My Mother Said I Never Should

“I wanted you to have opportunities I couldn’t ever have given you.” “No, you didn’t. You wanted your own life more than you wanted mine!”

Against the backdrop of the huge social changes of twentieth century England, four generations of women navigate the incredibly complex and difficult relationships between mothers and daughters. Doris, Margaret, Jackie and Rosie are forced to try to reconcile their varying social roles, responsibilities, and the generational burdens they have placed on one another, as they all struggle against impossible societal expectations across the century.

Keatley’s incredibly powerful, emotive and captivating piece is the most performed English play written by a woman. Delving into themes such as teenage pregnancy, familial guilt, duty and above all, sacrifice. It asks us to think about how the decisions and emotional entanglements of family affect generations, and fundamentally what it means to be a mother.