A Personal Reflection on Women, Art, and Life

La MaMa E.T.C. Ellen Stewart Theatre, New York City 2013

I started directing and being a mother at exactly the same time. I had gone from being an actress with a lovely, selfish life dedicated to myself and my art, to being a director—someone who totally looks after other people—and a mother, who looks after small children. The sheer slog of dishes and laundry, while also trying to be an artist and a director, made me think, “Gosh, I’d love to do a show about this one day.” When I discovered Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own, I realised it told that story perfectly.

I had also held Marguerite Duras’s La Vie Matérielle close to my heart for many years. One section on the house and the home became the centre of what I wanted to explore. The two texts intertwined beautifully, and from them, Shakespeare’s Sister was born—a piece created with amazing women, all mothers who knew the struggles of work and parenthood. We began around a kitchen table in my little country house and developed the piece in the warm, collaborative setting of kitchens, which became its heart both on and off stage.

The play is funny, warm, sexy, and deeply moving. While I thought it might only resonate with middle-aged women with children, I’ve seen grown men carried sobbing from the aisles. These timeless texts speak universally about mothers, artists, and the human experience, capturing the struggles and joys of life in a way that is both playful and profoundly touching. I’m thrilled to bring this piece to audiences in New York and beyond—it’s not just a play for women; it’s a piece for everyone.