David Richenthal and Mary Beth O’Connor in association with Nica Burns & Max Weitzenhoffer Present EILEEN ATKINS SOPHIE THOMPSON ANNA MAXWELL MARTIN in a new comedy by JOANNA MURRAY-SMITH also starring CON O’NEILL PAUL CHAHIDI and SAM KELLY Set & Costume Design MARK THOMPSON Lighting Design Sound Design JAMES WHITESIDE MATT McKENZIE Fight Director Resident Director Casting Director TERRY KING DAVID SALTER JOYCE NETTLES Advertising/Marketing Promotions/Sponsorship Press Representative TARGET LIVE MILKTWOSUGARS PREMIER PR Associate Producer Production Management General Management TOBY SIMKIN CROSBIE MARLOW ASSOCIATES COLE KITCHENN Directed by ROGER MICHELL The fi rst performance of The Female of the Species was presented by the Melbourne Theatre Company on August 30th 2006. www.thefemaleofthespecies.co.uk VAUDEVILLE THEATRE Strand, London WC2 Proprietors: Nica Burns • Max Weitzenhoffer Female of the Species JUNE 08.indd 10-11 15/7/08 11:55:14 JOANNA MURRAY-SMITH Author Joanna Murray-Smith has written many plays, including Honour, which was produced at the National with Dame Eileen Atkins and in the West End with Dame Diana Rigg, Bombshells produced at the Arts Theatre and Scenes from a Marriage (adapted from Bergman) at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, directed by Sir Trevor Nunn and soon to transfer to the West End. Her other plays include Rapture, Redemption (adapted for BBC Radio), Nightfall, Love Child and the upcoming Ninety, amongst others. Her plays have been produced around the world. Joanna has also written three novels, including Sunnyside, published by Viking UK. Female of the Species JUNE 08.indd 12-13 15/7/08 11:55:16 Female of the Species JUNE 08.indd 14-15 15/7/08 11:55:17 EILEEN ATKINS Margot Eileen was born in London and was a student at the Guildhall Richard Eyre at the Lyttelton Theatre. She played Gunhild Borkman Duchess Theatre. 2006 saw Eileen play Sister Aloysius in Doubt, School of Music and Drama. She made her first appearance in opposite Paul Scofi eld and Vanessa Redgrave in the hugely successful which enjoyed a successful run on Broadway at the Walter Kerr London as Jaquenetta in Love’s Labour’s Lost for Robert Atkins at John Gabriel Borkman – again directed by Richard Eyre. Theatre, directed by Doug Hughes. In 2007 Eileen appeared at the the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park. Seasons in repertory followed, Almeida Theatre as Bridget in There Came a Gypsy Riding by including two years with the RSC at Stratford-upon-Avon. She went In 1989 Eileen received great critical acclaim when she appeared as Frank McGuinness, directed by Michael Attenborough. on to work at the Old Vic, where her roles included the Queen in Virginia Woolf in her one-woman show A Room of One’s Own at Richard II, Miranda in The Tempest and Viola in Twelfth Night in the Lamb’s Theatre in New York, where she received the Drama Desk Her film credits include: The Dresser, Equus, Jack and Sarah, 1962. Award for Best Solo Performance and a special Citation in a Wolf, Gosford Park, Cold Mountain and Vanity Fair and, in 2007, practically unanimous vote from the New York Drama Critics’ Evening with Vanessa Redgrave and Meryl Streep. In the contemporary theatre, Eileen’s credits include Semi Circle. Eileen then took the show on a short nationwide tour of the Detached with Laurence Olivier, Exit the King with Alec Guinness, USA. She also recreated the role for Thames Television in a version Her television credits are many, the latest this year being Waking and The Restoration of Arnold Middleton. She won the 1965 filmed on location at Girton College, Cambridge, the venue of the Dead, Ballet Shoes and Miss Jenkins in Cranford for which she Evening Standard Award for Best Actress for her performance as Mrs Woolf’s original lecture. Most recently she revived the play at won a Bafta. Childie in The Killing of Sister George and made her New York the Hampstead Theatre. In 1992 Eileen premiered her own play, debut in this play. She returned to New York in 1967 to appear in Vita and Virginia, at the Chichester Festival Theatre – as Her writing credits, apart from Vita and Virginia, include The Promise. In 1968 she appeared in The Cocktail Party at Virginia Woolf opposite Penelope Wilton’s Vita Sackville-West – the Mrs Dalloway for which she won the Evening Standard Award. Chichester, which subsequently transferred to the West End, and in show played a season at the Ambassadors Theatre. She then played She also co-created with Jean Marsh Upstairs Downstairs and The Peter Gill’s The Sleepers Den at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs. it at the Union Square Theatre in New York to great acclaim with House of Elliot. Eileen won a Variety Club Award for her role as Elizabeth in Vanessa Redgrave, and in 1995 received her fourth Tony Award Robert Bolt’s Vivat! Vivat! Regina at the 1970 Chichester Festival nomination for Indiscretions with Kathleen Turner. She