# Mouthpiece (play)

Mouthpiece is a 2015 Canadian feminist play by Norah Sadava and Amy Nostbakken of Quote Unquote Collective.

## Development

Sadava and Nostbakken began working on the play in 2013. The play received dramaturgy from Orian Michaeli and features music composed by Nostbakken.
The script was later published by Coach House Books with an introduction from Michele Landsberg.

## Plot

Mouthpiece is a two-person play in which both actors play the same character, Cassandra. Cassandra is a writer who finds out her mother has just died and must deal with preparations for the funeral. She must write the eulogy but finds she has lost the ability to speak. The play takes place in a span of twenty-four hours and is set in present-day Toronto.

## Performance history

Mouthpiece premiered in 2015 at The Theatre Centre in Toronto starring Sadava and Nostbakken and directed by Nostbakken. In 2016, the production was staged by Nightwood Theatre as part of a double bill. In 2017, Jodie Foster brought Quote Unquote to Los Angeles to performa a two show run of Mouthpiece. Foster first saw the play in Toronto. Also in 2017, they performed the play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2018, 2b Theatre brought Quote Unquote Collective and Mouthpiece to Nova Scotia. It was performed at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth. Sadava said that this performance would be the last time she and Nostbakken would perform the play in Canada.

## Awards

| Year | Award | Category | Result | Notes |
| 2015 | Dora Mavor Moore Awards - Independent Theatre | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble | Won | |
| 2015 | Dora Mavor Moore Awards - Independent Theatre | Outstanding Sound Design/Composition | Won | for composer Amy Nostbakken and sound designer James Bunton |
| 2015 | Dora Mavor Moore Awards - Independent Theatre | Outstanding Production | Nominated | |
| 2015 | Dora Mavor Moore Awards - Independent Theatre | Outstanding New Play | Nominated | |
| 2015 | Dora Mavor Moore Awards - Independent Theatre | Outstanding Direction | Nominated | for Amy Nostbakken |
| 2015 | Dora Mavor Moore Awards - Independent Theatre | Outstanding Lighting Design | Nominated | for lighting designer Andre Du Toit |
| 2016 | Capital Critics Circle Award (Ottawa) | Best Professional Production | Nominated | |
| 2016 | My Entertainment Awards | Outstanding Production | Nominated | |
| 2016 | My Entertainment Awards | Outstanding Actress | Nominated | |
| 2016 | My Entertainment Awards | Outstanding Lighting & Sound composition & Design | Nominated | for Andre Du Toit, Amy Nostbakken and James Bunton |
| 2017 | Toronto Theatre Critics Awards | Best New Canadian Play | Won | |
| 2017 | Dora Mavor Moore Awards - General | Outstanding Production | Nominated | |
| 2017 | Dora Mavor Moore Awards - General | Outstanding Performance - Ensemble | Nominated | |
| 2017 | Dora Mavor Moore Awards - General | Outstanding Sound Design/Composition | Won | for sound designer James Bunton |
| 2017 | Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award | n/a | Nominated | |
| 2017 | Summerhall Jawbone Award (Edinburgh Fringe) | n/a | Won | |
| 2017 | The Stage Awards | Performance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival | Won | |
| 2019 | Merritt Awards | Outstanding Presentation | Won | |

## Adaptation

In 2018, Mouthpiece was adapted into a film starring Sadava and Nostbakken and directed by Patricia Rozema.