Penny Woolcock

Penny Woolcock was born in Buenos Aires in the mid-20th century and raised in a conservative British expatriate community that few know exists. Expected to conform to strict social norms, including marrying a suitable Anglo-Argentine boy, Woolcock felt stifled by her upbringing. After finishing school, she rebelled by joining a radical theatre company, running off with a man considered entirely unsuitable, and becoming a single mother. From these unconventional beginnings she built a remarkable career as an award-winning filmmaker, opera director for the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the English National Opera in London, and a solo artist with exhibitions of her work.