Rollem

Kay's early background was always in theatre, and her most successful play to date is A Passionate Woman, which was first produced by the West Yorkshire Playhouse in 1992. 

A personal story, inspired by the life of Kay's late mother, it transferred to the West End in 1996, where it ran for a year to rave reviews followed by five national tours. Since 1996, the play has been performed on stage somewhere in the world every week.

Kay remembers how the script was intially commissioned by Jude Kelly, at the time Artistic Director of the West Yorkshire Playhouse...

Just before Jude took over as artistic director in 1988, I submitted a script to the Playhouse called In All Innocence, about a woman who'd been sexually abused by her father. Jude called me in for a meeting and I was amazed by this dynamic little blonde.

In All Innocence was great, she said, but was too filmic. She commissioned me to make it more suitable for the stage. It was my first big stage commission after years of writing and acting in pubs and clubs. I was bowled over. I felt I'd met a kindred spirit. It was clear Jude was as passionate about drama as I was and, like me, she was very pro women's stories. Once Innocence had opened, Jude asked: "What's in your head now?" I told her this very vague idea about "a woman climbing into her loft". Her eyes sparkled and she said: "I'm commissioning that." As the idea took shape, Jude showed how clever she is at making you think very precisely about what you're doing as a writer. The loft idea became A Passionate Woman, inspired by my mother's extra-marital affair. It ran at the Playhouse and then for a year in the West End.

 Kay Mellor, 1998

The stageplay was given a new lease of life at Hull truck theatre in 2010 where Kay took on the role of Betty herself. The play was met with great critical acclaim and will be touring some theatres in 2011. Keep an eye on the website for more details!