The Memory of Water
A play by Shelagh Stephenson
in partnership with womenswork theatre collaborative
Three sisters return to their childhood home on the eve of their mother’s funeral. As they share stories, clash over contradictions, and unearth long-buried resentments, the sisters struggle with how differently each remembers the same past. Partners and lovers are drawn into the fray, complicating loyalties and revealing how memory can be both a comfort and a weapon. Stephenson’s play balances humor and poignancy in its exploration of grief, family, and the fragile, unreliable narratives that shape our lives.
“Dotted with stimulating observations…it has a raw spontaneity that captures perfectly the idea of what normal people do in abnormal times…”
—The New York Times
“The Memory of Water really lives up to the poetry reflected in its title. It also keeps us highly entertained for two hours and leaves us deeply touched in the end.”
—New York Daily News
“This touching and hugely entertaining comedy provides an insight into the lives of three sisters who are reunited for their mother’s funeral. A neurotic maternal type, a paranoid doctor and a brattish youngest sibling recall their childhood, but find that personal grievances have coloured their memories, which differ greatly and cause immense friction”
—The Independent
“This is a lovely piece, full of humour and heart…Where the play works best is…in its satisfying mixture of sardonic humour and deep emotion. Excellent jokes give way to festering resentments, booze and dope-fuelled hilarity to sudden glimpses of buried secrets and aching pain.”
—The Telegraph
