From then on agitation and propaganda groups, like 'The Women's Street Theatre Group' sprang up to push for women liberation. Between 1975 and 1978 women began vying for complete liberation, resulting in more complex and refined plays being produced [Goo03].
It is precisely around this period that Caryl Churchill sets her epic play Top Girls. The story contrasts the lives and ideologies of two sisters, Marlene and Joyce, and the resultant conflicts between them. Marlene is portrayed as a woman who chooses to sacrifice her family (and more importantly her daughter) to get to the upper echelons of the employment agency where she works. Churchill juxtaposes her with her less-than-successful sister who embraces family life above the pursuance of a career and ends up bitter and frustrated. Churchill appears to question the rationale behind either extremity. Further, the reader is reminded of the political ramifications of the stance that Churchill takes, when both sisters argue about the policies of Margaret Thatcher (the then Prime Minister). As can be expected, while Marlene adores Thatcher and claims that her policies have been pivotal to the success of women like her, Joyce sees them as having had the opposite effect. Although this polarization is not exclusive to women, Churchill uses it to show the terrible rift governance can create within families and, in particular, amongst siblings. Much more, however, her message appears to be one of women not needing to sacrifice career for family or vice-versa, but that they should aim for self-determination and fulfillment. .
Secondly, feminist theatre must go beyond 'just' political change; it must provide a voice for the women of all cultures and geographical locations, irrespective of the generation to which they belong. This is evident in Top Girls, where Marlene has thrown a dinner party to celebrate her promotion and has invited Isabella Bird (1831-1904), Lady Nijo (b.
