When a mother is captured on film calling her son the c-bomb in a split-second of rage, she questions the expectations and regrets that come with motherhood
Written by Anna Morris | Directed by Madelaine Moore
Southwark Playhouse Borough 26 February – 15 March
WINNER Scotsman Fringe First 2024
“a pin-sharp debut… a neatly designed, cleverly constructed, twisty tale” – Lyn Gardner in The Stage
In a darkly comic solo show that asks if it’s ok to regret motherhood and asks about the choices that led there in the first place, a woman goes viral after calling her four-year-old son the c-word. Comedy writer Anna Morris won a Scotsman Fringe First for her debut play, which sees stressed mother Marnie struggling to look after her challenging son Charlie, leading to a fateful 10 seconds. As the clip is debated on national television and radio, Marnie’s life violently unravels. Jumping forward and backward in time, it shows the build up to, and the fallout from, the worst moment of Marnie’s life. Son of a Bitch explores the fetishisation of motherhood and questions the common misconception that the childless might regret not having kids. Perhaps some parents regret having them?
Anna Morris said, “I wrote the play to explore the themes of maternal ambivalence, choices, the fetishisation and glorification of motherhood, the way women are pressured into following the heteronormative path of marriage and children. Pressures on women to meet someone and beat their biological clock, regardless of circumstance. The play also explores the power of social media, how a ten second video of someone’s life can absolutely destroy them. I’m 44 and I don’t have children, and I’m absolutely fed-up with the way people judge me for this. With this show, I really wanted to start a dialogue around the choices we have around having children.”
Anna Morris is a playwright, comedian and actress. She has written and performed four critically acclaimed one-woman comedy shows which have toured the UK and Australia. She plays Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh in The Windsors and she’s also starred in Channel 4’s Lee and Dean, BBC’s The First Team, Outnumbered and Count Arthur Strong. She wrote and starred in ITV’s Bad Bridesmaid. Her BBC Radio 4 comedy special Kid-Life Crisis is available on BBC Sounds.
Anna has single-sided deafness and supports Action on Hearing Loss. All performances of Son of a Bitch will feature integrated creative captioning as well as BSL and relaxed performances.
The Thelmas is a female-led touring company who explore the social, political and cultural stories that matter, in a fresh and surprising way. They are led by director Madelaine Moore, whose productions include Santi & Naz, Glacier and Algorithms, and writer Guleraana Mir, whose work includes Santi & Naz, Coconut and Doctors (BBC One). The Thelmas are celebrating their 10th anniversary year. Santi & Naz will be at Soho Theatre 21 Jan – 8 Feb following its national tour in 2024.
Side Quest Productions is a new production company led by Director Madelaine Moore. Side Quest brings stories from the outer limits to the mainstream, be that thematically or formally; a good night out in the left of field, designed to provoke and entertain.
Southwark Playhouse is a registered charity that delivers a year-round programme of entertaining and enriching work. Southwark Playhouse operates two separate venues ‘Southwark Playhouse Borough’ and its newest theatre ‘Southwark Playhouse Elephant’ which opened in January 2023. Southwark Playhouse has always prided itself in telling stories and inspiring the next generation of storytellers and theatre makers, where support for the community has been rooted at the core of the organisation.
Running Time: 1hr | Suitable for ages 14+
Content warning: strong language, mental health, infertility, child loss during pregnancy.
Company information
Writer & performer Anna Morris
Director Madelaine Moore
Sound design Ellie Isherwood
Lighting and creative captioning design Megan Lucas
Set design Cory Shipp
Dramaturg Dave Jackson
Producers The Thelmas and Side Quest Productions
Production manager Brent Tan
Technical stage manager Leigh Arthur
Listings information
26 February – 15 March
Southwark Playhouse Borough, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD
Mon – Sat 7.30pm, matinees 3pm Tues & Sat
£25 (£20 concs), £16 previews, £10 Pioneers’ preview (26th) southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/son-of-a-bitch | 020 7407 0234
BSL Performances: Weds 5th March, Tues 11th March (matinee), Thurs 13th March
Relaxed Performances: Weds 5th March, Tues 11th March (matinee), Thurs 13th March
Babes In Arms (Under 1 yr): Tues 4th (matinee) & Sat 8th March (matinee) with post show social space for parents
How To Get To Borough Venue: The nearest stations are Elephant & Castle and Borough
Social media
X (Twitter): @TheThelmas & @swkplay
Bluesky: @thethelmas.bsky.social
Instagram: @TheThelmas
TikTok: @TheThelmas & @swkplay
#SonOfABitchPlay
Supported by credits/funded by Arts Council England