Mothers shouldn't have to give up the theatre says Enfield actress Sarah Goddard

The Tottenham actress, who has two children Dulcie, six and Sol, two, is touring the country until April with the adaptation of Jacqueline Wilson's beloved book and says family is firmly at the heart of the production.

"I think a lot of women fall out of acting when they have kids and it is really hard work, but my theory is that you still need to be out there and show mothers can still be creative and part of the theatre."

The 41-year-old juggles parenting duties with her partner Tom, who also works in the theatre, taking her children out on tour during half term and organising care for them while she is on stage, with another four of the six-strong cast doing the same.

"It’s quite complicated, we are all there with our spreadsheets and childcare, but the more we make it work the more theatres might have a place where children can be looked after while we do our shows.

"Sometime I think actors are supposed to give up everything and be in the road and actually I think it’s important to say ‘no, we have a life around it and we will be better on stage if we have a bit of time for that life as well.'"

Sarah is relaxing in her Tottenham garden with her two youngsters scampering around as we chat but is heading to Windsor and then Brighton before heading back to London next week for a month-long West End run at the Duke of York's Theatre.

The cast all play multiple characters in the tale of the first 11 years in the life of feisty red-headed Hetty Feather, who was handed over to a foundling hospital as a baby and Sarah stars as her foster mother Peg and real mother Ida.

"I think I have always been seen as a mother and have been given those roles even before having kids. There’s something I give off, I have a lot of love to give.” she laughs. "But I’m more than happy, keep them rolling in."

Like Hetty, who dreams of joining the circus, Sarah longed to perform from a young age and says: "I remember being at primary school and having to paint a picture of what we wanted to be when we grew up and thinking ‘well I want to be an actress but I don’t know how to draw one'. I ended up painting a nurse because I thought that was the correct thing to do and I still have that painting to remind myself at aged seven acting was what I wanted to do."

A degree in drama at Hull University taught her every aspect of theatre from costume making to direction but following her dream in London has not been easy.

"In my 20s I had a miserable time just trying to keep a roof over my head and doing all sorts of jobs. It was hard work."

She has gone on to work with companies such as Tall Stories and York Theatre Royal and has kept her career going by being involved off-stage in a lot of theatre making and teaching.

"I don’t have a name- dropping CV at all. You think acting is about getting to a certain place but you have to realise this is it, if you are getting work, and it doesn’t always follow the course you want it to and things come along at a surprising time, like Hetty Feather did.

"Director Sally Cookson, who I had met 10 years before, suddenly popped back into my life and was asking if I wanted to go to Bristol for an audition. So you never know. I have always been slow and steady like the tortoise."

She adds: "Sometimes I think I’m really stupid to try and keep it going and not do something more protected, with holiday pay and sick pay, but at the moment it’s OK and I think it’s good for kids to see their parents doing something that they really want to do."

Her children have been to see the show four times already but Sarah hopes they have transformed the epic tale into a production that appeals to all ages. During the two and a half hours the actors climb ladders, swing on ropes and perform aerial acrobatics on silks and Sarah says they wanted it to convey to joy and energy of children playing and they are sweating buckets by the end.

"It it was really important that all the people who know these books and feel they own the characters would believe our versions on stage. They have imagined those characters when they are reading it so it’s really quite nerve-wracking."

Their hard work paid off when the show was nominated for a 2015 Olivier Award and it has been highly praised by author Jacqueline Wilson.

"The one thing I knew was that we were doing it in the spirit of the book," says Sarah.

"It’s a very lively piece and emotive and moving and is about survivalist spirit and there is something for everyone.

She adds: "I’m just really proud to do it each time."

Duke of York's Theatre, St Martin's Lane, WC2N, August 6 to September 6 and artsdepot, Nether Street, North Finchley, December 2 to 6.

Details: hettyfeatherlive.com