Details

Blackberries was commissioned by the Orange Tree Theatre and has been written to complement The Cassilis Engagement showing in the Orange Tree main house at the same time. Both plays deal with conflicts of family loyalty against personal freedom, although Hankin's play is a lavish and light-hearted period play whereas Blackberries shows a more destructive side to the demands of family life. Se in present day Rutland, the play centres around Eleanor, a controlling matriarch with an unhealthy affection for her son Peter, and an even unhealthier disregard for her daughter, Shirley. Both women centre their worlds around their fantasies of Peter, leaving him torn between fulfilling his own dreams or complying with the wishes of his nearest and dearest. Blackberries is a funny, moving and poignant story of an unusual family and an unusual romance.

Creatives/Company

Author: Helen Kelly
Director: Toby Frow