Ann Jellicoe

Patricia Ann Jellicoe (15 July 1927 – 31 August 2017) was an English playwright, theatre director and actress. She is most notable for having pursued innovations in the dramatic arts.

Biography Jellicoe was born in Middlesbrough, Yorkshire in England in 1927 and from childhood showed an interest and an aptitude for the theatre. She attended Polam Hall School and Queen Margaret's School, York and studied performing arts at the Central School of Speech and Drama. This was followed by experience in repertory and fringe theatre. In writing this play Jellicoe applied many of the ideas she had learnt in her early years at Central School. The play was subsequently staged by the Royal Court Theatre and directed by George Devine and Jellicoe. Although originally a commercial failure, the play was later performed internationally in many languages. Set in a Cockney neighbourhood of London, it combines realism, mysticism, music, dance, and ritual to create a feminist myth about modern civilisation. The play's title derives from a Hindu religious saying: "All creation is the sport of my mad mother Kali" (a Hindu goddess). Among London audiences, "the sport of me mad mother" might be recognized as a Cockney expression implying something highly unusual. Directed by Richard Lester, the film's cast included Michael Crawford and Rita Tushingham.

Selected works Following list from Who's Who