This October, The Soon Life will take to the stage at Southwark Playhouse Borough, offering audiences a bold and intimate portrayal of childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Written and performed by Phoebe McIntosh, The Soon Life centres on Bec, a woman in labour navigating both the physical intensity of birth and the emotional complexities of a surprise visit from her ex-partner, Alex.
Inspired by McIntosh’s own birth experience and stories from other mothers, the play creates a fictionalised space where a woman in labour is empowered to make autonomous choices about her body and birth story.
Two post-show panel discussions will accompany the production on Thursday 9th and Thursday 16th October at 9:10pm. These events are presented in partnership with Birthrights and Make Birth Better, organisations that advocate for human rights in childbirth and support those impacted by birth trauma.
Panellists include Laura-Rose Thorogood, CEO of Make Birth Better, and Miranda Atty, communications manager at Birthrights. Joining them are writer/performer Phoebe McIntosh and director Sarah Meadows.
McIntosh says, “Birth is a subject which theatre often shies away from, placing it off stage, or playing it for laughs. The birth experience depicted in The Soon Life, is one story out of many. It doesn’t seek to idealise a particular birth choice over another. It is about a broken-hearted woman, living through a pandemic, giving birth in the way she chooses to and all that comes with that choice. There are curveballs, challenges, disappointments, things to fight for and against along the way, all so that she can safely deliver her child into the world with dignity.”
Director Sarah Meadows adds, “The Soon Life presents birth in ways that, to our knowledge, have never been seen on stage before. As a parent of two children and experiencing the challenges of what birthing a child can bring, I was really drawn to this fictional world where a mother was claiming control of an often-disempowering process. The setting of covid and her personal identity and circumstance, adding more complexity. In this production I want to explore the opposing extremes of what childbirth is and represents as this extraordinary, ordinary process and want to pull at time and reality, which get turned inside out during labour.”
The production runs from 1st to 18th October 2025 at The Little, Southwark Playhouse Borough, with relaxed matinee performances ideal for parents and babies scheduled on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