appeared and later at the Piccadilly Theatre, a performance she repeated in in Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance with Maggie Smith at the New York. Haymarket, directed by Anthony Page, for which she won the Evening Standard Award and played the Woman in the RSC’s The Other London theatre credits include the title roles in Suzanna Unexpected Man with Michael Gambon for which she won an Andler at the Aldwych Theatre, St Joan at the Old Vic and Medea at Olivier Award for Best Actress. Eileen went on to enjoy success with the Young Vic. She played Nell in Passion Play for the Royal this role on Broadway with Alan Bates. Shakespeare Company at the Aldwych. For the National Theatre, Eileen played Hesione in John Schlesinger’s acclaimed production In 2003 Eileen appeared with Corin Redgrave in Honour by of Heartbreak House and leading roles in productions of Joanna Murray-Smith at the National Theatre, directed by Cymbeline and Pinter’s Mountain Language. She received an Roger Michell, for which she won the Olivier Award for Best Actress. Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in Peter Hall’s production She appeared on Broadway in William Nicholson’s Retreat from of The Winter’s Tale and won the Critics’ Award for Hanna Jelkes in Moscow which was her fourth Tony nomination. In 2005 Eileen Tennessee Williams’ The Night of the Iguana, directed by appeared as Meg in Harold Pinter’s play The Birthday Party at the Female of the Species JUNE 08.indd 16-17 15/7/08 11:55:20 SOPHIE ANNA THOMPSON MAXWELL MARTIN Tess Molly Theatre includes: Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods directed by Film includes: Glenda in Morris: A Life With Bells On, Tracey in Fat Theatre includes: Sally Bowles in Cabaret directed by John Crowley (Donmar Warehouse, Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Slags, Dorothy in Gosford Park, Dora Moxton in Relative Values Rufus Norris (Lyric), Other Hands directed by Bijan Musical), Amy in Company directed by Sam Mendes (Donmar (Films Critics’ Circle Award nomination), Rose in Dancing at Sheibani (Soho Theatre), The Entertainer directed by Warehouse/Albery, Clarence Derwent Award for Best Supporting Lughnasa, Miss Bates in Emma and Lydia in Four Weddings and a David Hare (Royal Court, 50th anniversary season), Dumb Performance, Olivier Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Funeral. Show directed by Terry Johnson(Royal Court), Lyra in His Musical), Marcie Banks in Wildest Dreams directed by Alan Ayckbourn Dark Materials directed by Nicholas Hytner (NT, 2005 (RSC, Olivier Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress), Helena in Television includes: May Contain Nuts, A Room with a View, Olivier Award nomination), Irina in The Three Sisters All’s Well That Ends Well directed by Peter Hall (RSC), Rosalind in As EastEnders (Inside Soap Awards – Best Bitch), Magnolia, A Harlot’s Katie Michell (NT), Honour directed by Roger Michell You Like It directed by John Caird (RSC), Ophelia in Hamlet directed by Progress, Lee Evans – So What Now?, Persuasion, The Railway (NT), The Coast of Utopia directed by Trevor Nunn (NT) Derek Jacobi (Renaissance), Margaret in Much Ado About Nothing ChildrenFEMALE and Nelson’s Column. and Little Foxes directed by Marianne Elliott (Donmar directed by Judi Dench (Renaissance) and Celia in As You Like It Warehouse). directed by Geraldine McEwan (Renaissance). Film includes: Poppy Shakespeare, Madonna in I Really Hate My Job, Becoming Jane, The Other Man (short), Enduring Love and The Hours. Television includes: White Girl, The Wind in the Willows, Esther Summerson in Bleak House (Best Actress Award at the 2006 BAFTAS), Doctor Who, North and South and Midsomer Murders. Radio includes: The Sea, The Raj Quartet and Portrait of a Lady. Female of the Species JUNE 08.indd 18-19 15/7/08 11:55:20 Director ROGER MICHELL Set and Costume Designer MARK THOMPSON Lighting Designer JAMES WHITESIDE Sound Designer MATT MCKENZIE Resident Director DAVID SALTER Photographer MANUEL HARLAN Casting Director JOYCE NETTLES CAST Fight Director TERRY KING in order of appearance Wardrobe Supervisor JOHANNA COE Hair Consultant LINDA MCKNIGHT Margot EILEEN ATKINS TIME: The present Wardrobe Mistress ABIGAIL MORRIS Molly ANNA MAXWELL MARTIN Wardrobe Assistant REBECCA SAYERS Tess SOPHIE THOMPSON SETTING: A charming house in the country Props Supervisor LISA BUCKLEY Bryan PAUL CHAHIDI Props Assistant LIZZIE FRANKL Frank CON O’NEILL Running time: 100 minutes without interval Theo SAM KELLY First performance at this theatre: 10 July 2008 General Management COLE KITCHENN Press night: 16 July 2008 Assistant to the Producers EMMA KINGABY UNDERSTUDIES The Female of the Species was commissioned by the Melbourne Margot KATHERINE STARK Company Manager ANDY RALPH Molly/Tess MELISSA WOODBRIDGE Theatre Company, which presented the fi rst performance on 30 August 2006 at the Playhouse, the Arts Center, Melbourne, Australia.