People's Theatre
5th March, 2023
Written by Jessica Swale
Directed by Sam Hinton
It has been quite a while since I have left a theatre with such a mix of emotions. The People's Theatre's production of Blue Stockings left in me awe - it s a tour de force. All the elements come together in an almost perfect production to tell this astonishing story.
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It's the story of the women of Girton College - fighting against the odds to be recognised for their intellect and yet constantly patronised by their male peers. The only possible goal for any decent woman is to marry, bear children and tend to her husband and family. An educated woman is unladylike, unnatural, and as such un-marriable. Despite constantly proving their intellectual abilities by matching, and even out-matching their male counterparts, the patriarchal society refuses to recognise them. The reaction to their success is shocking, they are ridiculed, vilified, diminished. And yet they carry on, their determination, occasionally dented, is never undone.
We begin with incredulous amusement at the ridiculous notions so called intelligent men voice about affect of education on a woman's anatomy, but as the play progresses it becomes clear that these attitudes present not only a hindrance, but a very real danger to the women, and our amusement is tempered. By the climax of the second act we are no longer amused. We are furious!
Brilliantly staged and directed, with an ingenious set - even the props at times have attitude. Each member of the cast performs with such integrity, there is not one character that is not entirely credible, from the disdainful Cambridge professors, to the eager and enthusiastic Girton girls, to the indomitable chaperone, Ms Bott.
Friday is International Women's Day. If you have ever wondered why such a day is necessary, you need to see this play. It's set in 1896 and we are still fighting some of these battles over a hundred years later.
At the end of this play I was elated, and furious, and proud to be an educated woman, but prouder still of the women who went before me and made my college graduation possible.
Blue Stockings plays at the People's Theatre till Saturday. Book a seat.
*Images by Paul Hood
Denise Sparrowhawk
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