SURRENDER
By Sophie Swithinbank in creative partnership with
Phoebe Ladenburg
Photographer: Ali Wright
Mother is in prison. Daughter has come to visit.
Closely watched by security personnel, they have 1 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.
WINNER
LUSTRUM AWARD 2024
NOMINATED
OFF-WEST END AWARD FOR BEST SOLO PERFORMANCE IN A PLAY 2024
OFF-WEST END AWARD FOR BEST LIGHTING DESIGN 2024
OFF-WEST END AWARD FOR BEST NEW PLAY 2024
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"AS ENRAGING AS IT IS ENGROSSING"
The Stage
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"A sharp, witty and effortlessly natural monologue... each line seems to trickle down from her brain and into ours"
All That Dazzles
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"Ladenburg delivers a raw and emotional performance that lays bare the struggles of a mother on the brink"
Everything Theatre
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"It is a theatrical thrill to see a team at the top of their game. Surrender is a big win"
Once A Week Theatre
CAST
Phoebe Ladenburg
CREATIVE TEAM
WRITER AND CO-DIRECTOR Sophie Swithinbank
CO-DIRECTOR Phoebe Ladenburg
DIRECTOR ASSOCIATE Nancy Medina
DRAMATURG Alice Wordsworth
LIGHTING DESIGNER Stacey Nurse
SOUND DESIGNER Dominic Brennan
COSTUME DESIGNER Pam Tait
MOVEMENT DIRECTOR Jess Tucker Boyd
STAGE MANAGER Rose Hockaday
VENUES
19 JUNE - 13 JULY 2024 THE ARCOLA
1 - 26 AUGUST 2024 SUMMERHALL, EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE
Photographer: Ali Wright