Mockingbird Theatre’s Snatches brings a century of women’s stories to Belco Arts

Posted on 4 June, 2025

This June, Mockingbird Theatre Company is calling for you to bear witness to a century of struggle for progress and equality for women.

Transforming Belco Arts from Thursday 12 until Saturday 14 June, Snatches: Moments from 100 Years of Women’s Lives is highlighting the moving, funny, tragic and empowering stories of women and their fight to carve out their rights both in domestic and public spheres – from the criminalisation of marital rape to the first Reclaim the Night march.

Presented as part of Mockingbird Theatre Company’s new initiative Mockingbird Too: Theatre That Dares, it marks the beginning of their goal to showcase more theatrically challenging and provocative plays from around the world.

“It was actually Snatches that inspired Mockingbird Too to be created. Some of the monologues were being used in our acting classes and we quickly realised just how important they were, how universal their themes were and how brilliant the writing was,” explains Christopher Baldock, Director of Mockingbird Theatrics.

“It sparked the idea that they should be performed in a more formal way. Knowing that the riskier and edgier plays were a harder sell in Canberra, Mockingbird Too was created to show local audiences that there are fantastic plays out there from around the world that also deserve to be seen.”

Originally created in 2018 for the BBC as part of a body of work entitled Hear Her, to mark the centenary of the Representation of The People’s Act (which was passed in 1918), Snatches is a collection of monologues by women from different eras over a period of 100 years.

Curated by artistic director of the Royal Court Theatre, Vicky Featherstone, director Céline Oudin (8 Women) explains that in each story, the protagonist finds herself in a situation that, in one way or another, challenges her, simply by virtue of being a woman.

“The women in Snatches are representative of the countless other women who, like them, have come up against the issues raised,” she says.

“Ivy, a young mum in the 1990s faced with a dilemma following the introduction of a new law criminalising marital rape; Eve, a woman in the 1970s finding herself confined because of a curfew imposed on women to protect them from the Yorkshire Ripper; Pritilata Waddedar, a Bengali woman – who actually existed – flouting norms to join the forces of resistance during the British colonial era of the 1930s; Linda, a young secretary in the 1960s who discovers her sexuality, transcending the mores of the time; Jen in the 2000s, wrongly convicted for infanticide after losing three babies to cot death; and Ann, a young actress of our time, meeting with a powerful, intimidating director.”

Celine Oudin.

And while you might expect feminist rhetoric, Céline says the power of these monologues is that the women are simply recounting their experiences, giving the audience the chance to form their own opinion about these women’s situations, in the specific circumstances of the time and place in which they find themselves.

“These women are a voice for many other women like them, and I have no doubt that many women and men in the audience will be able to relate in one way or another, if only through the experiences of other women that they have witnessed or are witnessing in their own lives,” says Céline.

“Snatches is not an ‘in-your-face’ feminist play, as no opinion is imposed on the audience. But these moving, funny, tragic and empowering stories are sure to inspire us to question things, maybe prompt a rethink and an awareness of certain topics or situations. This is often how change begins.”

Inspired by ordinary women who have spoken out and challenged the status quo or made a stand (often at great personal cost), Snatches features some of the best emerging actresses in Canberra.

Running for four performances only, both Céline and Christopher hope that the play will give the audience a fresh perspective and that they will remember the strength and courage of the women.

They also hope that Canberra welcomes the ‘edgier’ play with open arms so it can be presented as part of the Mockingbird Theatre Company’s main stage season in the future.

“I like to believe that Canberrans love great stories. We tend to love edgier, more challenging stories in film and television, but we are yet to embrace them live in a local theatre – at least on the level they deserve,” says Chris.

“These plays have no trouble finding an audience in the bigger cities and I believe that, with the right stories, a little nudging and some education, Canberra can also be home to some of the best plays from around the globe that dare to challenge.”