Later this month York Theatre Royal are excitedly putting on an in-house adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s legendary “Little Women.” Amongst a star-studded cast, York resident Kate Hampson will appear as Marmee, who is returning to the theatre for the first time since she appeared as the only professional actor in 2022’s “The Coppergate Woman.” We sat down with Kate to learn about what— other than the 10-minute commute to the theatre from her home— attracted her to the role, and why, 150-years after it was first published, “Little Women” still matters so much.
It’s lovely to meet you, Kate. How excited are you to be coming to York to perform “Little Women” and returning to York Theatre Royal?
I’m really, really chuffed. The last time I was here was at the community show Coppergate Woman, which was a fantastic experience.
We’re a cast of eight, none of which actor-wise I’ve worked with before, but I’m really looking forward to meeting them and getting to know them. So yeah, it’s a joy to be back working here. It’s such a beautiful theatre, and you know, let’s be honest, I’m walking to work — what’s not to love about that.
Is it nice to be working in a place you know so well?
There’s a real comfort in that. As lovely as it is to work in different theatres and new theatres, there’s a real sort of safety and security that you feel when you’ve worked in the theatre before, and you know the faces around the theatre. I don’t know that you find that anywhere else, there’s that sense of community and collaboration and theatre family. Which is really lovely.
How well do you know “Little Women?”
It’s a story that I did for my GCSE final piece. Back in those days I was playing Amy, so it’s a great shock now that I’m playing Marmee [the mum!!], but you know I’ve moved on. I’ve dealt with that. Yeah, it’s one of those stories that so many people know it. It’s a classic, and rightly so. I think it’s a really beautiful story about love and family and hope and loss, and the good times and the bad times. It’s a play that I think is very dear to a lot of people, which is very exciting but also slightly daunting.
Other than the easy commute, what encouraged you to play Marmee in Little Women this autumn?
Look, can I just say categorically that is not the reason that I’m doing this job! I think that why I came back— I don’t need to be encouraged to come back to work here, it’s a place I love working at so absolutely that took no sort of encouragement— but I think the fact that it’s a great adaptation of the play [and] it’s a Theatre Royal production is really fantastic. We’ve got a three-week run, which is great, from the 21st of September to the of 12th October. So, it’s got good time. And I think, regardless of the fact that it’s a historical play, it still absolutely resonates with an audience today. I’ve got a 14-year-old daughter, and I went to see the most recent film with her not long ago, and there’s so many emotions and themes and issues that are dealt with in that play that we have today and we’re still dealing with, and I think to see that reflected is really important for young people.
Have your own experiences bringing up your kids helped you tap into the character of Marmee?
Being a mother, yeah, I think it does help. I know there’ll be moments where I’m talking to the daughters in the play and I’ll be thinking of talking to my own daughter. I don’t know that I’m as patient as Marmee, I think I probably swear more than Marmee. I try not to, I try and curb it! But she’s certainly aspirational in terms of how she is with her children. And I really admire in her the way she doesn’t give them the direct answer, she lets them find their own way with a very sort of quiet and constant support, which I think is a really special quality for a parent to have. Because I think often we are trying to solve things for our children. Sometimes it’s about letting them have space to work it out for themselves. And I think she does that really well. I will try and take that on board with my own children.
What will your interpretation of Marmee be like?
What I want to bring out in Marmee is that yes, while she has wit and wisdom and kindness and an infinite sort of graciousness not only to her own children but to the wider community, I want to also show a human side. Maybe even her failings. She’s not infallible. She’s a human being in a difficult circumstance, trying to bring up three daughters the best that she can on her own. I want that vulnerability to come across as well as the sort of strength. I want to make her relatable in the way that the girls will be relatable to young people. I want to make her relatable to a modern mother.
If your audience could get one thing out of watching the play, what would you like that to be?
In the current climate we’ve seen in the in the news in the last week or so, which has just been so shocking, so upsetting I hope that people can find some sort of unification in it [the play]. That love is the key. I think why Little Women is so popular, even though it has its very sad moments is that it is about people that love each other and want the best for each other. People come to the theatre for two hours and feel that love and feel that sense of comfort is actually really important, particularly in the sort of environment we have around us at the moment.
How important is it that we tell stories with a feminist message like this play?
It’s hugely important. If you think about the span of time of which we’ve haven’t been aware of, a lot of female literature, we’ve only just scratching the surface. There are so many forgotten women in history. While Louisa May Alcott isn’t forgotten, I didn’t know much about her story and her life. I’ve been doing a bit of reading around her. She’s a fascinating woman. She really sort of stood by her sort of principles, a lot of which were quite feminist, and she was very brave to write what she was writing in those times and pushing boundaries. I think it’s important that we do that with production as well.
Why should someone buy a ticket for “Little Women” at York Theatre Royal?
The writing is beautiful. The cast look great. Juliet’s [Forster] a great director. It’s a fantastic theatre. And it’s a special story. I think there’s something for everyone to relate to in it. And for those people that don’t or haven’t been to the theatre very often, I’d really encourage it because the theatre’s a special place and it should be accessible and open to everyone.
“Little Women” is on stage at York Theatre Royal from the 21st of September until the 12th of October. Head to www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/show/little-women to buy tickets.
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