Cold Snap

A new play is showing the world the power of netball as a space away from everyday demands.

Clare Currie is a netballer, a writer and a mum. She used to think those things didn’t sit well together, until she responded to a theatre commission a few years ago; finding herself consistently drawn to write about life through the lens of the sport she loves.

She explains: “Back in 2018 I was going through a particularly tough patch. I had three children under 12, was holding down a teaching job, running a household and finding it all a bit too much. Playing for Hereward Harriers NC was another thing to squeeze into the already packed diary and required a significant amount of travel time too. However, every time I considered taking my sport out of the mix, the answer was a resounding NO! This led me to reflect on the place of netball in my life on a much deeper level and that in turn was stimulus for writing the script for Cold Snap.”

Clare went on to work with creative producer and director Kate Hall of Jumped Up Theatre to prepare Cold Snap for the stage and introduce it to local audiences. She was then awarded Arts Council England ‘Developing Your Creative Practice’ funding and, along with other creative specialists, developed the work to showcase at the Cambridge Junction with audio and film.

She continues: “The whole process of writing and putting the piece on stage – collaborating with others and engaging an audience – helped me focus on the importance of team sport and its multiple benefits. Like so many mothers, I have an enduring love for and commitment to my family, but the day-to-day stresses and pressures of the way things work in the twenty-first century made it almost impossible not to feel overwhelmed and, on occasions, at breaking point. I could clearly see the link between playing netball and my own wellbeing. It was time where I could focus purely on myself and the team, get the benefits of physical activity and be part of a group of inspiring and supportive women – working with them towards a shared goal.”

In Cold Snap Clare juggles the demands of being a woman, whilst grappling with challenges to her own mental health. But this sits alongside an appreciation of the power and strength of her own body and a confidence in what it can do on court.

“There is a recurring netball routine that I do that sees me strapping and bandaging parts of my body in an attempt to keep going, before performing a routine on stage. The exercise is also set against and reflects the difficulties I’m experiencing. For example, after a scene where I am struggling to cope with hosting Christmas, the ball is replaced by a Christmas present, which obviously makes the drill a lot trickier!”

The two original performances of Cold Snap met with positive responses. Feedback included, ”beautiful, honest and brave” and “this is a subject that needs exploring”. It went on to be programmed for So and Pulse Theatre festivals and the Edinburgh Fringe, all before the Covid pandemic hit.

Now, after relocating and becoming part of Norfolk Utd and Thoroughbreds’ teams, Clare is in the process of putting the piece back on its feet again. “It’s really exciting to come back to concentrating on something I feel so passionately about, especially at a time when there seems to be a shift in the coverage and outlook on women’s sport. It’s important to admit that this still isn’t ideal and other sports receive more airtime than our game. However, now more than ever, I am convinced that having that space away from the strains of life and the camaraderie experienced in netball is a fantastic thing.”

Clare performed the piece recently in Norwich, receiving some great reactions. With some remembering playing netball in the past and being inspired to take up the sport again. One audience member stated: “I love how Cold Snap uses patterns of play as a mantra almost. It shows how ingrained they become in muscle memory and, in turn, become part of the player. I connected with the show as a woman who uses her body in the gym, and recognised the injuries all too well – how we push ourselves, because we must!”

Clare and the creative team are in the process of obtaining funding to get the piece ready for touring, with coach Helene Buckingham (former junior and senior England international) providing input on the use of netball movement in the show.

“It’s very important to me that I work with women in the netball community as I prepare to take this further,” says Clare, “I want to make sure I produce something relevant to our brilliant family of sportswomen, at whatever level they play. Key to the next stages will be offering workshops in sports settings to discuss the various aspects of our game and offer women some helpful input from specialists on how to care for their bodies in general and as they age playing the sport we all love.”

To keep up to date with the next stages of Cold Snap you can follow Clare at clarehcurrie

Clare plays for Thoroughbreds Netball Club, Norfolk. She is a founder of Syntax Poetry Festival, an associate artist of Jumped Up Theatre and part of the HighTide Playwrights Group 2024.