Ladies Unleashed
Commissioned by and produced by Hull Truck Theatre (2022)
Published by Nick Hern Books.
“All the things I thought mattered … What we say and do, or don’t say and don’t do, it’s dust in the air.”
“It’s not an ‘en night,” Linda tells her old mates Pearl and Jan on a pre-wedding trip to Holy Island. The peace is soon shattered when an old pal turns up out the blue. They haven’t seen Shelley since their days in the fish factory . The retreat becomes a reunion – and as night falls, a riot.
Yet much has changed since they were last together. Cut off from the mainland, tensions rise with the tide and the island grows restless. Beyond the sunset lie Mabel and Daisy, who followed the fishings from Hull to Holy Island a century before and swear they’re never going back.
Can friendship survive until dawn breaks? Following the smash hits Ladies’ Day and Ladies Down Under, Amanda Whittington’s Ladies Unleashed is the third play in her Ladies Trilogy. The play can also be enjoyed on its own terms: a comedy-drama about friendship, growing older and living for today.
Cast: 6f, two dual-roles
Producing/performing in Ladies Day, Ladies Down Under or Ladies Unleashed? Sign up to the trilogy’s Facebook group.
Facts & Figures
The third in the Ladies trilogy takes place in two timeframes. Woven through the present-day story are the Herring Girls, migrant workers who travelled from Hull to Holy Island to work in the fishing industry.
Holy Island is cut off from the British mainland twice daily. It’s unique history and landscape made it a place of pilgrimage since the 12th century and a tourist trap in the 21st.
Director Mark Babych, Designer Caitlin Mawhinney. Cast Fenella Norman, Allison Saxton, Gemma Oaten, Sara Beharrell, Martha Godber, Nell Baker. Photo: Ian Hodgson.
Reviews
Ladies Unleashed
“Whittington has created people who are rich with history and bursting with humour and passion. They’re complex, multi-layered and recognisable … This is a play that asks, touchingly, what happens if you challenge yourself? It’s a sprinking of queer joy and we absolutely need more of that.”
“A comedy-drama tinged with poignancy... Amanda Whittington's perceptive writing makes it easy for the audience to relate to and grow fond of the characters”
“A strong voice, deeply rooted in the community... a fab sense of humour... clever and funny dialogue, paired with some heart-wrenching scenes exploring womanhood and friendship... Ladies Unleashed has something for everyone”
