Mrs Kelly - final_horizontal-white-transp

An original work written and performed by Breeda Miller
Directed by Brian Cox

Breeda Kelly Miller on stage in Mrs. Kelly's Journey Home

“Yesterday we got to see Breeda Miller on stage, performing her one woman show, Mrs. Kelly’s Journey Home.

We laughed. We cried. We laughed some more. Every story she told took me into her mother’s world. Every picture she shared was on point. It was perfectly poignant and just the right medicine to cap a long week.

If the show comes to your town, run and get tickets. And then prepare to feel all the feels. It’s a joyful take on aging and dementia that I am glad I got to experience.”

-Phil Gerbyshak and Stephanie Broderick Gerbyshak. Feb. 17, 2023. Tampa, FL

mrs-kelly-journey-home_photo

A story with heart and humor

Breeda Kelly Miller brings to life a funny and often profound look at her mother's journey from her native Ireland through the end of her life, charting the type of experiences felt by generations of immigrants and adults caring for their aged parents. This is a theatrical memoir, with Breeda performing each role, introducing us to her parents, their families, and friends.  Mrs. Kelly's Journey Home will keep audiences riveted from the opening line to the closing blessing. It is a moving, joyous exploration of love, roots, and family.

Upcoming Performances

February 24, 2024

New Bern, North Carolina

Saturday February 24, 2024
7:00 pm
 
New Bern Civic Theater
New Bern, North Carolina
March 16, 2024

Chicago, Illinois

CANCELED
Saturday March 16, 2024
2:00 pm and 7:00 pm

Beverly Arts Center
Chicago, Illinois

April 20, 2024

Boston, Massachusetts

Saturday April 20, 2024
7:00 pm
 
Irish Arts Centre of Greater Boston
Boston, Massachusetts
 
May 10, 11, 12, 2024

Plymouth Michigan

7 pm (Fri) and 2 pm (Sat-Sun)
Regular seats and VIP Seating
Tickets are available now.
 
Penn Theater
Plymouth, Michigan
 
November 19, 2023

Plymouth, Michigan

Sunday November 19, 2023
2:00 pm and 7:00 pm

The Penn Theatre

760 Penniman Ave
Plymouth MI
Breeda Miller Penn Theatre
September 22, 2023

Dundalk, Ireland

Mrs. Kelly's Journey Home went to Ireland!
Friday, September 22, 2023 at 8:00 pm
An Tain Arts Centre
Dundalk, Ireland
June 22, 2023

Curtis, Michigan

Thursday, June 22, 2023 at Erickson Center for the Arts in Curtis, Michigan.
May 11, 2023

Muskegon, Michigan

Thursday, May 11, 2023 in Muskegon, Michigan at
Muskegon Community College
April 2, 2023

Duluth, Georgia

Sunday, April 2, 2023 in Duluth, Georgia at

Eddie Owens Red Clay Music Theater
Two performances:

3:00 pm  and  8:00 pm

March 10, 2023

Chicago, Illinois

Friday, March 10, 2023 at Beverly Arts Center in Chicago, Illinois.
February 17, 2023

Tampa, Florida

Performance Friday, February 17, 2023 at Mainstage Theatre
Hillsborough Community College Ybor Performing Arts Building, in Tampa Florida.
 
February 14, 2023

Vero Beach, Florida

Performance Tuesday, February 14, 2023 in Vero Beach, Florida
Day of Hope Caregiver Conference
Alzheimer and Parkinson Association of
Indian River County
 
February 5, 2023

Trenton, Michigan

Performance Sunday, February 5, 2023 at 7:00 pmTrenton Village Theater in Trenton, Michigan
Tickets: VIP $40 (preferred seating and post show dessert reception with Breeda) $25 regular tickets
Available on Eventbrite or call 734-675-1250
Event proceeds to benefit Grosse Ile Historical Society
October 16, 2022

Chicago, IL

Performance at Chicago iBAM (Irish Books Art and Music Event) Sunday, October 16 at 2:00pm.
Tickets: $25 each 20% of ticket sales goes to benefit the Irish Heritage Center

September 16-17, 2022

Traverse City, MI

Performance Friday, Sept. 16, 2022 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022 at 2 pm.
Benefit performances for Grand Traverse Pavilions at the Old Town Playhouse.

