BE MY BABY is widely studied by GCSE and A/AS level Theatre Studies students. Here are the answers to some of your questions.

From left to right: Kate Wimpenny (Queenie), Leila Crerar (Norma), Katrina Cooke (Dolores) and Laura Sanchez (Mary). Dukes Theatre, Lancaster. 2006. Photo: George Coupe.

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WHERE DID THE IDEA FOR BE MY BABY COME FROM?

I was researching a play on adoption for Soho Theatre and started to read about mother and baby homes. I had a vague awareness of them but the more I read, the more I realised this was a play I had to write. There's no more dramatic situation than a mother giving up her child but I also realised it was a piece of social history that had been swept under the carpet. I wanted to record these experiences but I must admit, I never expected it to be around ten years later.

ARE THE CHARACTERS BASED ON REAL PEOPLE?

The characters are fictional but everything that happens to them is based on fact. I drew on real-life incidents and recollections, as I wanted the stories to be as truthful as possible. Many thousands of women are still living with the consequences of giving up their child and I knew some of them would come to see the play. It was vital the play told their story with understanding and accurancy.

HOW DID YOU RESEARCH THE PLAY?

With difficulty! Even now, there is very little documented evidence of mother and baby homes. They're still a very a well-kept secret. I found some books and documentaries on adoption but mainly, I interviewed people who'd been through the experience. It was interesting that when I talked about the play to family and friends who were young in the 60's, most of them knew someone who'd either been in a home or been born in one. If you're performing the play and researching your role, the best place to start is with your parents, grandparents and their friends.

DID YOU DELIBERATELY CHOSE TO WRITE FOR AN ALL-FEMALE CAST?

The mother and baby homes were an exclusively female environment so yes, it felt natural to have an all-female cast.

HOW IMPORTANT IS THE MUSIC TO THE PLAY?

The girl group records help to evoke the era and also have an innocence which provides a stark contract to the harsh reality of life at St. Saviours. They express the characters’ hopes and dreams of love. They also let the audience know they can have fun with the play; it’s not all about suffering and sadness.

HOW SHOULD WE APPROACH THE SET, LIGHTING AND COSTUME DESIGN?

It's entirely up to you but it's not necessary to be wholly naturalistic. For example, Soho created the laundry using only white sheets. Even though they were Church-run institutions, it’s probably important to remember mother and baby homes were not hospitals or prisons. Below is a picture of Sara Perks' excellent set for the Dukes Theatre Lancaster, which gives you an insight to how the play has been staged. The picture at the top of the page may also help with costume but the most interesting part of the design will be the ideas you come up with yourselves.

Set Design by Sara Perks. Be My Baby. Dukes Theatre, Lancaster. 2006. Photo: George Coupe.

HOW DO YOU THINK THE CHARACTERS SHOULD BE PLAYED?

As truthfully as possible. Listen to what they are saying to each other but also be aware that they may be thinking something entirely different. Pay close attention to the subtext. Also remember Mary, Queenie, Dolores and Norma are very different to teenage girls today. Researching the 1960's and the culture they came from will help you get a sense of the world they inhabit. Also, remember Matron and Mrs. Adams are not the villains of the piece. They sincerely believe they are acting in the best interests of the girls and the unborn children.

SO DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR STUDENTS PERFORMING THE PLAY?

The only advice I would give you is not to play the girls as victims. When Mary comes into the home, she is not defeated; in fact, she intends to fight. She fervently believes she will find a way to keep her baby. Even when Mary does give her up, there's a sense she leaves with a new-found compassion and wisdom. This is a story about hope, friendship and survival. To the actors playing Matron and Mrs. Adams, I would encourage them not to judge the characters by today's morality and to explore the reasons why they make the choices they do.

YOU HAVE ADDED SCENES TO THE ORIGINAL SCRIPT. WHEN DO YOU THINK A PLAY IS FINISHED OR IS IT ALWAYS A WORK-IN-PROGRESS?

I wrote the first draft of Be My Baby in 1997, and it’s undergone several rewrites since. Most have been a response to watching the play and seeing how it could be improved. Plays always feel like a work-in-progress. As time goes by, the writer learns more about their craft, and sees their work in a different light. Having said that, after ten years, I think it’s probably done now!

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO A YOUNG PERSON WHO WANTS TO WRITE A PLAY?

Do it! Be free and adventurous. Find your own voice. Be open to constructive criticism but don't be discouraged if you haven't got it ‘right first time’. No writer does, as the last question proves. The first words you put on the page are raw material to be shaped and sculptured. And if your first play doesn’t quite work, write another – and another. Playwriting is a craft, so the best way to learn your craft is to see and read as many plays as you can.

BE MY BABY IS SET OVER FORTY YEARS AGO. WHAT MAKES THE PLAY RELEVANT TODAY ?

Perhaps the following letter will answer that question. It's one of many I’ve received from birth mothers who have seen the play.

“I went to see Be My Baby with six other birth mothers. We all lost children to adoption in the sixties. You could have been telling my story.

"I was in a hostel for 'wayward' girls in 1964/5 for six months, having become pregnant by a handsome redcoat at a Butlins holiday camp in Bognor. I was working there as a trained nurse. The opening scene took me straight back to 9 Trinity Rise, Tulse Hill, London. You captured so well the sparseness and convent-like atmosphere of the place. We were made to feel we had committed the most awful sin. I am sure you have heard similar accounts as you had obviously researched the subject so well.

"I can't really remember much about being pregnant. I just wanted it all to be over.

"My daughter Angela was taken at five days old to a foster mother and subsequently adopted in August 1965. The years went by and I just had to put her to the back of my mind but in 1989 I had a breakdown and the feelings of loss for her became extremely acute. I set about tracing her and made contact in September 1990. She was initially pleased and wanted contact but by December had changed her mind. I had no communication from her since then, despite my sending birthday and Christmas cards each year.

"I didn't give up hope as I was sure one day she would want to know her roots. I sent her the usual birthday card in March 2003, including my email address. Two weeks later she wrote 'Just thought you would like to know that I had a baby last year and I am happy and settled with my partner.'

"Since then we have emailed regularly and she has sent me a picture of my grand-daughter. I didn't give up and my patience was rewarded. Again, congratulations on writing such an accurate and moving play.”

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