A powerful performance of The Welkin by The Saints
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
The Welkin written by Lucy Kirkwood, Directed by Peter Daly-Dickson. At the Saints Drama Society, Allesley Village Hall, Coventry from 19 – 23 May 2026.
Review by Ann Evans
I’ve seen a number of productions put on by the Saints Drama Society but The Welkin by Lucy Kirkwood, with its large cast of 18, directed by Peter Daly-Dickson is in my opinion their best so far.
They take on this critically acclaimed play, first aired by The National Theatre in 2020, and certainly do it justice, with as much professionalism and passion as any theatre group you might want to mention. In their Allesley Village Hall, this amateur group of actors, writers, directors and behind the scenes crew put on a production they should be rightly proud of. At last night’s opening night, they so deserved the rapturous applause of the audience.
The Welkin – an old English word referring to the sky, the universe and heavens, is an 18th century courtroom feminist drama, where the accused, a 21-year-old wife, Sally Poppy has been found guilty by a jury of men, of the brutal murder of the 13-year-old daughter of her employer Lady Wax. Sally Poppy has declared however that she is pregnant – which if found to be true would save her from the hangman’s noose, and see her sentence reduced to being transported to the American colonies. To decide if she is in the early stages of pregnancy, a jury of 12 ‘matrons’ are forced to decide whether or not this is the case.
In a stuffy, grubby room, the women are watched over by a guard, Mr Coombes (Jonathan Wells), without food, or warmth as they strive to determine whether Sally Poppy is in fact pregnant.
The year is 1759 with the story taking place in rural Suffolk. This is not a straightforward courtroom drama however, but covers a multitude of themes from injustice, womanhood, bodily autonomy, politics, wealth and poverty, power and the class system – intensely serious issues yet brought out with a good helping of dark humour.
The cast embrace this fully, pulling no punches as the characters bare their souls with brutal honesty, creating powerful and sometimes shocking scenes. The acting of the 13 main women in this play is superb, in particular Anna Butcher who plays Sally Poppy and Rosie Pankhurst who plays Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ Luke, the midwife in the village.
Locked away in this room, as the local women try to work out the truth, we discover the stories and emotions of all the women – not just Sally Poppy, and each have plenty to say for themselves. With a background of a promise of Halley’s Comet making an appearance, each of the women bring forward their own secrets, prejudices and opinions in powerful and humorous ways.
No spoilers as to the decisions made, but the ending – or what you think is the ending, is shocking. But it’s not the end; there’s more to come, equally dramatic.
Overall an excellent, thought provoking performance, which was atmospheric, emotional and extremely well performed.
All credit to the backstage crew for such authentic costumes and the setting, and of course the brilliant direction by Peter Daly-Dickson and Assistant Director Connor Bailey.
As always there’s a great community spirit at the Saints, with tea and biscuits at the interval and a raffle which this time is in aid of crasac – Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre.
The Welkin runs until 23 May, so still time to get your tickets and fill the Allesley Village Hall to the seams - which the Saints Drama Society so richly deserve.
For tickets go to: www.saintsdramacoventry.org Box Office 07579 095617.
