The first thing Calgary singer and actor Sonia Deleo thought about her unwanted pregnancy was that it was best to keep it a secret.
But the farther she got from the experience, which took place about a decade ago, the more she realized the story was about more than her.
“Time heals a lot of stuff,” Deleo said. “I knew I would share about it at some point.”
Friday night, Deleo will present the premiere of Two Moons: A Folk Lullaby, a solo show that blends folk-ish pop songs with storytelling and comedy that explores Deleo’s journey with reproductive rights.
Deleo said that she initially wrote Two Moons as a standalone song until she saw a one-person show in Toronto that explored AIDS in the 80s.
That particular show gave her an insight into how an intimate exploration of one person’s experience can actually be a good way to talk about huge, global issues.
As reproductive rights have been rolled back in the U.S. in recent years, it became apparent to Deleo that her very personal story was also a very universal one.
“I have had conversations with a lot of women,” she said. “These experiences happen every day with pregnancy – and the loss, the stigma, shame and secrecy that often accompany that experience.”
For Deleo, who studied theatre at Mount Royal University and works in film, TV and music, having the chance to explore all of those feelings felt like as much of a healing experience as anything and Two Moons was born, largely through a collaboration with Handsome Alice Theatre and its former artistic director Jacqueline Russell, who directs.
“I love working with Jacqueline,” she said. “She was the first person I told – I said, “I think I want to make this into a show.”
Two Moons: A Folk Lullaby features eight new songs by Deleo, which she describes as folk-pop, with a little bit of acapella, some characters, some dialogue, and some multimedia.
The show opens Friday night at the Pumphouse Theatre. For tickets and info, go here.
