By Angela Garwood
I performed at Alexandra Palace last night. Now, sat at my dining room table with the production’s programme in the corner of my eye, it all feels like a bit of a dream.
Back in August, I got a call from my acting teacher, Cheryl Kennedy, asking if I’d like to audition for a scratch night, to be performed at Ally Pally. (A scratch night; where writers and actors showcase their work-in-progress to an audience.)
It was being produced by the actor, poet and playwright Kay Adshead, who runs the Mama Quilla Productions theatre company and mentors a group of female writers. The production, “The Women Who”, would be made up of extracts from work by these women, plus writing by Kay, and a play by Iranian actor Najmeh Shoara.
The next evening I had a Zoom audition with Kay, who offered me the job.
“Are you sure?” I responded, ecstatic in disbelief.
I was to perform in two scenes. One was an extract from a play entitled A Certain Poetess, by Anna Connolly Quirós, telling the story of war poet and journalist Jessie Pope, known for her patriotic poems published during the First World War.
I was to play Jessie in a heated head to head with her publisher.
The other was a scene from a beautiful piece by a Hungarian writer, who drew on her experiences of homelessness and touched on the stories of refgees and what it means to be displaced.
Zoom rehearsals began the following week, and later at Ally Pally.
Meeting the writers and seeing them perform their work was a privilege. As was watching Kay lead and direct.
Each piece of writing shone it its own right. Themes included feminism, cancel culture, misogyny, mental health, immigration, poverty, guns, race and motherhood. I was welcomed into the group and loved getting to know the other women.
“Can I come and watch you?” Maia asked as we ran through my lines for the umpteenth time.
By the weekend of my performance, she could have played Jessie Pope herself.
Sadly it was adults only in the audience, but I’d have loved having her there, not only to see her mother on stage, but to experience the magic of these brilliant women coming together and telling their stories. Important, powerful stories.
And to see that adults can be artists too.
Several of the pieces were inspired by the writers’ own experiences, retold in bold, beautiful ways. It would have been something special for her to witness and learn from.
The performance night itself was incredible. Kay had invited three senior actors; Pauline Moran, Josephine Welcome and Cleo Sylvestre to perform her three play shards at the start of the evening.
They were flawless, and it felt rather surreal to be in their company.
Najmeh Shoara’s one-woman play, about being forced to flee Iran and rebuild her life, was both heartbreaking and inspirational. I sat in awe of her talent and bravery.
I knew I’d won the creative lottery having the opportunity to work with Kay, who amongst her acting credits, has also written a vast number of plays, shining a light on human rights issues. She worked magic as both director and producer of the evening, and I’ll forever be grateful I was able to learn from her.
Though Maia couldn’t be there on the night, I was joined by friends and family, which felt very special. As did coming home to flowers, chocolates and a “we’re so proud of you!” card from the gang.
What an honour it was to be part of The Women Who.
Angela Garwood blogs at The Colourful Kind
