When we were small, my younger sister, Cheryl, played with a set of dolls she called the "McCann Family."  They were a thinly disguised version of our family. Cheryl was "Tom," the spunky boy doll. I was "MaryAnn," the girl doll. The parents were "Mother" and "Father" McCann.

At first Tom could stand alone. Later he was always losing his balance.  Cheryl diagnosed Polio.  She fitted Tom with crutches and braces like hers. (Cheryl was born with spina bifida.)

When Cheryl died in 2006, I inherited the McCann Family.  Placing them on stage – directing their actions, brings me back to our childhood and to memories of my extraordinary sister.

In "Kitchen Scenes," part of a larger series of "McCann Family photographs," dinners are tense. Father takes care of cooking and cleaning; Mother takes care of Tom; and Mary Ann avoids work whenever she can.