PORTLAND, Maine — Growing up in New Hampshire, Cindy Pierce got quite an education that had nothing to do with school and books and classrooms. The education came at home, where she was the youngest of seven children whose parents ran an inn in the small town of Etna, New Hampshire.
An inn offers a glimpse into all kinds of people. The kindest and sweetest guest will be followed by the most arrogant and swinish. It all comes with the territory.
"My parents tried to kind of protect me from that at first," Pierce said. "And then they finally said, 'Welcome to humanity.' I started taking notes, lot of notes."
Pierce sifted through those notes, stories and other memories and eventually turned them into a one-woman stage show called "Keeping It Inn," which she'll perform May 9 and 10 at the Star Theatre in Kittery. She portrays her mother, a formidable woman who raised seven kids and ran the inn with her husband for decades.
Writing the show took years. "It was very emotional," Pierce said. "It was also a beautiful experience. It was therapeutic. Doing the show I feel like I learned more about my mother."