Just weeks after appearing in The Dukes Christmas show, Polly Lister returns to the Lancaster theatre to perform a very personal play.
I Was A Wife is for anyone who has ever loved, lost and who wants to love again and will run from January 28 until February 6.
It depicts Polly’s personal journey through the comic highs and painful lows of the most difficult part she has ever played: a wife.
I Was A Wife charts the rise and fall of Polly’s marriage told through the prism of the roles she played during that time—including the Witch in The Dukes outdoor production of Hansel & Gretel in 2014—and is set in various theatre dressing rooms.
It blends songs with storytelling and is a successful result of Kick Start, a Dukes initiative which allows audiences to offer feedback on new plays in development.
Kick Start was the brainchild of Dukes artistic director, Joe Sumsion who recently won a Writers' Guild Olwen Wymark Theatre Encouragement Award and who will direct I Was A Wife.
Joe said, “so many small cities, like Lancaster, have lost their producing theatres in recent years so encouraging new work is key to staying relevant and indispensable.”
While at The Dukes last year, Polly spoke to Joe about her idea for a play charting her marriage breakdown and he thought it would suit the Kick Start project.
Last spring, an early script was tested out in front of an audience whose response was encouraging.
“I feel so lucky a theatre believed in me enough to take a chance,” said Polly who recently won the 2015 UK Theatre Award for Best Performance in a Play for her role as Beverly in Keswick Theatre by the Lake’s production of Abigail’s Party.