
Ahead of Hazel's debut play opening at The Bread & Roses Theatre next week we spoke with her about the creation of the show and what to expect.
What inspired you to create this show?
Believe it or not, Blueberries for the Rainbow is my first full length play. I wrote the first scene as part of a short online playwrighting course in 2021 and it just grew from there.
I desperately wanted to write a play that looked at how modern mothers are treated and how their needs are so often neglected, mostly by themselves and the people closest to them. Blueberries does this. It says to the audience: “Look! This is what happens when mothers are constantly put to the bottom of the pile. It is not ok and needs to change.”
Modern motherhood is a minefield of expectation and there is huge pressure to be perfect, often leaving mothers to feel they have failed before they have even really started.
I believe this is why there is still such a cloud of silence surrounding post-natal depression. Many mothers don’t want to admit how they are feeling. There’s this crazy idea that struggling is all part of motherhood and women should just get on with it.
I wanted to write a play that exposed society for its treatment of mothers, raised awareness of postnatal depression and helped mothers who are struggling feel less alone.
Why this story?
The story behind Blueberries came about after I read about The First 1001 Day Movement. Basically, this is a campaign to highlights how important the first 1001 days (from conception to birth) is in a child's life.
While I agree this is an important movement, my initial though was – ‘that’s putting even more pressure on mothers’. And my second as – ‘what about the first 1001 days of being a mother?’ I wanted to write something from the mother's perspective at this time, as she is so often forgotten.
Blueberries starts on the 402nd day in one mothers’ parenting journey, when the continued lack of support results in a catastrophic event. It then goes back and forth over time, to find out what led to this point and how through more support and societal change, it could have been prevented.
What inspired you to create this show?
Believe it or not, Blueberries for the Rainbow is my first full length play. I wrote the first scene as part of a short online playwrighting course in 2021 and it just grew from there.
I desperately wanted to write a play that looked at how modern mothers are treated and how their needs are so often neglected, mostly by themselves and the people closest to them. Blueberries does this. It says to the audience: “Look! This is what happens when mothers are constantly put to the bottom of the pile. It is not ok and needs to change.”
Modern motherhood is a minefield of expectation and there is huge pressure to be perfect, often leaving mothers to feel they have failed before they have even really started.
I believe this is why there is still such a cloud of silence surrounding post-natal depression. Many mothers don’t want to admit how they are feeling. There’s this crazy idea that struggling is all part of motherhood and women should just get on with it.
I wanted to write a play that exposed society for its treatment of mothers, raised awareness of postnatal depression and helped mothers who are struggling feel less alone.
Why this story?
The story behind Blueberries came about after I read about The First 1001 Day Movement. Basically, this is a campaign to highlights how important the first 1001 days (from conception to birth) is in a child's life.
While I agree this is an important movement, my initial though was – ‘that’s putting even more pressure on mothers’. And my second as – ‘what about the first 1001 days of being a mother?’ I wanted to write something from the mother's perspective at this time, as she is so often forgotten.
Blueberries starts on the 402nd day in one mothers’ parenting journey, when the continued lack of support results in a catastrophic event. It then goes back and forth over time, to find out what led to this point and how through more support and societal change, it could have been prevented.