail to achieve excellence while struggling to care for the person who means the most? How do you keep going through a decade of almost-loss and impending loss?

Join Rachel for a wild ride through her own journey. In an hour-long show that incorporates joy and pain, hope and fear, love and anger, the performance will ask you over and over again:

How will you show up?

SCROLL DOWN TO WATCH THE FULL VIDEO OF THIS PERFORMANCE

*Please note that this show will no longer be performed live; Rachel looks forward to continuing to talk about her journey in all the ways, focusing forward and releasing the trauma of the past.

Love Labor in Performance

This work is the culmination of a year of creative work by a multitude of talented Twin Cities-based artists. While this is the story of Rachel’s journey, this piece is the result of an incredible amount of collaboration, patience, and creativity. The full Creative Team is listed below.

This production is dedicated to the memory of Mike Wangen, brilliant Lighting Designer, community member, and friend. His battle with cancer ended mere months after the last curtain, and he is dearly missed. Thank you for sharing your artistry, Mike.

This performance is also dedicated to Rachel’s mother, Ginger Wilhelmi, who passed away on March 2, 2021.

Creative Team

Deviser + Performer| Rachel Austin

Deviser + Director | Gwyneth Shanks

Collaborators | Paige Collette, Ellen Fenster, Chris Garza

Stage Manager | Laura Leffler

Scenic Design | Sara Herman

Lighting Design | Mike Wangen

Projection + Sound Design | Peter Morrow

Costume Design | Alice Fredrickson

Videography | Jesse Robb

Photography | Briana Patnode

Marketing Consultant | Amanda Rodriguez

Logo Design | Ruthie Johnson

Promo Design | Mika Gael Albornoz

Originally from Dallas, Texas, Rachel received her BA in Theatre from Macalester College in 2009. Rachel has been performing in the Twin Cities for the past 10 years, working with several companies including Park Square Theatre, Minnesota Jewish Thea

Paige Collette (raised in Texas) is a Minneapolis-based writer, performer, and collaborator. She created and performed her one-woman exploration of Monica Lewinsky, "The Monica Meditations," for Red Eye's New Work 4 Weeks/Isolated Acts in 2018 and r

Gwyneth Shanks is an Assistant Professor in the Theater and Dance Department at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Prior to that, she was a Helena Rubinstein Curatorial Fellow in the Whitney Independent Study Program and the Mellon Postdoctoral Inte

Laura Leffler is a freelance theatre director and producer, who also writes and performs. She founded Umbrella Collective (formerly Savage Umbrella) and was the artistic director from 2007-2018. She has worked with the Guthrie Theatre, Theatre de la

Sara is excited to be a part of the Love Labor production team. Most recently she designed The Cradle Will Rock for Frank Theatre. She is the resident set designer for Circus Juventas and St. Paul Academy. As a scenic artist she has worked with The G

Ruthie Johnson works in equity and inclusion work by day and in her second life does design and social media work. Her main passion is to help people of color have access to affordable design and production for entrepreneurship. In her spare time, sh

2019 Premier

Love Labor premiered at Pillsbury House + Theatre in Minneapolis on November 14, 2019, and ran for five performances. More information and images can be found above.