尽管人类学家已经指出了农业与父权制社会结构兴起之间的联系，但不可否认的是，女性在历史上一直扮演着重要的农业劳动角色。汉娜·哈利尔（Hannah Khalil）的新剧《农夫的妻子》（The Farmer’s Wife）灵感来源于海伦·雷班克斯（Helen Rebanks）的同名畅销回忆录；在这部剧中，男性完全被排除在故事之外，剧情的焦点完全放在了那些默默无闻、常常被忽视的女性身上。
While anthropologists have made links between farming and the rise of patriarchal social structures, it’s impossible to deny the role that women have historically played in the agricultural workforce. In The Farmer’s Wife, Hannah Khalil’s new play inspired by Helen Rebanks’ bestselling memoir of the same name, men are entirely absent from the narrative. The focus, instead, is squarely on the women quietly holding everything together – who are usually anonymous and often unseen.
该剧讲述了三代女性在一个家庭农场中的生活故事。她们每天繁重的劳动揭示了那个深受传统与常规束缚的制度中所存在的种种问题。这三位女性分别由艾琳·德夫林（Eireann Devlin）、克里斯汀·恩特威尔（Christine Entwisle）和罗伯塔·克尔（Roberta Kerr）饰演，她们既承受着扎根于这片土地上的生活的艰辛，也体验着其中的快乐——然而，在这个快速变化的世界里，这种生活往往显得异常残酷。
The story follows three generations of women living on a family farm, their unrelenting daily workload drawing attention to the cracks that exist in a system entrenched in tradition and routine. The trio of women, simply referred to as Young, Older and Oldest, are played tenaciously by Eireann Devlin, Christine Entwisle and Roberta Kerr respectively. They hold both the heaviness and joy of an existence rooted in the land, which can be unforgiving, particularly in the context of a rapidly changing world.
这部舞台剧呈现了农场中的某一天，这一天对这个家庭来说似乎具有重要意义，但我们直到剧终才明白其中的原因。当“年长的女性”（Older）忙得不可开交、拼命准备一切时，观众很难不感受到一种压抑、窒息的氛围；舞台上的角落里堆满了各种食材、餐具和炊具，这种场景让人感到压抑和不安。
This in-the-round production presents one day on the farm – a day that seems to have some significance to the family, although we’re not privy to why until the very end. As Older maniacally rushes around to get everything ready, it’s hard to ignore the feeling of claustrophobia that creeps in when pieces of the family kitchen are wheeled on and placed in the corners of the stage, peppered with supplies, crockery and utensils.
路易·怀特莫尔（Louie Whitemore）富有创意的舞台设计，加上马克·梅尔维尔（Mark Melville）极具感染力的声音设计，共同将这个乡村场景描绘得神秘而超凡脱俗。例如，当“年长的女性”因肩负重担而精疲力竭时，一堆文件从天花板上掉落下来；又或者当剧中人物试图抓住那只“无形却真实存在的动物”时，一只想象中的狗兴奋的叫声在舞台上回荡……这些细节都增强了戏剧的戏剧张力。
Louie Whitemore’s inventive set, combined with Mark Melville’s highly affecting sound design, contribute to the depiction of this rural scene as something inexplicable and otherworldly. For example, when a flurry of paperwork falls from the ceiling as Older drowns in the weight of responsibility, or when the excited bark of an imagined dog reverberates around the stage and in the wings, as the characters scramble to catch this invisible, yet completely vivid, being.
故事的核心是一张普通的木制厨房餐桌——它见证了农场生活的单调与乏味：无尽的账单、琐碎的家务，以及那些能够改变人物命运的瞬间。这张餐桌既是母亲与女儿之间冲突的战场，也是莎士比亚式独白以及充满激情的歌舞表演的舞台。通过这些对比与情感性的闪回，莉兹·史蒂文森的导演手法突显了农场与家庭生活的动荡与复杂。然而最终，社区的力量成为了决定性的因素；在这部感人至深的剧作《农夫的妻子》中，影片强调了坚持与团结的真谛。
At the centre of the action is an unassuming wooden kitchen table, which bears witness to the monotony of farm life, with never-ending bills and chores, and moments that alter the course of the characters’ lives. It becomes a battleground for the conflict between mothers and daughters, but also a literal stage, for a Shakespearean monologue and a rowdy rendition of I Will Survive. Through these contrasts, as well as emotional flashbacks, Liz Stevenson’s direction underlines the tumultuous nature of farm and family life. But in the end, community proves to be key, and in its moving finale The Farmer’s Wife emphasises the true power of perseverance and camaraderie.
演出地点：凯斯威克的“湖畔剧院”（Theatre By the Lake），演出时间持续至10月10日。
At Theatre By the Lake, Keswick, until 10 October