John Fitzpatrick’s Reared at Theatre503
When: On until 28th April 2018
Where: Theatre503, 503 Battersea Park Road, London SW11 3BW
£: Tickets cost £12 – £18
What is it?
Reared, the new play by BAFTA-nominated writer John Fitzpatrick will be on at Theatre503 in London until 28th April.
With unfailing humour, Reared tackles intergenerational conflict, postnatal depression, and the role of the Irish mother in the ‘sandwich’ generation caught looking after both their children and their parents.
Under one roof, three generations of Anglo-Irish women try to find space for a fourth. As Caitlin waits for life to begin, her grandmother Nora fears the end and Eileen frets about them both. Between her mother-in-law’s incipient dementia and her daughter’s struggle for independence, Eileen finds herself battling to adjust her household and wrangle her husband.
The Constitution of Ireland holds that the family is the cornerstone of society and at the heart of the family is the mother. As Eileen struggles to find some sort of control over her life, she begins to see that the enemy might not be a controlling mother-in-law or an ineffectual husband but rather the roles they have been forced into.
Reared will feature Shelley Atkinson (The Borrowers, the New Vic Theatre; Blithe Spirit, Stephen Joseph Theatre), Daniel Crossley (Singin’ in the Rain, Palace Theatre; As You Like It, Shakespeare’s Globe), Paddy Glynn (Silent Witness, BBC; House of Bernada Alba, Manchester Royal Exchange), Rohan Nedd (Doctor Who, BBC; The Machine Stops, York Theatre Royal), and Danielle Phillips (Ready Player One, Warner Bros & Dreamworks; E15, UK Tour).
Reared will also take part in Theatre503’s Rapid Write Response, where writers are invited to see the new work and write a ten minute play in response to it. The company will read and choose between six and eight short plays which will be read and partly staged on Sunday 22nd and Monday 23rd April.
John Fitzpatrick is part of the new generation of male playwrights passionately interested in gender-balanced work telling women’s stories. Fitzpatrick’s work includes performances at the ICA, Hayward Gallery, RVT, The Bridewell and Soho Theatre. His first play was part of the Royal Court Writers’ Programme and was produced at the Edinburgh Fringe to critical success.
More info: theatre503.com
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