...decorative baby machines'?

New play at Lace Market Theatre is set over 100 years ago

Blue Stockings is a play by Jessica Swale that will take Nottingham theatre audiences back to a time when 'women were seen as little more than decorative baby machines', says director Roger Watson

Blue Stockings is about fighting for equal opportunities for women. Is the play as serious as it sounds?

Although the play is set just over 100 years ago, the attitudes of the male dominated society seem so out of step with that of today as to almost be a parody of sexism, when women were seen as little more than decorative baby machines.

The young girls in the play are fighting against the constraints of their Victorian upbringing, and must have caused as much of a headache to their parents as rebellious teenagers do nowadays.

There is plenty of humour, especially when the boys and girls get together in a time when there was strict separation of the sexes.

Why did you choose this play?

I was originally offered Blue Stockings as a potential play for the youth theatre, but I quickly saw that it would have more impact being played age specific. The parallels with women’s education today are very clear, and it’s a good opportunity to shine a light on Victorian attitudes.

This is also the centenary of women being allowed the vote, and the suffrage movement forms a backdrop to the question of girls being allowed to graduate.

This is the first play you’ve directed since your award-winning work with the Lace Market Youth Theatre. What would you say is the biggest difference between working with the youth group and working with an adult cast?

I haven’t noticed much difference at all really. I have a number of former youth theatre members in the cast, and their attitude and stage awareness is equal to that of the more ‘seasoned’ actors.

Lace Market Theatre has produced other period performances recently, namely Flare Path. Why should people come out to see this one too?

Blue Stockings is a snapshot of a time when strict rules and boundaries were beginning to be blurred. It is a timely reminder that it wasn’t that long ago that girls were treated as second class citizens, not even worthy of an education. Why waste money educating women when they wouldn’t be able to do anything with it?

The attitudes of the males in the play shouldn’t be seen as deep seated misogynism, but merely reflect the attitudes of the day, but it’s the young women showing spirit in standing up for themselves that makes this a play well worth seeing.

Read the original article here.