Simon Stone: It was David Lan, the Artistic Director of The Young Vic--he suggested "Yerma."
And I had remembered reading it before I had been through a similar experience myself,
and finding it really interesting.
But obviously not having that gut feeling of "Wow, I recognize this story.
I recognize this dilemma."
And as soon as David said, "You should do 'Yerma.'"
I went "Oh, I've actually got a lot more to say about that since I first read it."
And I didn't realize that until someone had mentioned it to me.
And also when the person who I went through this with and I went through it, I wasn't
reflecting on, "Oh, this is kind of like that play that Lorca wrote."
But it kind of felt remarkably of-the-moment all of the sudden, which is a strange thing
to think about in terms of a play written in the '30s in Spain.
It's strange to imagine that the peasant, Catholic, repressive reality of needing to
have a child to prove your womanhood could translate into a contemporary, secular world.
Billie Piper: We call her "Her" in the script.
I suppose the original character would be called "Yerma."
Certainly in our adaptation she's a modern woman, who has done very well at work, who
has a successful life and partnership and friend circle and they just bought their first
house—and that's pretty significant in the UK, you know, it's a big deal to own a property—and
then what comes next is the sort of, you know, natural milestone of considering having a family.
She's a woman who's sort of been able to pursue and achieve with great success and this is
an area that she can't easily access.
She's unable to get pregnant and it becomes something that totally, totally consumes her.
Much as it's about not being able to get pregnant, it's about a modern relationship sort of burning
out and um, with the pressures of society.
It's something we can all actually relate to.
Simon Stone: I suddenly realized that the curse that you feel biologically regardless
of whatever ways you've decided to identify yourself as a woman, which don't have anything
to do with your reproductive system, that don't have anything to do with how men traditionally
see your function in society, you know, that even the most open-minded, forward-thinking,
liberated, equal, strong woman still has a womb.
And that's something we can't ignore and it's something she can't ignore and what is it
when suddenly you have this conflict with yourself, with your enlightened, liberated
self and realize that you're becoming a character in a early 20th century Spanish play.
Like, what is it if you become Yerma for a contemporary woman in a city like London?
And that's terrifying, it's horrifying to find yourself in mythology where you feel
trapped by your body.
Billie Piper: I think if you want to—If you want to feel emotionally connected to
something, I don't think it really matters if it's something you've experienced firsthand
yourself. I just think in terms of watching a story about a couple, and on that level
we've all experienced that but I think it's...I think if you want to feel really connected
to something I think it's a great one to come and see.
It's certainly not light in its content but it...hopefully you'll leave feeling actually
moved by a piece of drama, which is always my quest when I go to the theater.
I just want to be ripped up, you know.