SO YOU WANT TO BE A TROPHY WIFE? Announced At Woordfees

Sue Diepeveen's funny and poignant one-person show, So You Want To Be A Trophy Wife? comes to Woordfees for two performances only.

By: Sep. 23, 2022
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SO YOU WANT TO BE A TROPHY WIFE? Announced At Woordfees

So You Want To Be A Trophy Wife? comes to Woordfees for two performances only.

Sue Diepeveen's funny and poignant one-person show, So You Want To Be A Trophy Wife? comes to Woordfees for two performances only.

Produced by Faeron Wheeler of F Creations, the show is written and performed by Sue Diepeveen and directed by Wynne Bredenkamp (At the Edge of the Light; Salt}.

It will be performed on 11 October at 20:30 and on 12 October at 09:30 at HMS Bloemhof Skoolsaal.

Following its screening at the NAF vFringe, the show has toured to venues such as The Drama Factory in Strand, Die Koelkamers in Paternoster, Umtiza Festival in East London and Theatre on the Square, Sandton, gathering praise from audience members and critics alike:

"it casts the whole of the vanity industry of imperatives against which women are raised with an urgent desperation to fit in, in a garish and fabulously comical light...It's a lovely, crispy bit of social commentary that slips between the chinks of popular discourse and comes with its own fresh and feisty character, against a uniquely South African background....it's a brilliantly biting foray into the underside of women's values and a perfect girls' night out." Robyn Sassen, My View

"this charming drama... Diepeveen has created a woman who is funny, self-deprecating and engaging" Robyn Cohen, The Cape Robyn

"[Diepeveen] is wholly engaging throughout.... [The play] explores issues of self-worth and self-belief, and also presents a confrontation of ageism and the effects of objectifying women." Lindsay Kruger, Broadway World

"Such an entertaining play...with a sting in its tail. Stunning performance by Sue Diepeveen." Georg Knoke

"Touching and poignant play with laugh-out loud hilarious moments! Sue Diepeveen's performance is moving, emotional and well balanced by her ability to slip seamlessly between that and side-clutching humour." Janice Leibowitz

"funny, poignant, different"

"brilliantly written and superbly presented"

"She's captivating, she lured us in"

"We had a good laugh"

"It was real. We felt her emotions"

"Thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a good laugh!"

"That was class! I had to laugh!"

"A wonderful one woman show. The diversity of the content... The story line... The immense feeling that came through"

The play follows the highs and lows of reaching middle age and pokes fun at how society ignores women in this category.

In a world awash with "influencers" and "blessers", poor old Marie is swamped! First losing her husband and then her mother in the space of a year has put Marie in a position she never imagined she would be in.

Feeling invisible and desperate, her only hope, it seems, is to find herself a rich husband. But that is easier said than done. She'll also need to make a few changes in order to attract said rich man. Can mutton really be dressed up as lamb?

Just how do you move forward when you don't feel like you're equipped for this world?

As Marie packs up her deceased mothers' things, we take a trip down memory lane with her to discover the twists and turns life has handed her along the way.


Laugh along with Marie as she looks at the unbelievable expectations that society places on women, and how ridiculous the fairer sex can be in the pursuit of what we think is happiness.

"So You Want To Be A Trophy Wife? is a fun, light-hearted but meaningful look at how we perceive our middle-aged selves!' says Sue Diepeveen.

"When creating this production, I spent a lot of time researching tropes and norms that feed into the belief that we are objects to please men, and do we women perpetuate this thinking unconsciously? For example, why do we go out of our way to keep our legs shaved? Do we do it to feel more comfortable or is it a need to be more attractive to men?".

"The character of Marie was really born from a family member who was content to go along with what her family and friends thought and who was easily influenced. I started questioning if her life was actually happier because she didn't rock any boats. Perhaps all this soul searching makes us discontent?"

So You Want To Be A Trophy Wife? will be performed on 11 October at 20:30 and on 12 October at 09:30 at HMS Bloemhof Skoolsaal.

Tickets cost R110 to R140 and R170 at the door. Bookings can be made at Webtickets. https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/Event.aspx?itemid=1518127598




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