Kristin Scott Thomas has accused male theatre critics of failing to grasp plays written by and about women. The actor made the comments while accepting the inaugural leading light award at the Women's prize for playwriting ceremony in London, a new honour recognising lifetime achievement by women in the arts.
Referring to her recent stage role in Penelope Skinner's Lyonesse, which ran at the Harold Pinter theatre in 2023, Scott Thomas said the play was mostly disliked by critics but drew strong audiences. 'A clue might be that many of the reviews were written by men who really didn't understand what it is to be a working mother or a child-free actress,' she said.
She also cited her monologue on menstruation in Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag, saying the speech 'ripped through the internet' and helped shift public debate. 'Where would I be without women playwrights? To be honest, absolutely nowhere,' she added.
The Women's prize for playwriting was founded in 2019 to address gender inequality in theatre. Research published by The Stage in 2022 found that about three-quarters of writers working in UK theatre that year were men. Ellie Keel, co-founder of the prize, agreed that plays by women receive a different critical reception, saying: 'We don't necessarily need more female critics. I just think the men should do better.'
