Batty Hatsters Presents: Spent Hen

Batty Hatsters presents: Spent HenA one-act play written by Connie Kerr
Approx. running time: One hour followed by Q&A after an intervalSpent Hen took it for granted that she would be a mother. She didn't really think about it - until it didn't happen.This real-life inspired, darkly comic drama invites the audience to join our messed up, stressed out heroine as she navigates her unplanned, ill-conceived, new normal and attempts to live with the consequences.In a world where procreation is often cited, albeit in hushed tones, as a woman's ultimate reason for being, Spent Hen confronts the all too common, but rarely spoken, feelings of guilt and shame associated with not having children.Having ended her marriage the year she turned 40 and questioning everything she'd previously assumed, our self-identifying tepid mess of a protagonist moves back to the fictional town in Greater Manchester where she grew up.As a former features editor on a glitzy fashion magazine, she secures a job with a local newspaper where she is tasked with interviewing inspiring women who are seemingly balancing work and motherhood with ease.These encounters initially perpetuate Spent Hen's belief that she is a failure, reinforcing the narrative that women who aren't mothers have less of a stake in society that their child-rearing counterparts.It is only when she has an opportunity to speak openly about her experiences, breaking taboos around miscarriage, infertility and childlessness, that she realises she is not alone, ultimately finding solace and purpose in sharing her story.