July 29-31, 2022

Chicago, IL

Performance at Chief O'Neill's Irish Pub in Chicago, Illinois. July 29, 30, and 31.

June 25, 2022

Saline, MI

Benefit performance for EHM Michigan, Saline Senior Solutions. Saturday, June 25, 2022 at 2 pm. Sponsored by EHM Foundation and OneCareRX

June 11-12, 2022

Brighton, MI

A Wilde Theatre performance in Brighton, Michigan. Saturday, June 11 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, June 12 at 3:00 pm

May 22, 2022

Detroit, MI

Benefit performance for the Detroit Gaelic League. Sunday, May 22, 2022 at 4 pm.

May 7, 2022

Manchester, Michigan

Benefit performance for Manchester Community, Acorn Farmer’s Market and Cafe. Saturday, May 7, 2022 at 2:30 pm. 

❝Laughing and crying, sometimes simultaneously❞

"Take a window seat at this show and buckle up as you travel on this family’s journey of love, grit and learning. You will find yourself laughing and crying, sometimes simultaneously, and will end the trip forever changed."

‒ Beth Kennedy

❝Funny, touching, emotional, poignant and absolutely riveting❞

"Mrs. Kelly’s Journey Home as brilliantly depicted by Breeda Kelly Miller, last night at Ann Arbor’s Arthur Miller Theatre in the one-woman play she wrote and performs, is everything you’d hope for: funny, touching, emotional, poignant and absolutely riveting."

‒ Jim McFarlin, Author, Media Critic

❝THIS PLAY DELIVERS THE MESSAGE THAT WHEN WE CAN'T FIND A CURE, WE CAN FIND THE JOY.❞

"Mrs. Kelly's Journey Home is about finding the joy. It's a play that has the ability to entertain while inspiring caregivers to cope with the daily challenges of caring for people with dementia.  This play delivers the message that when we can't find a cure, we can find the joy.  Using stories, characters, and humor Breeda Kelly Miller has tapped into an essential bit of wisdom that we all need to remember and to practice."

-Henry Paulson, M.D., Ph.D.
Michigan Medicine

IMG-2895

News & Reviews

Featured Podcasts

❝Go. Just go. You’ll be glad you did.❞

"I have known Breeda Miller as long as I’ve known Detroit. She’s a former media professional turned caregiver, author, public speaker and most recently, playwright and actor.

Go. Just go. You’ll be glad you did.

Breeda’s story, revolving around caring for her aging mother, is universal...You’ll laugh, you’ll weep, you’ll be moved." 

‒ Jim McFarlin

❝We could not stop talking about it❞

“Breeda Miller had the audience in the palm of her hand from the first moments of the play to its last. She not only played all the characters herself but brought them convincingly and fully to life without even any costume changes. The story she told was specific yet universal and very relatable. Although dementia is an important part of the play, Ms. Miller's well crafted script never became sentimental or maudlin due to her skills in blending pathos with humor. Driving home with my friend after the show, we could not stop talking about the many ways in which the play impacted and delighted us.”

Kitty Dubin, Playwright
Lecturer in Playwriting, Oakland University

❝Intimate shared experience❞

"Mrs. Kelly’s Journey Home is more than a show. It’s an intimate shared experience that lends humor and compassion to private journeys. Brava!"

‒ Dr. Margarita Gurri, PhD, CSP

❝unforgettable portrait of a woman of indomitable spirit❞

"Mary Kelly, an Irish mother and US immigrant, comes alive with heart and humor in Breeda Miller’s one act play. As Mary’s journey takes her from young mother to spirited senior coping with dementia, you will laugh, cry, wonder and applaud the amazing woman she was. Breeda skillfully and with great passion delivers an unforgettable portrait of a woman of indomitable spirit."

