Winchester-based Deborah Edgington is bringing her directorial talents to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival at the age of 64.

A decade after her professional debut, this marks her first appearance at the renowned event.

Notably, she's part of The Lady Gardeners, a theatre company consisting of three women aged over 60.

Their play 'In the Lady Garden' is a distinguished selection at this year’s Fringe Festival, part of the seven highly-rated National Partnership shows.

It enjoys backing from both The Pleasance Theatre and Theatre Royal Plymouth.

Authored by prominent Plymouth writer, Babs Horton, the one-woman show stars Julia Faulkner, a seasoned actor with experience on London’s West End and more than a dozen UK tours.

The Fringe Festival performances will take place at Bunker One, Pleasance Courtyard, a much-adored venue of the festival's audience.

'In the Lady Garden' offers an exploration of aging, gender, and societal norms, unfurling the life story of Alice, a clever, caring woman whose life hasn’t followed her planned path.

As she navigates through the latter part of life, Alice grapples with feelings of invisibility until the advent of social media provides a new perspective.

Late in her 60s, Alice retrospects her life, appreciates the impactful individuals, and contemplates shedding her reserve for a more audacious approach to life.

Edgington, Horton, and Faulkner funnel their personal experiences, understanding, and humour into the production, effectively infusing their artistry with authenticity.

Their cumulative experiences wrestle with the societal expectation that women over 60 fade into obscurity.

Collectively, they recounted their stories, juxtaposed laughter and understanding, and found commonality with Alice's life, forming a uniquely relatable narrative.

Deborah said: "Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to be making my Edinburgh Fringe debut at my time of life. It feels like this is a pivotal moment in theatre for older women. Being a post-menopausal woman doesn’t mean being invisible."

Jodie Paget, assistant producer at the Theatre Royal Plymouth said: "In the Lady Garden is a hilarious and also important piece of work that we are thrilled to support, along with its fantastic company. We rarely hear empowering stories from older women on our stages and this feels like the perfect production and company to make this shift."