Why sisters have the greatest love of all

Why sisters have the greatest love of all Alamy The bond between female siblings has never been a more potent subject for dramatists, with hits from Little Women to Frozen putting it front and centre, writes Natasha Tripney. But, from Little Women to Fleabag, Frozen and many other film, TV and theatre productions, recently there has been a particularly interesting wave of art about sisterhood – Gerwig herself will move from directing a film about sisters to playing one opposite Oscar Isaac in Sam Gold’s production of Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters at New York Theatre Workshop later this year. “My work always ends up being about female relationships, and sisters are the most intimate version of that,” she explains, adding that she finds their bond interesting because it’s so “complicated and messy”. Even after Antigone’s death, she says, “Ismene’s can never not be Antigone’s sister.” Ali Wright Playwright Lulu Raczka’s new take on Antigone reconfigures the Sophocles play by focusing on the relationship between Antigone and her sister Ismene Raczka also suggests that sometimes the bond between sisters can be overly idealised in fiction as in life. “There can be a tendency to romanticise sisters, which can make you feel bad if you’re not close.” This is something playwright Chloe Moss explores in her new play, Run Sister Run, a co-production with Sheffield Theatre and touring theatre company Paines Plough, about two sisters whose lives have taken very different paths.