In March of 2023 I had the absolute pleasure of bringing a piece of new writing to life in the second time only being seen on stage. I was approached to play the role of Grace Roe (and others) in Karen Forbes’ new work a play called ‘Rebellious Sisterhood’ and at reading the script absolutely fell in love with this character.

The story of ‘Rebellious Sisterhood’ is based on a true one that mainly follows 3 British suffragettes – Emmeline Pankhurst, Ethel Smyth and Grace Roe – and takes a rare look into the private lives of some of the women leading the charge and the unseen personal costs emotional, physical and socially.

My character, a young woman named Grace Roe is a clumsy and headstrong young new force overflowing with excitement, passion and dedication to the cause. She is being primed to take Emmeline’s place, though she hasn’t quite come face to face with the destruction that the fight can bring. This piece is set in 1813, a very difficult time for the movement and a lot of these realisations set in throughout the runtime.

The track of Grace also included a scene where I had to multi-role – a conversation between all 3 women previously mentioned and Emily Wilding Davison, the suffragette who famously threw herself infront of a horse causing her death. Within this scene, I had the task of playing Grace and Emily, both of whom were present and active in the same discussion, switching back and forth within seconds using stage placement, physicality and attributes clearly defining each character.

I absolutely adored bringing Grace (and Emily) to life and taking care of them. They were such extraordinary people and deserved to be known as such, not seen through some caricature performance. I think Grace specifically will stay with me – her determination is unmatched.