The Lady Gardeners
'In the Lady Garden' UK Tour 2025/26
COMPANY BACKGROUND
The Lady Gardeners, Babs Horton, Deborah Edgington and Julia Faulkner aim to bring older women's voices to the forefront and challenge societal views on ageing. With more than 80 years of collective experience in theatre and the creative industries, the trailblazing trio, who are all women of a certain age, have mastered the art of living life to the full.
The Lady Gardeners, Babs Horton, Deborah Edgington and Julia Faulkner aim to bring older women's voices to the forefront and challenge societal views on ageing. With more than 80 years of collective experience in theatre and the creative industries, the trailblazing trio, who are all women of a certain age, have mastered the art of living life to the full.
After sell-out runs at Theatre Royal Plymouth and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year, The Lady Gardeners are currently taking their award-winning show, 'In the Lady Garden' out on its first national tour.
WHO WE ARE
Babs Horton - writer
I spent my early career in teaching and was Head of English in an adolescent psychiatric unit when I started writing my debut novel ‘A Jarful of Angels’ which won the Pendleton First Novel Award and was shortlisted for the Authors Club First Novel Award. Since then I have written 7 novels - 4 published by Simon and Schuster. I'm a writing fellow for the Royal Literary Fund and run writing workshops for Theatre Royal Plymouth. My first play, ‘Wings’ was long-listed for the Bruntwood Prize. ‘In the Lady Garden’ is my second play. |
Deborah Edgington - director/producer
I have over 21 years of experience working in theatre, which started in fundraising for a large regional producing house. Although I had a long and varied career, it wasn't until eleven years ago that my directing career began and since then my work has regularly garnered 5 and 4 star national reviews. Credits include: ‘In the Lady Garden’ (Theatre Royal Plymouth, Edinburgh Fringe Festival and UK Tour),) ‘Muswell Hill’ (White Bear and Park Theatre), ‘My Children! My Africa!’ (Tristan Bates and Trafalgar Studios), 'African Gothic' (Park Theatre), 'Black Mass', 'The Seagull' and 'A Streetcar Named Desire' & the opera, ‘La Boheme’. In 2008, I co-founded 10x10, a national playwriting festival, which I produced for 10 years. |
Julia Faulkner - actor
I have been in the theatre industry since graduating from the Guildford School of Acting in my early 20s and have performed in London’s West End and in over 13 UK tours. Recent theatre credits include: Alice 'In the Lady Garden' Theatre Royal Plymouth, Edinburgh Fringe Festival and UK Tour), Widow Twankey 'Aladdin', Queen Aggravain 'Once Upon A Mattress', Granny 'Gangsta Granny', Georgette 'One Last Waltz', (Greenwich Theatre & The Bridge House), Jackie 'Find Your Way Home' and multiple roles in 'The Little Match Girl' (Theatre at the Tabard). Other theatre roles include: Sheila 'Relatively Speaking', Julia 'Fallen Angels', Mrs Clandon 'You Never Can Tell', (Broadstairs weekly rep and Shaw’s Corner), Ranyevskaya 'The Cherry Orchard', (The Jack Studio), Arkadina 'The Seagull', tour, Bawd/Dionyza 'Pericles', Witch 'Macbeth)' Tamora 'Titus Andronicus' and the title role in Phaedra. I have recorded audiobooks, appeared on TV and in TV commercials and worked on two award-winning short films. |
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Industry Accolades
Awards and nominations:
Fastest selling show:
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Industry Testimonials
'In the Lady Garden is a hilarious and also important piece of work that we are thrilled to support, along with its fantastic company. "Thoroughly enjoyed 'In the Lady Garden'. Julia Faulkner spot on...very funny Alan Bennett's script. Very tourable with wide appeal." |