Mumfighter is a new play written by Tracy Harris, based on her own personal experiences of having a child with a disability and fighting to get them the help they need. The emotional one-woman show follows the life of Amber, from her life before her child was born to trying to process having a child with Cerebral Palsy, to fighting systems, like the NHS, to get her daughter the medical therapies and assistance she needs. The play was able to connect with its audience and is raising awareness of the struggles of living with a disability and supporting someone with a disability.

Katie Payne’s performance as Amber was breath-taking both emotionally and physically. The way she confidently moved around the arena staging, engaging with the audience and the set was remarkable and, the symbolic fight sequences were effortlessly done. Despite the difficulty and the pressure of performing solo, Katie Payne appeared undaunted, allowing her to deliver the emotionally striking performance, perfectly portraying a mother who feels lost and unable to help her daughter.

The play resonates with many people, including myself, and is showcasing Welsh talent from Katie Payne and Tracy Harris. In interviews Tracy Harris said that she thinks there are problems in the support system for people and children with disabilities and that people who are not part of that world are still unaware of the problems. The play has definitely succeeded at raising awareness of the issues that carers can face every day and the fight that is still ongoing for support. I think the play will be remembered for the exceptional representation of disabilities, from an entirely unique perspective that I haven’t seen explored before.