Myra in Space

Written by Bridgette Burton, Myra in Space is about highly intelligent but otherwise ordinary, devoted housewife and mother who wants to be an astronaut. Myra is inspired by Valentina Tereshkova (the Russian cosmonaut and first woman in space), who appears to her as an imaginary friend and avuncular coach as Myra determines to pursue her dream.

Deftly balancing comedy and pathos, the play delves into the experience of many women of a certain generation who quietly sacrificed their personal desires to raise children and enable their husbands to forge successful careers. What happens when the kids are grown up and the husband retires? What then?

“In Myra in Space, the two ideas that collide and provide that provocation are female agency and privilege,” says director Alice Bishop. “In addition, Burton always tells a story with brio and wit – her buoyant dialogue always belies a darker purpose, but always entertains.”