Plan-B Theater’s The Beatrix Potter Defense Society, written by local playwright Janine Sobeck Knighton is a lovely piece of theater that defines what is sweet and real in a friendship. This one-hour one-act play packs such camaraderie, synergy, and affection, and philosophy, it has to be seen and felt to understand its quiet charm.
The Beatrix Potter Defense Society is the conversation between 16-year old author/illustrator Beatrix Potter, played with lively passion by Sibley Snowden, and the vicar’s wife Edith Rawnsley, played with warmth and strength by Flo Bravo. This one-act play is the conversation that these two women have, each convinced they have nothing in common, but as their discussion continues, they find they are more alike than they thought.
Beatrix has lived a very sheltered life, with only her various pets to keep her company. Her family takes her to the Lake District in England for the summer holiday and the teenager falls in love with her surroundings. Dismayed at going home again, she hides in her special spot in the woods with only her cherished sketchbook for company. Edith finds her here and urges the young woman to come home with her. But then they start to talk.
It is fascinating to see two characters begin the journey of creating a genuine friendship where there was none. Beatrix is young and has no real choices in her life, and her sketches of all she sees (frogs, bunnies, flora and fauna, and so forth) are her escape. Edith married late and her duties of being a vicar’s wife and a new mother have tied her down in a way she hadn’t expected. It is then the women realize that though their circumstances are not the same, they are in fact, kindred spirits. Edith had been an artist at one time but left it all behind for her “real” life. The discussion these women have and the bond they establish help us see that we aren’t only what we think we are. We are also what we realize we can be.
Projections Designer Daniel Charon inventively shows us the sketches and paintings the two women create on a screen that doubles as a pretty, slightly spooky background in the woods. As Beatrix sketches in her cherished sketchbook, the images shine on the screen and it made me feel as if I was sitting right next to this talented young artist. It brought me into the scene completely. Lighting Designer Emma Belknap gives us the silky smooth feeling of a glen of our own. Resident Scenic Designer Janice Chan has created a magical space with plants, trees, rocks, all greens and blues and browns. Everything a small wooded hiding place should be. A wonderful touch is small Beatrix Potter-like drawings of mushrooms and plants mounted on wood and placed around the set. Such a delightful touch. I wanted to take one home. I didn’ t. But I wanted to. (I met Chan after the show and she sparkles with joy, so one can see how she can create such a mesmerizing set.) All through the play, we hear the lap, lap, lap of the lake up against the bank, creating a cadenced background of tranquility and peace. Director and Resident Sound Designer Cheryl Ann Cluff gives us this beautiful touch and it’s one that I particularly loved. Water is magical. The costumes designed by Victoria Bird are clever. Beatrix is in a white nightdress that is so bright it shines in the dark. Around her shoulders is a blanket. This was my favorite touch. Beatrix is stealing into the night in her nightgown, but she brings a blanket so she is not only warm, but somehow safe as well. Edith’s costume is a buttoned up collared blouse, a wrap covering her floor-length coat, and spectacles–what a proper vicar’s wife would wear. Beatrix young and bright, Edith dowdy and mature. The juxtaposition of these two is very effective and convincing. Lighting Design by Emma Belnap is superb. The stage seems light and dark at the same time. It felt like I was burrowing further and further into a secret place in the middle of the night in the woods. Scenic Builder/Electrician David Knoll, Props Designer Arika Schockmel, and Stage Manager Taylor Wallace all delicately and boldly contribute their talents to bring The Beatrix Potter Defense Society indescribable perfection. Director Cluff keeps her two actors moving so the one-act never lags but doesn’t feel forced or unnatural. And the synergy between the two women is something that a director can encourage and the actors embrace. Each actress expresses emotions that run the gamut: fear, sadness, desperation, happiness, joy, and friendship. It was a delight to be a part of it
Playwright Janine Sobeck Knighton has created a small vignette of a moment between two women, talking in the woods. But there’s so much more. Sobeck Knighton researched how the lives of these two women contributed to the area in that time period, and brought to life something truly special. Her words on the page transformed into two women I wish I could have known. She made them real, authentic, approachable, and understandable, yet a little magical and mysterious.
The play’s title, The Beatrix Potter Defense Society refers to the eventual project of keeping the Lake District free from commercialization. But here, it also means Beatrix, finding the path of her own, to create and defend the life she will eventually become famous for as author/illustrator of stories The Tale of Peter Rabbit, and other similar works such as The Tale of Jemima Puddle Duck and The Tale of Tom Kitten.
This theater production is only a little over an hour and well worth spending the time to attend. We live in difficult times, no matter how we spin it. The Beatrix Potter Defense Society is a place and a story where you can settle in and enjoy.
Plan-B Theatre presents The Beatrix Potter Defense Society by Janine Sobeck Knighton.
The Studio Theatre at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center
138 W Broadway, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Available Dates: Friday April 5, 2025 7:30pm, Friday April 11 7:30pm, Saturday April 12 4:00pm
Tickets: $15-25
Plan-B IG
Photo credit Sharah Meservy
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