‒ Suzanne McGill-Anderson and Barbara Wilson

❝If you have the chance, go see this play❞

"I laughed. I cried and felt so many different emotions. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this experience. Breeda is a fantastic storyteller. Please, if you have the chance, go see this play. I can’t say enough about it." 

‒ Darcel Swekel Demyanovich

Audience Reactions to Mrs. Kelly's Journey Home

Book a Performance

Mrs. Kelly’s Journey Home Performance Options

Full length Professional Production - Available for limited theatrical engagements, fundraising events and conferences. Run time: 100 minutes including a 15 minute intermission

Adapted Performance - Suitable for fundraising  and conference events.   Production in informal spaces, not a full theatrical production.

Conference/Event Performance  - Two options:

  • The Immigrant Journey - Hilarious and heart warming memoir of a family emigrating to America and becoming Americans (45 minutes)
  • The Caregiver Journey - Entertaining and educational trip through caring for an elderly parent with dementia.    Lessons learned and powerful stories that teach with humor and love. (30 minutes)

The Ultimate Caregiver Retreat Day

Imagine a room filled with caregivers who are taking a break from their daily roles and simply enjoying a play filled with laughs, heart-warming stories, and lessons to live by. That's what Mrs. Kelly's Journey Home will provide.

The Caregiver Retreat is a full-day event centered around Mrs. Kelly's Journey Home, the award-winning play written and performed by Breeda Kelly Miller. The retreat is an innovative and creative way to engage, entertain and teach family caregivers about self-care without hitting them over the head and making them feel guilty about what they are not doing.

Learn more and see a sample agenda

Fundraising Events

If your organization is looking for a compelling and different sort of event to raise money - you can book a performance of Mrs. Kelly’s Journey Home. It’s a fabulous way to offer a memorable experience to your donors and along with a VIP reception a complete night out.

Contact Breeda

For more information about Mrs. Kelly's Journey Home or to speak with Breeda about booking a performance:
Email: breeda@breedamiller.com
Tel: (734) 428-0847

breedamiller.com     |     breedamillerspeaking.com

IMG-2894

Notes from Breeda

Writing a play for the first time was not unlike my caregiving experience. I didn't know what I didn't know and I needed to find help.  Fortune shined down upon me in the person of Brian Cox. Brian encouraged me and helped me develop this story and these characters. I am forever grateful.

I grew up south of Detroit and now live in a small town just west of Ann Arbor with my family including our two dogs and two ginormous cats. Calling myself a "recovering caregiver," I speak to organizations who help professional and family caregivers take better care of themselves so they may care better for others. After two books and years of professional speaking events, "Mrs. Kelly's Journey Home" was exactly what I needed to create.

This play honors my mother, Mary Kelly.  While my mom's story is highly personal to me, its themes of family, struggle, faith and illness are universal. I wrote this play to offer much-needed light, goodness and hope during this difficult time. It's raw and real as well as funny and relatable.

My hope is that Mrs. Kelly's Journey Home will inspire others to think about their own stories and the impact everyday decisions have on their life and the lives of others. Ordinary experiences can make for extraordinary stories. That's what this play means to me.

Notes from Brian Cox

Director, Mrs. Kelly's Journey Home
Artistic Director, PencilPoint TheatreWorks

“Ever since I saw Spaulding Gray in Swimming to Cambodia and Hal Holbrook perform Mark Twain, I have been fascinated by the simplicity and complexity of a one-person show. It has been on my bucket list to direct an original one for many years, and I have kept my eye out for the right person and the right story. Well, I found the right person in Breeda Kelly Miller and the right story in her mother Mary Kelly's journey from Ireland to America as a young woman and then in her later years her struggle with dementia. I've worked with the indefatigable Breeda for several months as she wrote the script and developed the characters, and now I am ecstatic to announce that Mrs. Kelly's Journey Home will be performed Oct. 22-24 at Arthur Miller Theatre in Ann Arbor. I'd love for you all to come see it. Breeda is terrific and you'll fall in love with her mom.”

DSC_1418
mrs kellys journey home breeda miller
breeda miller brian cox
IMG-2900
Scroll to Top