We chatted to Chess about new physical, comedic dance piece, M-Othering, performing as part of the Reigning Women festival at The Old Market in Brighton, 30 – 31 May 2025.
Hi Chess, what can you tell us about M-Othering? M-Othering is a fiercely physical, moving and comedic live dance-theatre show which celebrates the many other motherly relationships that exist. Older siblings, teachers, female friendships, god- mothers; M-Othering draws from these real relationships and explores the soft drifts or dramatic
shifts from being m-othered to becoming m-other, as well as the quieter yet momentous joy of learning how to mother ourselves. Within the core cast there are six of us aged 7-77 and we are joined by a wonderful extended community cast also. The show is about love, loss, yearning and the joy of finding a sense of connection, community and self through movement.
How did the idea for the show come about? My inspiration always comes from real relationships and social themes. In 2020/2021, I had just finished working on The Hiccup Project and started a part-time permanent teaching role but, unable to start any new creative work or projects due to lockdown, I made a short dance film with my
goddaughter, Mabel (then 3 years old). Playing and dancing with her outdoors was as close as I couldbe to the creative play that happens in the studio/in creation. A lot of the footage caught was out of focus but it’s all real, there was no direction, it’s just us playing, dancing, laughing, exploring. The finished film (which is included in the live show) starts with Mabel saying “What are you doing Auntie Chess?” and I reply “I’m dancing, do you want to dance with me?” to which she says “Yes!” –
this definitely inspired the work moving forwards.
This film, scored by an original song written & recorded by my brother, was the starting point to understanding my desire to celebrate and bring light to other motherly relationships. There are many relationships that are hard to explain or convey because the title cannot possibly carry the weight of love or importance. I found this also when really close, long standing friends had children. We do not have language for ‘My best friends’ baby’ and the summary of this feels removed from the enormity of love held for them and the importance of them in my life.
I explored initial themes in the studio with my closest friend and collaborator, Martha. We’ve grown up together and danced through life together. We explored together ideas of yearning to become a mother and conventional ideas of what a mother is, but above all it’s our friendship which inspired the work. Each of the other real relationships that play out on stage prompted new ideas.. As I reflected on other connections within life, more and more ideas were revealed to me. Mostly that reveal happens when I’m running/walking somewhere; I see images, feel movement, or hear music
and it all starts to build like a patchwork or collage.
What made you want to explore various female relationships? There is so much societal value placed on blood relations and romantic relationships, and yet there
are these other relationships, particularly in my experience between women and girls, that are nuanced and rich, full of so much tenderness, care, joy, humour, that reflect a feeling of being truly seen by someone. This is the case for many of my female friendships, those that I’ve grown up with and share much of life’s history with, but also relationships that span generations and perhaps come later in life.
Many of these platonic relationships come without a nuanced title; colleague/friend cannot possibly carry or convey the tenderness, nurturing, wisdom shared and the strength of the connection…titles don’t always equate to a sense of main character in someone’s life. It’s important to witness different relationships and celebrate them as well as celebrate unconventional ways of experiencing mother-hood.
How does it feel to be bringing the show to the Reigning Women Festival?The Old Market is one of my favourite venues. An independent, local venue with an amazing team who are full of heart. Their recognition of the importance of sharing women’s stories and providing a platform for female artists is brilliant. And being a part of Reigning Women season, as the closing act of 2025, with a cast and team of incredibly inspiring women and girls, spanning 70 years, feels really special and exactly what this season is all about.
How has it been watching the show develop? M-Othering started as seeds of ideas that I could only watch in my own head, before becoming something that existed in the studio, just between myself and Martha, which was really special. We performed the first ever work in progress in November 2022, to a very small audience just as Martha was
newly pregnant with her first child, Joss. Since then the work has grown beautifully through all involved.
There are sections of M-Othering, made with Martha in that very first R&D week, which still remain very close to the original, but the narrative and sense that we’ve made of the whole show has evolved hugely. Developing the show post-preview performance, we’re all one year older, Olive is so much taller (!), Martha’s baby is now a toddler, there is so much change and life that has happened in between and yet our connections to each other and the work remain very strong.
Watching it develop has been one of the greatest experiences of my life, there are developments that are still being made that cement so quickly for us, that we almost struggle to remember that it was ever different to that. I guess like with a close friend, it’s hard to remember ever not being that close! I think M-Othering will always continue to develop, because we are all continuously growing. There are many moments in the show that I can track back to daydreams/ scribbles in my original notebook but also many real conversations that we share as a creative cast/team, in life or even
over our rehearsal lunch breaks, that end up inspiring the text in the show. It’s a real honour to have made a work that can grow with us all.
What has it been working with everyone involved with the production? This question is one of the hardest to answer because even with time to attempt to find the ‘right’ words, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to convey quite how transformative and enriching it has been. In the first ever residency with the full cast I became terrible performing any of the more emotive sections because the joy I felt in the studio was so strong, I just could not stop smiling! I feel really proud to have facilitated a space which is inclusive of different ages, of young people, of new mothers, of those that have been mothering/othering/caring for years and witnessing other beautiful connections/bonds form, including that with themselves.
By Emma Clarendon
To book tickets visit: https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/m-othering