From Canberra to LA: local playwright puts older female voices centre stage

Posted on 27 December, 2022

Emma Wood doesn’t go searching for stories, they come to her.

It’s a beautiful, unhurried relationship that has seen her work find success in Newcastle, the UK, and most recently, her impressive debut in LA. And at the centre of it all lives her determination to shine the spotlight on older generations of women—filling the stage with humour and heart and the shades of life that live in between.

Growing up in Canberra, Emma’s natural affinity for writing found its firm footing, tethered to her love for literature, the power of words and the colourful influences of her parents that (at times) bend and weaves throughout her work.

“I grew up in Canberra. I lived in Belconnen, went to Canberra High, Lake Ginninderra College and studied my Bachelor of Arts at the Australian National University before moving away after that,” she says.

“I have to give a shout-out to my parents, Ruth and Malcolm Wood, who both have incredible vocabs and can speak in both formal and colourful ways, which was remarkably handy. ”

And while the theatre found a way of luring her in—drawn towards it as both a director, English and drama teacher—playwrighting remained quietly tucked away in the shadows.

Until one day, it wasn’t.

“I’ve been a drama high school teacher on and off for many years. And then it wasn’t till my early 30s that I sat down with the idea for my play Water Child. And that was really quite sudden—it’s almost as though I woke up one morning, and it wrote itself,” says Emma.

“I didn’t even consciously think ‘I’m going to write a play’, it just came out as dialogue, so I kept going. And before I knew I had a full-length play.”

It was a play that perhaps started her long love affair with understanding and representing female voice—pushing forward conversation that is both refreshing and times, completely heartbreaking. Emma has mastered the ability to take us into the worlds of characters without us ever having to leave our chairs.

“A theme that runs through my play is friendship—perhaps female friendship most of all. In Water Child, the support and care between women is an integral part of their lives when challenges build around them,” she says.

“I think in our culture, a lot of importance is placed on romantic relationships, but underscoring a lot of women’s lives is the support from close friends, I like to shine a spotlight on that.”

It’s in this approach that Emma has found recent success in LA, where her recent play Piece of Mind unfurls in the laps of American audiences.  Much like her other work, this layered and intimate brainchild simply came to her—or rather, it demanded that she brought it to life.

“Someone asked me if Piece of Mind is based on real events, and it’s not. I was walking along, and I guess, for whatever reason, it landed. And I thought this is a pretty unique idea to peruse.”

“It’s about two women older in age with a crackpot business scheme to try and fund their retirements because they can’t actually afford to. They both find themselves single long-term friends, but they simply just don’t have the money for a comfortable retirement. A lot of women don’t have a lot of money later in life. And that’s a reality. So while it’s funny, and there are all sorts of shenanigans underneath it, there is a serious question.”

But for those of you who can’t make the trip to LA to see Piece of Mind, Emma’s work will be making its way to Canberra next year in the form of Mr Bennet’s Bride—a wildly successful prequel to Pride and Prejudice. Telling the story of how this unlikely pairing came to be, Emma was able to captivate audiences in Australia, and the UK, where her signature female-focused touches and heart-warming wit earned her commercial success as a writer.

But regardless of the play or country, what continues to inspire audiences is Emma’s ability to invite those in the audience on stage. To take us into their worlds and start conversations that not only confront the stigma surrounding age—but celebrate it.

“Most people who booked theatre tickets and arranged groups to go to the theatre are groups of middle-aged women. There’s obviously a wide range of people who attend theatre, but a majority of those people are women. And it just didn’t seem right that there are not enough of those women on stage leading interesting lives and struggling with dilemmas that we ourselves come across,” says Emma.

“Obviously, there are plenty of exceptions, but it’s just one of my motivations as a playwright to write those fabulous roles. And it’s easy because women are fabulous and fun and funny and feisty. And, you know, we all have as many qualities as any man does and lead interesting lives. So it’s not really hard to create terrific stories that are women centred.”