Living on the same London street, three ordinary women with three different perspectives tell a similar story.
This award-nominated play from Michèle Winstanley shines a light on the untold experiences and the irrepressible resilience of women.
“A moving, powerful play that stayed with me.” – Kathy Burke
Thirty-something Linda wants what her neighbours have but her carefully laid plans are about to come unstuck. Fifty-something Philippa’s youngest child is about to leave home; as she mourns the successful career she once had, she reluctantly takes a step down. Seventy-something Olive is pursued by unresolved grief, but a wonderful find gets her out and about again.
As each woman’s story unfolds, we learn that between the rock of having children and the hard place of not having them, lies a kind of love that can make you lose your bearings. A humorous, touching and insightful story about the highs and lows of life’s greatest celebrations and darkest tragedies.
“Broken Water is really fantastic. I hope no one noticed that my eyes were watering.” – Martin Clunes OBE
Included as part of Arcola’s Playwrought Festival, Broken Water was shortlisted for the Verity Bargate Award, BBC Writer’s Room, and the Nick Darke Award. Now it premieres in a powerful new production from director Nicola Samer.
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Running time
1 hour 15 minutes -
Age guidance
15+ -
Content warnings
“Urgently necessary...it puts women centre-stage and allows them to break open freely and safely”– Broadway World
“Eminently watchable”– A Young(ish) Perspective
“Funny, affectionate and vividly moving”– The Stage
“Everything in this production is a beautifully judged surprise”– The Spectator
“Well-written, humorous and moving”– Everything Theatre
“It felt as if this play was speaking directly to me”– British Theatre Guide
Rehearsal photos
The Company
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Sarah Hadland
Philippa
Sarah Hadland
Philippa
Sarah Hadland is an award-nominated actress. She played Stevie in the smash hit, BAFTA-nominated BBC sitcom, MIRANDA. Her many other comedy credits include a lead role in three series of the THE JOB LOT (ITV), W1A (BBC), a regular role in MURDER, THEY HOPE (UKTV Gold), HANG UPS (C4) , BALLOT MONKEYS (C4), HORRIBLE HISTORIES (both the BBC series – in which she was an original cast member – and the film), THE IT CROWD (C4), a recent short SILO (Sky), and INSIDE No. 9 (BBC).
Sarah played Lucy in Showtime’s marquee drama – THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH. Further dramatic credits include BURTON AND TAYLOR and WATERLOO ROAD, both for the BBC.
Feature film credits include: the James Bond film – QUANTUM OF SOLACE, CONFETTI, LEAP YEAR, NOW IS GOOD, GROW YOUR OWN and BASIL.
Theatre credits include NOISES OFF in the West End, ADMISSIONS at the Trafalgar Theatre, DANCE NATION at the Almeida, RAVING at the Hampstead Theatre, THE NORMAN CONQUESTS at Chichester and WAY OF THE WORLD at the Donmar.
Sarah is currently filming a confidential series for the BBC and has just wrapped on a major feature. -
Rosemary Ashe
Olive
Rosemary Ashe
Olive
Rosemary’s West End credits include: Carlotta in the original cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘The Phantom of The Opera’ (Her Majesty’s), Madame Thenardier in ‘Les Miserables’ (Palace); Cunegonde in ‘Candide’ (Old Vic); Widow Corney in ‘Oliver!’ (London Palladium); Hortense in ‘The Boyfriend’ (Albery); Forbidden Broadway (Fortune); Felicia Gabriel in ‘The Witches of Eastwick’ (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), for which she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical); Miss Andrew, in ‘Mary Poppins’ (Prince Edward); Lottie Grady in ‘When We Are Married’ (Garrick); Kate Hoey in ‘Committee’ (Donmar); Grandma Mole in ‘The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole’ (Ambassadors); and Elizabeth in ‘Aspects of Love’ (Lyric).
Musical Theatre includes: Janet in ‘The Rocky Horror Show’; Maria in ‘West Side Story’ (Nottingham Playhouse); Julie Laverne in ‘Showboat’ (RSC); Timothy’s Mother in ‘Salad Days’ (national tour); Viv Nicholson in the original cast of ‘Spend Spend Spend!’ (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Sister Mary Lazarus in ‘Sister Act’ (national tour); Mrs Lovett in ‘Sweeney Todd’ (Gothenburg Opera); and Pam Lee in the world premiere of ‘The Great British Bake Off Musical’ (Cheltenham).
Theatre includes: Hermia in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ (Barbados Festival); Orinthia in ‘The Applecart’ (Ipswich); Madame Spritzer in ’13 Rue de L’Amour’ (Northampton); Dottie Otley in ‘Noises Off’ (Salisbury); Mrs Fraser in ‘Stepping Out; (Derby); Lolly Tucker in ‘The Bed Before Yesterday’ and Joyce in ‘There’s No Place Like A Home’ (Mill at Sonning); and 8 roles in ‘Tonight at 8.30’ (Jermyn St Theatre).
