Artistic Director of Theatre503 Lisa Spirling is directing MILK AND GALL with her infant in the rehearsal room.  "It's moment to moment” says Spirling, “we might have to stop everything and make it about that and in another moment carry on as normal”.  It has been a little bit experimental but there have been several benefits to the baby being with her. 

Milk & Gall was written by New York-based Mathilde Dratwa at a time when, working as an actress, she was struggling to combine going to auditions with being a new mother. Finding childcare while not being paid was difficult so Dratwa started writing during baby’s naps. The play combines her experience of being a new mother and her response to the 2016 US elections. 

“It’s exploring a particular moment in a woman’s life” explains Spirling “a very political woman who supports Hilary Clinton in her progressive politics; she utterly believes that Clinton will smash the glass ceiling.” She is pregnant at same time and on the night of giving birth, the election results come through and her husband lies to her. He tells her that Clinton has won.  There is something powerful here about the American dream embodied by Obama with the promise of Clinton continuing the work. “When she learns Clinton didn’t win” continues Spirling, “her identity shatters and she can’t find herself; it’s not quite post-natal depression, it’s that those things you’re good at, you’re not doing anymore.” 

The play is a funny and surreal exploration about the impact of the outside world on the internal world, an observational comedy about a woman being pulled apart. “It’s a microcosm” says Spirling “an adventure with all kinds of characters turning up including Hilary Clinton.”

This isn’t Spirling’s first child. She has a two-year-old at home, already able to articulate his needs so as this is her second time around, she is more prepared. “We already had to postpone Milk and Gall because of the pandemic, so I thought maybe this is okay” says Spirling. “Art is often put on hold when you have children so for me it has felt very important.”   It is something Spirling is passionate about.  In addition she believes she’s benefiting personally from endorphins, but while it’s self-nurturing, the production is also benefiting from her first-hand experience. 

Having the baby in the rehearsal room has really informed the play. MyAnna Buring who is playing Vera and Spirling are both mothers but no one else has experience of necessities such as adjusting the volume of their voices when the baby is asleep or nappy changes. Spirling mentions that there is also a dog in room. “A puppy just does something, having that energy in the workspace" she enthuses.  "And the baby poos everywhere so I have to change clothes" she adds, "there are moments when she’s crying so I have to step out of room.”  There have been benefits to Spirling's brief absences as the cast has stepped up and continued to work, then presented it back to Spirling. 

Image: Rehearsals with the cast - MyAnna Buring, Sherine Chalhie, Jenny Galloway, Tracy-Anne Green and

Matt Whitchurch

It may seem selfish, but things normally do revolve around the director, but Spirling admits that if it ever became impossible, she does have family and friends who would step in. At the same time Spirling always finds out what the cast needs. “One cast member has to finish early to get home to her 4 year and another has a commitment to her faith, so at certain times she needs to pray” explains Spirling.  “We do as much as we can to accommodate everyone.”

Audiences will also benefit, as there will be a special parent and baby performance. This isn’t new to Theatre503. Their experience has been that parents do not book in advance but wait until the day because the parent might have had a sleepless night.  “The performances are incredibly popular” says Spirling, “we’ll have a lovely time at parent and baby groups, but many parents would love to see a show.” Theatre503 have been learning lessons such as the best time of day to hold the performances and that it is really good for getting industry people into the venue because of the earlier hour.

When asked whether there’s a comedy to being a new parent, Spirling has a ready answer. “How often do I get up in the morning and think this is what I’m going to achieve, this is when I will leave the house, this is when I’ll tidy” laughs Spirling, “it’s kyboshed by the child.” She also recalls friends giving her completely impractical gifts. On one occasion she received 14 bunches of flowers in her tiny maisonette with only one vase available. “Something else arrived and I screamed at my husband ‘if it’s not fucking chocolate send it away’ – and that was when he realised the women needs sugar.”

Being “so tired” is a part of motherhood but there is a much starker side; lots of women strap the baby to themselves and leave the house but during Covid they were isolated for 18 months.  “Not all of them want to leave the environment they’ve been in with their child 24/7” says Spirling, “it can be incredibly isolating, the boredom, the loneliness, talking to Alexa, scrolling endlessly ... “

Which brings us back to MILK AND GALL and its ‘impossible stage directions’. “Every play that I do is about a leap of imagination” explains Spirling, “working in a theatre the size of ours, you don’t have a flying rig, people diving into water, but in this play all of the babies take on all these different forms, baby not eating, baby resembles Donald trump – clever really.” One scene talks about the 'witching hour', when the screaming baby finally falls asleep, and the mother can’t move. Everything is just out of reach; the glass of water, the book, a cup of tea.  “It’s an abstract moment of floating objects” says Spirling, “how to do that in an exciting and clear way?” Dratwa’s script states that the play should be condensed to 90 minutes. “We want an audience to have quite a wild, exhilarating ride, because that is in some ways what the first years of being a parent is like.”

When asked what the hardest thing about rehearsals has been, Spirling seems completely stymied.  She has been so animated throughout our interview, and clearly struggles to find a negative, but not surprisingly she comes out with “managing my own energy levels.” Clearly it is worth it as she just wants audiences to have “a great night out, we deserve it.”

“People will identify with their own experiences” says Spirling but she has something important to add. “We go and see a play about soldiers, and we don’t think it’s only for the military. So, why should we think a play about a woman is only for women? That’s not what it’s about.  It’s funny, silly, dramatic, so just go. You will laugh and hopefully you will feel something.”

Lisa Spirling was chatting with Heather Jeffery, Editor of London Pub Theatres Magazine