Last Updated on 15 May 2021 by Showcall Editorial Team
Mum by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, writer of Olivier Award-winning play Emilia, will have its world premiere at Theatre Royal Plymouth and Soho Theatre
A new play by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, the Olivier Award-winning writer of Emilia, is to have its world premiere at Theatre Royal Plymouth and Soho Theatre.
Mum is described as a provocative and unflinching portrayal of early motherhood and mental health that is both funny and thought-provoking.
It will have its world premiere at Theatre Royal Plymouth from 30 September to 16 October 2021 before transferring to Soho Theatre in London from 20 October to 20 November.
In association with Popcorn Group, it is a collaboration with Francesca Moody Productions, original producer of Fleabag and the Olivier Award-winning Baby Reindeer. It is directed by Abigail Graham.
Lloyd Malcolm said: “I wrote this play to understand my own experiences post birth. I wanted to explore the anxieties and fears that can emerge in those early months when you are sleep deprived, overwhelmed and struggling.
“I also wanted to write something that would say to other new parents ‘you aren’t the only one’ but that also delivered some hope. It’s certainly a bit of a rollercoaster terror ride but it’s also testament to the love of a new mum and what we are capable of. I hope it continues the conversations already happening around postnatal care and parental mental health.”
Abigail Graham added: “Mum gets right to the heart of what it feels like to be a new mother. I became a mum this year, and I can see my own experience reflected in our protagonist Nina’s story.
“It’s a real privilege to bring that to life and offer audiences the opportunity to empathise with early motherhood. Mum will be an intensely theatrical experience – it’s a form-defying rollercoaster of a play. I’m looking forward to being in rehearsals with our first-class team of women and non-binary people and working in a way which is sustainable for everyone involved.”
Set and costumes are by Sarah Beaton, with lighting by Sally Ferguson and sound by Anna Clock. Movement is by Annie-Lunette Deakin-Foster and the associate director is TD Moyo. Casting is yet to be announced.
Lloyd Malcolm’s previous plays include The Wasp, Belongings and Emilia which opened at The Globe in 2018 before transferring to the West End in 2019, going on to win three Olivier awards including best entertainment and comedy play.
