Giving birth in a pandemic

The extraordinary experiences of women who gave birth during the Covid-19 pandemic will be brought to life at Hull Truck Theatre this October in An Unprecedented Birth, a new verbatim theatre production created from real conversations.

Written and produced by Elizabeth Godber and directed by Millie Gaston, the production brings together 10 actresses to tell the stories of women navigating pregnancy, birth and motherhood during an unprecedented moment in history; from appointments attended alone and changing hospital restrictions to isolation, anxiety and the realities of becoming a parent during lockdown.

The project began through Godber's postgraduate research at the University of Hull, where she interviewed over 25 women about their pregnancy and birth experiences during the pandemic. Godber turned the interviews into a verbatim theatre work, retaining the voices, humour, fear and honesty of the women.

The production brings together a female company both on and off stage, and there will be only one performance, on October 10, with the performers working script-in hand.

The cast includes Pippa Fulton - best known as Leanne in Channel 4's Hullraisers, alongside Hull actors Martha Godber and Camille Hainsworth-Staples, with a wider company of actresses from across the UK 

While rooted in the unique circumstances of the pandemic, An Unprecedented Birth also emphasises the importance of perinatal and postnatal mental health. The production explores what happens when expectations during pregnancy and motherhood conflict with the necessity of isolation, uncertainty and fear.

The performance will be followed by a post-show question and answer session with university professors, midwives and professionals, to open a wider conversation about the experiences reported on stage and how maternity and mental-health support has developed since the pandemic.

More info and tickets here