New days for Knight
Some of the women who played lesbian characters on the TV series Prisoner earned themselves a special place in the hearts of fans and in the history books of Aussie TV.
But in the case of actress Margot Knight, she didn’t play just one lesbian on Prisoner, she played two. And what’s more, she did so as both an inmate and a prison guard.
Knight initially played Sharon, the girlfriend of inmate Judy Bryant. Then years later, she played Terri, the girlfriend of Joan The Freak Ferguson.
Twenty years after the TV series went off air, it is still an achievement that Knight is clearly proud of. She has worked regularly on stage ever since, and is about to open in the new play Controlled Crying. However, talk about her days in Wentworth Detention Centre comes first in this chat.
Sharon was a bad one -“ she was into drug pushing and causing trouble, Knight recalls. She was killed when she was pushed down the stairs, but people loved hating her.
Then with Terri, she was quite dominant and one of the few people to have the upper hand on Joan Ferguson -“ she called all the shots. But in the end, Terri broke Joan’s heart when she ran off with a man.
Not long after Prisoner finished, Melbourne-based Knight did a play at Sydney’s Ensemble Theatre. Twenty years later, she is about to make a return to the Sydney stage with Controlled Crying, of which she is not only the star but also the producer.
The play looks at how couples react to becoming parents, and how that impacts on all the relationships in their lives.
The tagline for the play reads, Controlled Crying is for any parent who has ever wished Super Nanny might pay a visit!
Knight, who has two daughters of her own, says the play is based on very personal stories. The playwright, Ron, is a GP in Melbourne, and he had so many patients coming into his surgery who were needing to take medication to deal with their stress over parenting, Knights say.
It is so interesting how parents have become so distressed, with these horror children running the show.
Controlled Crying plays 24 April-12 May at the Seymour Theatre Centre. Bookings on 9351 7940.
