TV Star Lucy Speed To Direct Her First Play At Kings Head Theatre

Actress Lucy Speed is set to make her directorial debut with a new play about first time motherhood at Mark Ravenhill's Kings Head Theatre in Islington.

Lucy has an acting career spanning 38 years, kicking off at The National Theatre in 1983. Audiences will know her for many roles across popular film and TV from Shakespeare in Love to Eastenders and The Bill. Her drama CV includes Marcella, The Unforgotten, Silent Witness and Becoming Elizabeth and she cut her comedy teeth with roles in Men Behaving Badly and Dead Ringers before working with comedy giants Peter Kay and Ricky Gervais.

"HOW TO HAVE A BABY & NOT LOSE YOUR SH*T" is a black comedy about the challenges of pregnancy and miscarriage, adapted from a book of the same name which was an Amazon Motherhood Bestseller.

Mum of two Lucy brings a wealth of experience to her directing debut and wants the play to represent the gallows humour of pregnancy. 'When my first child was bornnI expected to transform into a cake making supermum but instead I felt like a failing assistant to a very drunk Elizabeth Taylor.'

Welsh actor Michelle Luther will star in the one woman play as "would-be" mother Alice battling through several failed pregnancies along with societies - and her own, - preconceptions of what a proper mum should be.

The play has been written by mum of two Kirsty Smith who started documenting her parenting experiences as blogger @eehbahmum when she moved out of Islington back to her native Yorkshire. "Both my kids were born in the Whittington Hospital and I spent many hours pushing a pram the length and breadth of Holloway Road so opening at the Kings Head feels very apt. Hopefully this baby won't keep me up so late at night."

A rehearsed reading earlier this year received rave reviews including Eastenders actor & theatre Director Simone Lahbib 'Had me falling off my seat laughing one minute then trying to hold back tears the next. Michelle Luther is incredible in this one woman show.... reminded me of all the reasons I'm glad to be past the baby stage.. then I remembered I have a teenager!'

Tickets are on sale now at: https://kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on/how-to-have-a-baby-and-not-lose-your-shit.

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