Mother is in prison. Daughter has come to visit. Closely watched by security personnel, they have one hour. A trained actor, and quick-witted Mother tries to keep things light… but the darkness rises up around them as they are forced to confront the disorienting series of events that led them here.
Surrender takes us on the blurry and sleep-deprived journey of a flawed woman trying to survive in a punishing and dysfunctional system that has separated her from her daughter. Thirteen years later, they have forgotten how to love each other… and this is their last chance to connect.
Surrender is the result of a collaboration between writer Sophie Swithinbank and director/performer Phoebe Ladenburg. Drawing on Phoebe’s early experiences as a mother, Surrender investigates Kate’s journey of submission in Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, not through the lens of marriage, but through the lens of motherhood.
It is premiered at the Arcola Theatre, London, in June 2024.
