Play Details
Context
Artistic Director
Max Stafford-Clark
Co-production with Mrs Worthington’s Daughters
Dates Performed
Tuesday 17th June 1980
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Play Details
Synopsis
Northern England, early 1900s
Rutherford grapples with his failing glass business until his son, John, offers a solution—with a price. As one son seeks a new path and his daughter’s secret relationship is exposed, it’s up to Mary, John’s wife, to hold the family together.
Cast & Creative
Cast
Geof Atwell
Cast
Stuart Barren
Cast
Stacey Charlesworth
Cast
Anne Engel
Cast
Peter Glancy
Cast
Stephen Ley
Cast
Maggie Wilkinson
Designer
Mary Moore
What our readers say
In this three-act play, set over four days in one location, the narrative delves into the challenges faced by women in the early 20th century. It highlights family tensions, the push for feminism, and the impact of industrial changes on society.
What is it like reading this play now?
The play feels really fresh in its gender politics way ahead of the time it was written. It depicts the economic change as early capitalism rises and highlights the effects of this change via the personal perspectives of one family.
What does it tell us about the past and the present?
Looking back at the beginning of production and the rise of capitalism from our present late capitalism and a useful way of reflecting how our economy evolved into a dysfunctional system. It also highlights how far we have come with gender politics, and gives space to complex female characters which is exciting to read in a text written over a hundred years ago.
If you like this play, you might also like…?
Mosquitoes by Lucy Kirkwood, Rules for Living by Sam Holcroft, The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekov, Blue Stockings by Jessica Swale, and The Wild Duck by Ibsen
