This moving dramatization of Tillie Olsen’s frequently anthologized “I Stand Here Ironing” is an unvarnished exploration of an impoverished single mother’s ambivalence toward her worth as a parent and her 19-year-old daughter’s future. Rich in subtext, the highly metaphorical story—penned in a stark and dramatic fashion devoid of cliché and sentimentality—raises important questions about individual identity, the role of women in society, the effects of poverty and abandonment on children, the nature of intimacy, and the life experiences of the author herself. Without climax or easy answers, the story concludes on a hopeful, or at least prayerful, note. (33 minutes)