TV includes: Lucy Lockit in ‘The Beggar’s Opera’; Despina in ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’; ‘The House of Eliott’; ‘The Music Game’; ‘Whale On’; ‘The Garden of Evelyn; ‘An Audience With Ronnie Corbett’; ‘Open House’; ‘Monster TV’; and ‘Doctors’
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Naomi Petersen
Linda
Naomi Petersen
Linda
Theatre includes: Constant Companions; The Girl Next Door; Birthdays Past Birthdays Present; Joking Apart; Better Off Dead (The Stephen Joseph Theatre); We Started To Sing (The Arcola); Baskerville (Mercury Theatre); By Jeeves (The Old Laundry Theatre); The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (The Ambassadors Theatre); I Am Telling You I’m Not Going (Pleasance); Tender Loving Care (New Theatre Royal Portsmouth); The Witches of Eastwick (Watermill); Angus, Thongs and Even More Snogging (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Schnapps (Lyric Hammersmith).
TV and Film includes: Drifters; Pop Sludge; Jitterman; At First Sight.
Radio includes: Joseph Morpurgo’s Walking Tour (BBC Radio 4).
Naomi is also a highly experienced improviser. You can catch her performing regularly with leading London Improv Theatre The Free Association, where she is Co-Artistic Director.
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Michèle Winstanley
Writer
Michèle Winstanley
Writer
Michèle is an actress, playwright and qualified sign language interpreter. She began her acting career at age ten, attending the Anna Scher Children’s Theatre in Islington. After twenty years as a jobbing actress, in the late 1990s Michèle tried her hand at writing, and in 2000 her first play, Keepers, was produced at Hampstead Theatre. This led on to commission from Soho Theatre for her second play, Edging Gently Forwards. After a break from writing to raise a daughter and learn sign language, Michèle returned to writing with Broken Water. Other writing includes: Mugs Like Us: Dorothy Slatter (Space Theatre 2017); Jacintha Said What? (Short film. Longlisted for the UK Film Festival 2022). As a freelance BSL interpreter Michèle works in and around London, specialising in community, medical, and ante natal settings.
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Nicola Samer
Director
Nicola Samer
Director
Training: Nicola has trained in theatre, design and fine art. Training includes MA Theatre Directing (Middlesex University, London & GITIS – Russian Academy of Theatre Arts, Moscow), Lincoln Centre Theatre Directors’ Lab (New York), NIDA (Sydney), ROH attachment (London), B. Design Visual Communications (UTS & Central Saint Martins) and Fine Art (Slade, London).
Directing includes: THE THEATRE ASHES (The Festival, Hampstead Theatre), UPROOTED (Look Left Look Right, Shoreditch Town Hall), HEAD OF THE TABLE (Workshop, Old Vic Lab), GUTTED (Marlowe Theatre), AS YOU LIKE IT (RYV Theatre, Regional Tour), PROPHECY (Look Left Look Right, Charter House), MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (The HandleBards; Assembly Rooms, National & International Tour – The Stage Awards nominee), GOING BUSH (Bush Theatre), COMEDY OF ERRORS (RYV Theatre, Regional Tour), THE SUICIDE SHOP (St James
Theatre), THE POWER OF POISON LAB (Old Truman Brewery), MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (Premiere UK Tour), RUBEN GUTHRIE (New Wimbledon), COLLISION (Latitude & Bestival), EARTHWORKS (Arcola), LITTLE WOMEN, The Musical (Best New Musical, shortlisted nominee Off West end Theatre Awards), FIGARO Revival (Buxton Opera Festival), IronBark’s THEATRE ASHES (Latitude), MAMAN and THE EDGE (Theatre503), FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (Cambridge Arts Theatre), THE 52 SHOW (Leicester Square Theatre), CAN I GET A KISS FROM DAISY? (Old Vic, reading), MISS JULIE (Sterts Theatre, Cornwall), SCENES OF A MASSACRE (Custard Factory, Birmingham) and THE TEMPEST (New Theatre, Sydney).Other Credits: Resident Director with the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company Plays at The Garrick Season, including THE WINTER’S TALE, ALL ON HER OWN, HARLEQUINADE and ROMEO AND JULIET. Associate Director on THE LADYKILLERS (Liverpool Playhouse, West End & UK Tour), ONCE, The Musical (West End), GHOST STORIES (West End), 39 STEPS (West End), GREAT EXPECTATIONS (ETT & Watford Palace), FLASHDANCE (West End), MY FAIR LADY (International Tour), KES (Liverpool Everyman Playhouse), Resident Director on UK tours of ASPECTS OF LOVE and THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, SOUND OF MUSIC (UK Tour),
FOLLIES (London Palladium), A FAMILY AFFAIR (Arcola) and EUGENE ONEGIN (BYO, West End). Nicola is currently Resident Director on HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD (London).
This production is supported by
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Royal Victoria Hall Foundation
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Arts Council England
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Unity Theatre Trust