New play (the) Woman opening at Royal & Derngate in February
As part of the 2025 Made in Northampton season, Royal & Derngate and New Perspectives present (the) Woman, a new play written by Jane Upton and directed by Angharad Jones.
Hijacked by motherhood, a playwright struggles to hold onto her identity as all around her share their opinions on who she is and what she should be doing.
(the) Woman previews in Northampton from Thursday, 13 to Saturday, 15 February, before touring to Oxford, Coventry, Birmingham, Nottingham, Worthing and Twickenham.
When a successful playwright swaps long writing sessions for snatched moments of peace, and wild nights out for evenings in with a breastpump, she’s left wondering how she’s supposed to continue being a successful artist, wife, and friend while everything she knew has changed. Suddenly M is burnt out, angry, lonely, craving intimacy but disengaged, and terrified of the future. Sinking in exhaustion and self-doubt, M starts digging at the secrets of the system she’s in; unpicking where she came from in an attempt to navigate this new version of herself.
(the) Woman is a Bruntwood Prize shortlisted play from George Devine Award winning playwright Jane Upton (All the Little Lights). Based on her experiences as a woman formed in the ‘90s losing herself in the transition from single woman to motherhood, it examines how becoming a parent changes a woman’s identity (though she’s told it shouldn’t), the compromises she makes (whilst being told she can have it all) and the level of masking that happens (because talking about your children or your needs is ‘boring’). (the) Woman, is a funny and painful scream from the abyss of early motherhood.
Lizzy Watts stars as M, her recent credits include SHED: Exploded View (Manchester Royal Exchange) and Hedda Gabler (National Theatre). She is joined by Jamie-Rose Monk (Hansel and Gretel; Princess Essex; The Taming of the Shrew at The Globe), Cian Barry (Ethan Henderson in ITV’s returning crime series DI Ray) and André Squire One Night in Miami (ABKCO Theater/Nottingham Playhouse).
The creative team is completed by Sarah Dickenson as dramaturg, Sara Perks as set and costume designer, Lily Woodford as lighting designer, Bella Kear as sound designer, Matt Powell as projection designer with Jessy Roberts as assistant director. Ellie Collyer-Bristow CDG is the casting director.
More information about the play and booking details can be found on the theatre’s website www.royalandderngate.co.uk