Hedetet was a minor Egyptian scorpion-goddess who may have merged with Isis in later traditions. She is thought to have been associated with motherhood and childcare, and to have been depicted in amulets as a scorpion-headed woman nursing a baby.
Bridgette Dutta Portman loves the idea of a goddess of scorpions and motherhood. It’s certainly an interesting juxtaposition. In Portman’s play, an anxious and overwhelmed young mother invokes three goddesses of birth and childcare — including Hedetet — to seek their advice on how to care for her newborn. Hedetet is the least nurturing of the trio, and her advice is ignored and ridiculed until it is she who manages to connect with the new mother in an unexpected way. HEDETET, or CRY IT OUT, is a comedic look at the demands of caring for a baby, the conflicting advice often given to new parents, and the idea that sometimes, it’s okay to just not know what the hell you’re doing.
HEDETET or CRY IT OUT by Bridgette Dutta Portman
Directed by Nicole Meñez
Staged Reading on October 6, 2017 at the EXIT Theatre
Sophia DiPaola (Hedetet)
Pamela Drummer-Williams (Tawawert)
Brittany Sims (Pat)
Kitty Torres (Heqet)
Bridgette Dutta Portman is thrilled to be returning for her sixth year as a writer for the SF Olympians Festival. Her ten-minute play CYMOPOLEIA, or WAVE-WALKER, which she wrote for the 2015 festival, was produced by Pear Theatre in Mountain View in May 2016. Her full-length play CAENEUS AND POSEIDON, originally written as a one-act for the 2012 festival, will be produced March 10-April 2, 2017 as part of the 2nd Stages program at Dragon Theatre in Redwood City. Bridgette is currently president of the Playwrights’ Center of San Francisco and a member of the Pear Writers’ Guild. She was a finalist for the 2015 Theatre Bay Area ATLAS program TITAN award and is pursuing an MFA in creative writing from Spalding University. You can find more information about Bridgette and her plays at https://www.bridgetteduttaportman.com.
The image of Hedetet was created by Kathi Ha.