Three women over 60 smashing stereotypes at the Edinburgh Fringe this year - Introducing The Lady Gardeners

The Lady Gardeners is a theatre company made up of three women over sixty – director Deborah Edgington, performer Julia Faulkner, and writer Babs Horton. The three friends explore the “post-menopausal clock of invisibility” and explore the reason why women over 60 often tend to get ignored or forgotten about in our society. 

In The Lady Garden sees Julia as Alice, plus another impressive 21 roles in a virtuoso one-woman performance that mixes honesty with comedy and looks at life through the lens of a 1950’s catholic convent-schooled woman navigating society.

We spoke to Babs Horton – the writer behind the brand-new Edinburgh Fringe show to find out more about her creative process and inspirations. 

Babs, what inspired you to write “In the Lady Garden”? Was there a specific moment or event?

I found it hard to concentrate on the novel that I was writing during lockdown and decided to just write down anything that came into my head – and there she was: Alice Parminter, 69 years of age and raging at all the injustices life had thrown at her. I could hear her voice in my head - maybe there was a woman out there in the ether waiting for a writer to find her. If so, Alice, it’s been a pleasure and I hope you enjoy your show.

How much of Alice’s journey is inspired by real-life experiences, either yours or of people you know? 

Like most women of our ages (60+) we played second fiddle to the boys in our life from nursery school onwards. We, like girls and women today were expected to cope with everyday misogyny with little education on how to tackle it. As teenagers we lived in a world where ‘Page 3’ girls were displayed everywhere and that didn’t help our confidence. 

In my 50’s I got tired of wearing the menopausal cloak of invisibility and decided to change the habits of a lifetime. I stopped worrying about what people thought of me, whether they liked me or not, if I was too fat, had bushy eyebrows, visible bingo wings and a hundred other things. I just got on with living. ‘It’s never too late’ became a call to action and not a cliché.

How did the decision come about to have Julia Faulkner play all 21 roles in the play?

In the play, Alice recounts her life story and recalls the characters she has met along the way. It was an artistic choice to have one actor play all the roles. Julia did a great audition, and it was apparent she had the versatility and range to play Alice and the other characters.

In The Lady Garden was selected as one of six shows for the Pleasance Theatre Partnership – what does this recognition mean to you and the Lady Gardeners team?

We almost didn’t apply for this because we felt we had little chance – we were just three older women with a daft idea in our head. 

When we heard that we’d been chosen we were all very surprised. It’s wonderful and nerve wracking in equal measure, it’s the chance of a lifetime and we’re going to make the most of it! We’ve been brilliantly supported by Pleasance and Theatre Royal Plymouth and appreciate the confidence they have in us. 

The Lady Gardeners are breaking boundaries in the world of theatre. What barriers do you think are still in place for older women in the arts, and how can they be addressed?

Women are still not taken seriously in the arts. The older women get the less opportunities there are. We need more roles for older women, more female writers and female directors. We hope, that by taking our show to Edinburgh, we can raise awareness of what can be achieved and empower women to continue pursuing their careers in the arts. Ultimately, we hope to start a dialogue that provides more creative experiences for older women in the near future.

If you could sum up In the Lady Garden in one sentence to entice someone to see it, what would you say?

“The post-menopausal cloak of invisibility will never be part of your wardrobe after you’ve seen In the Lady Garden; and don’t forget to bring your friends!”

In The Lady Garden will be performed at 2.15pm in the Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker 1) from 31st July – 25th August (Not 13th or 20th) 

Booking link: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/lady-garden