Staging Liminality: Transition to Womanhood in Post-Agreement Belfast in Lucy Caldwell’s Leaves

Amidst the enduring fascination with the overarching narrative of Northern Ireland’s Troubles, Lucy Caldwell’s drama offers a poignant reflection on the complexities of women’s experiences growing up in a society that transitioned from conflict to peace in the 1990s. This paper explores the theme of liminality in Caldwell’s play Leaves, focusing on a powerful portrait of teen-aged girls who are coming of age in Belfast. Through a generational portrayal—Phyllis, shaped by the Troubles; her three daughters, Lori, navigating the end of conflict; Clover, born two years prior to the 1994 ceasefire; and Poppy, born after the Good Friday Agreement—Caldwell mirrors Northern Ireland’s state of suspended transformation, a nation caught between a violent past and an uncertain future. While Caldwell’s work reflects a pervasive sense of isolation and disconnection, this paper examines how she subtly gestures toward hope, suggesting a readiness to confront unresolved tensions and highlighting the critical need for connection, support, and resilience in young women’s lives. Through her nuanced portrayals of girlhood and its liminal nature, Caldwell creates a dialogue that bridges reflections on the recent past with aspirations for the future. Subsequently, this paper investigates how Caldwell’s portrayal of female narratives not only allows for the articulation of an otherwise invisible yearning for connection and relationality among young female characters but also challenges the constraints of a society still emerging from its own liminal state in a post-agreement era.