Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role 1985
Peggy Ashcroft A Passage to India 1985
SEX WORKER ROLE
Shen Te in The Good Woman of Setzuan 1956
Character Is A Prostitute
The Good Woman of Setzuan 1956
Long before she became a Dame, Peggy Ashcroft was treading the boards on the West End in London. In the play “The Good Woman of Setzuan,” by Brech, a young prostitute, played by Dame Peggy, is determined to carve out a good life. While simultaneously avoiding being abused by those who question her goodness. Not an easy thing to balance when your occupation is a hooker. This play is also known by two other titles – “The Good Soul of Szechuan” and “The Good Person of Szechwan.”
Peggy Ashcroft (left) in The Good Woman of Setzuan 1956
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The Good Person of Szechwan is a prostitute – Shen Te – who is implored by three traveling gods to remain good. They know she is good because she’s the only person they have found who would put them up for the night, no questions asked, and for no fee. The prostitute meets their criteria for A Good Person, and she is the only one they have found in their long travels. She asks ‘how can I remain good when everything is so expensive?’ The Gods decide to give her money to fund her continuing goodness. They go on their way. Things go wrong.