Babs Horton is the writer set to captivate audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe with her one-woman show, In The Lady Garden.
This powerful and humorous play, supported by Theatre Royal Plymouth and The Pleasance, explores the life of a 69-year-old woman reflecting on her past and societal constraints.
In The Lady Garden will be performed at Pleasance Courtyard from July 31st to August 26th (excluding August 20th). Tickets are available now.
You’re bringing In The Lady Garden to Pleasance Courtyard at Edinburgh Fringe. What can you tell us about the show?
The show follows Alice, an intelligent, resourceful and kind-hearted woman, whose life hasn’t always gone as planned. Her confidence has been dashed and her wings clipped from early childhood through to schooldays, married life, child-rearing, working life and on through middle age. In her late 60s she finds herself invisible and on the shelf… until she discovers social media! Alice looks back on her life and the people and circumstances that have shaped and moulded her. Will she throw off the cloak of invisibility? Come along and find out!
The play features 21 different roles. How does your actor prepare for such a demanding one-woman performance?
The 21 different characters have played a part in Alice’s life. During the show, Alice recalls characters from her past and recreates them. Julia Faulkner, who plays Alice, says she found the characters in the writing, and, with Deborah Edgington’s direction, she brings them to life. Some of the characters appear to have been known to Julia and others (apparently) have jumped off the page at her. Julia has tremendous energy for character work, a wide range of accents up her sleeve and a great sense of humour – hopefully she hasn’t found it too demanding!
The Lady Gardeners is a theatre company made up of three women over sixty. How does this unique dynamic influence the production?
The three of us bring insight, lived experience and humour to the production. All of us have raised children, changed careers or had career breaks and share a deep understanding of what it meant to be a girl growing up in the 50s or 60s and the barriers that may have prevented us from fulfilling our dreams early on. We have fought against the notion that women over 60 should disappear into the shadows. Together we have shared stories, laughed and found the moments that resonate with us in Alice’s life. We believe this will shine through the production and inspire other woman over 60 to stay present and create theatre.
The show tackles themes of ageing, gender, and societal expectations. What message do you hope the audience takes away from In The Lady Garden?
Keep going, be brave, resist the temptation to take up a nice gentle hobby! Alice was becoming invisible, a post-menopausal woman in her late 60s, raised in an era where women saved up for a ‘bottom drawer’ and some were denied access to further education. We hope that the audience takes away the message that creativity in the arts is for everyone. We hope to start conversations that will continue after the performance has ended.
Can you share any memorable moments or challenges you’ve faced while working on this production?
We have got to grips with social media, fundraising and been brilliantly supported by Theatre Royal Plymouth and Pleasance. I would say every day so far has been creative and we have laughed and shared the stories from our own very different lives. Perhaps the biggest challenge has been to condense a two-hour piece into a 55 minute one!
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see In The Lady Garden?
Please come along. The story will speak to everyone. There are laughs a-plenty, moments of sadness and moments that illustrate how inequalities can have a lasting impact. Overall, there is joy… But we don’t want to spoil the ending for you! If you are over 60 you will recognise many of the situations that Alice has lived through. If you are under 60 (but over 16) you will learn so much about the lives of the remarkable women that are your mothers, aunts, grandmothers, teachers, co-workers and more…
