Flowers in the Dirt

A mother and teenage daughter escape a domestic abuse situation and are now forced to communicate with each other to navigate through their new, uncertain world whilst trying to repair a fractured relationship and break existing relationships.

In a neglected swing park, a mother and daughter fleeing abuse try to start over—but when a vulnerable outsider and the mother’s violent past collide, their fragile hope explodes into a desperate, life-changing act. A tense, raw drama about survival, motherhood, and the cost of breaking free.

The story was originally written as a two-hander play during the Write Tron writer’s programme at the Tron Theatre where it was given a development and table read.

An early draft of the play was also given feedback by playwright Douglas Maxwell.

The play has now evolved into a four-character tragedy with a running time of one hour and twenty minutes. It was given a table read in November 2025 at the Playwrights’ Studio Scotland with the following Director and actors – Stephen Barnes, Karen Bartke, Lily McCaffrey and Betty Valencia.