My Mother Said I Never Should (Student Editions)

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So, we’ve had to come up with a solution, being it’s Lisa who actually plays an extra character who we have created, who’s the neighbour’s daughter dressed as a girl guide. Many include beautiful illustrations, commentary by ordinary people, and links to recordings, videos, and sheet music. Yet amidst these events, there is nonetheless an undercurrent of humour which lightens the mood somewhat. My Mother Said I Never Should is a play that has not only stood the test of time, but continues to be extremely popular.

You meet each character in different stages of their life and come to understand how they have made the decisions they did.However, rather than a play about women and men, this feels like more of a play about mothers and daughters. Throughout the play, we see how the expectations of the young women have changed in the post war period, with developments in social attitudes, from post-war austerity through the 60s and ‘liberation’ to a supposedly empowered present. Scenes move between the women at different ages and time periods, showing the impact of their choices and expectations on one another across decades. Focusing on four generations of a single family, Charlotte Keatley presents a story filled with hopes, struggles, womanhood and particularly motherhood.

Huge congratulations and respect also has to go to Hilary Jones, who stepped in at the last moment to play Margaret due to Caroline Faber having to step down – this performance was the first configuration of the cast, and only the second time they had met. In a deeply resonant line, Margaret, by taking charge of Jackie’s baby, tells her daughter: “You’ve got to go further than me – otherwise, what’s it been worth? The action starts in wartime with Doris, a former teacher, seeking to instil the virtues of hard work and verbal precision in her nine-year-old daughter, Margaret. Margaret is caught in the middle in between her unmarried mother and her daughter, Jackie who had a daughter (Rosie) despite being unmarried. Each generation (born between 1900 and 1971) deals with their own issues, be it a wife in an apparently loveless marriage, a family member who has to make a decision between a career and motherhood or the innocence of a child who is not being told the truth.It's about debts and responsibilities; the grim burden of puritan inheritance; and how it takes generations to learn about the value of real feeling. In all three scenes in the play, there is a feeling of suppression of emotions together with feelings of duty, responsibility and social issues. As parents we wrestle with how much of our own value system to pass on, and are confronted with what we’ve made of our lives, when we bring up a child, or choose not to.

One particular Pathé News feature about women in executive roles makes you cringe at its patronising tone.

We've included versions from countries all over the world, including Mexico, Japan, Thailand and, of course, France. Written in 1985 and first staged at the Contact Theatre, Manchester, Charlotte Keatley’s award-winning play is the most commonly performed work by a female playwright worldwide. Lastly, Rosie, played by Rebecca Birch gave the lighter, younger element to the women, portraying a youthful Rosie who is only 16 at the end of the play. The play is rightly highly regarded, being both powerful and moving, and this production was wonderfully acted.