What was your favourite aspect of the whole process, from idea to execution?
Prior to writing the play, Charity Wakefield and I had two brilliant research days at Watts Gallery with the experts and scholars, looking at Watts sketch books from his residency at Little Holland House. Seeing the poses and interactions he captured of the Pattles was so inspiring, and helped me get closer to the characters and their body language/ attitudes, as well as hearing new anecdotes and seeing other archival material. During the writing I really enjoyed understanding how to peel back the layers of a character and delve into what motivated them, and spending time with the actors in rehearsal and on the research day, I was fascinated in noticing which areas of their character they become intrigued by, allowing me to delve further, and seeing how the cast chose to accentuate aspects of the sisters personality in their performance. Charity and I pitched the structure of the play to Watts, that the sisters would lead us through the space. Then we worked out the promenade route and theatrical tone together. I really loved seeing how she directed it and brought all the elements together in the space, a magical process!
I believe we’ve created something very special and unique, and I’m hoping we can raise some funding to repeat and develop the play for future performances.
What inspired you to come up with this performance?
In 2024 I took part in a reading at The Bodleian Library, involving letters and anecdotes about Julia Margaret Cameron, which Charity produced and directed. We met the former director of Watts Gallery, and he told us about the Pattle Sisters exhibition planned for 2026, and suggested we pitch an idea for a programmed event.
Last summer Charity and I ran a workshop with actors from the OSOD, where they explored the characters and performed scenes I’d written for my Screenplay, which Charity directed. It was so fantastic to see the sisters brought to life, especially in one scene where all Seven Pattles were sat together, sewing petals. This inspired us to want to pitch an idea for a promenade play to take place within the gallery, written as a response to the exhibition 'Women of Influence: The Pattle Sisters'. The play would instigate Pattledom to roam as spirits through the Watts Gallery aka their art salon Little Holland House, giving voice and agency to this sisterhood as they share secrets and stories from their life about the art they helped create and inspire. We also thought it would be a great way to honour International Women’s Day.
How did you find out about the Pattle sisters?
The first Pattle sister I came across was Julia Margaret Cameron, whose photography I discovered while working in the picture library at The Wellcome Trust. I became fascinated with her life and art. The more I read, the more Pattles I discovered, and the more immersed in their world I became. At this time I met Charity as I had arranged to photograph her for a shoot I was planning, and we got chatting about large format photography, as I was shooting on a 5x4 camera. I told her this is easy compared to wet plate collodion photography - the technique Cameron used. That day we decided to collaborate on making a film about her, and I would learn how to write the screenplay. Whilst researching I came across some early uncredited photographs of some of the Pattle sisters (Sara, Virginia, Sophia, Julia) taken in the garden at Little Holland House, their bohemian art salon in Kensington. I became more and more beguiled by these women, their unique style, artistic ambitions and their creative multiplicity.
What did you wish to convey through the performance?
I wanted the audience to be in the moment with the Seven Sisters, to feel emotionally invested and compelled to follow them through the gallery space. Also to get the sense that their presence could change or shape the performance. We had it confirmed by one audience member when he asked Mia “is this your daughter?” about a photograph she passed to him. Charity was interested in interrogating sisterhood onstage. She felt it was radical to have seven women on stage together, and in rehearsal wanted to test the boundaries of how many people could talk at once to create the tumult of the sisters together. We wanted Pattledom to breath new life into their story and the gallery itself.
What did you want visitors to take away from the performance?
I’ve always been drawn to promenade theatre, but this performance had the extra layer of the audience being surrounded by the art of Pattledom. I wanted the performance to provide a new way to access the art, and for the visitors to forge personal connections and memories, allowing a unique understanding and more tangible approach to the exhibition. I also hoped that the play might inspire the visitors to dig deeper into their stories, and to keep the conversation going around ethical issues raised of imperial rule, feminist attitudes and women’s health. Ultimately Pattledom let's you into a taste of the salon experience, and a chance to feel like you have been transported to a different time and culture. We would love to develop it further to a full length production, an immersive piece with a chance to create art, off grid. Watch this space!