Jessica Swale’s Blue Stockings is the empowering and surprising story of four young women fighting for their right to a university education in a world that assumed women belonged at home. First produced professionally at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2013, and a sell-out success, it is now regularly performed by theatre groups in the UK and beyond, and widely studied by GCSE Drama students.
This Page to Stage guide, written by the playwright, who also directed the first production at RADA, along with her assistant director Lois Jeary, is packed with contextual information, scene-by-scene and character breakdowns, and personal insights into the world of the play and the real lives that inspired it.
An invaluable resource for those studying and staging the play, it takes you through the entire production process, considering each of the elements in turn, from sound and music to design and rehearsals. You’ll also find notes from the original rehearsal process, extracts from working diaries, and interviews with key members of the creative team. Throughout, there are hints and tips on staging, and helpful games and exercises to bring the play to life on the stage and in the classroom.
Highly accessible and uniquely authoritative, it is the indispensible guide for anyone studying, teaching or performing the play.
‘Extremely helpful… offers great detail, whilst also offering space to explore and be creative… this is a book that many will pick up and use as an exemplar of how to prepare any play, not just Blue Stockings‘
— Drama Magazine
‘Very accessible… the suggested games and exercises are excellent… you certainly need this book if you’re teaching and / or directing Blue Stockings. There’s also plenty here for the students themselves to read and reflect on’
— Ink Pellet
‘For anyone working on or studying the play, this book is invaluable’
— Word Matters – Journal of the Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama
