THE extraordinary life of a woman who was left to pick up the pieces after Scott of the Antarctic's untimely death is the subject of a highly-praised one-woman play.

Today, Kathleen Scott may not be as well-known as her explorer husband, yet she was remarkable in her own right. A sculptor of some note, she trained under Rodin, was the second woman ever to fly, and counted Asquith, Shaw, Barrie, Ibsen and Forster among her close friends.

Writer and performer Jenny Coverack became interested in Kathleen's story some years ago, after seeing a production of Ted Tally's Terra Nova at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth. Collaborating with the late Robert Edwards, a well-known teacher in Tavistock and Launceston, Jenny devised and wrote A Father For My Son.

Using Kathleen Scott's diaries as a starting point for her research, she has created a powerful, emotionally-charged monologue. Some of the artist's own words are used to convey Kathleen's early years, her marriage to Plymouth-born Robert Falcon Scott, his two Antarctic expeditions, tragic death and the effect this had on her and their son.

"I decided the most authentic way of telling Kathleen's story was to use some of her own words," Jenny said. "The play charts her life and takes the audience through her many remarkable adventures."

A Father For My Son had its first outing back in 2001, when it premiered at Cotehele in the Tamar Valley. In the audience that night was Lord Wayland Kennet, Kathleen's son, who congratulated Jenny, saying he was "both moved and impressed". It has also been staged at the Royal Geographical Society, Daphne du Maurier Festival and on Scilly, but perhaps the most unusual performance to date was aboard the Kapitan Khlebnikov at 78 degrees 41S in the Antarctic.

"It is probably the furthest south that any professional play has ever been performed," said Jenny, who grabbed the opportunity for an impromptu show while on a visit to Scott's hut.

Jenny Coverack grew up at Lansallos, near Fowey, and attended Truro High School for Girls. She now lives in a converted barn at Horsebridge, overlooking the Tamar on the Devon side. A keen yachtswoman, she gained a degree in Italian and English literature from Warwick University before studying acting at the Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol.

A regular voice on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, Poetry Please and The Afternoon Play, she will be performing A Father For My Son at Tavistock and Dartmouth in the coming weeks, before moving on to the Lake District and Ireland.

She hopes to present it at other venues in Cornwall and Devon over the next two years.

"A Father For My Son is perhaps particularly poignant at the moment because 2010 is the centenary of Scott leaving Cardiff for the Antarctic," she said.

Robert Falcon Scott died on March 29, 1912, at the end of an expedition that began two years earlier. He had led a party of five to the South Pole on January 17, 1912, only to find they had been beaten by Roald Amundsen's Norwegian team. On their return journey, Scott and his four comrades all perished from a combination of exhaustion, hunger and extreme cold.

Jenny says the most moving part of A Father For My Son is when Kathleen is at sea on her way to meet her husband.

"It is extremely touching because while the rest of the world knew of Scott's death, she was on a ship and, because communications weren't what they are today, she was unaware of her loss for some time."

The youngest of 11 children, Kathleen Scott lived her life somewhat unconventionally for the time, often sleeping out of doors. She ran off to Paris to become an artist, looked after refugees in Macedonia, and brought up her son, Peter, alone. Though something of an unsung hero, Jenny believes Kathleen was an inspirational character in her own right.

"Kathleen was a free spirit and a woman who knew her own mind," she said. "She was a wonderful sculptress and I bring this aspect of her life into the play. She was quite a Bohemian, walking barefoot, even in London, and sleeping under the stars. She even cycled to Paris, which was unheard of for a woman in those days."

A mother of two, Jenny lives with her husband John, who is himself an expert on Antarctica and a former member of the British Antarctic Survey. John regularly lectures on the subject, both in the UK and on ships sailing to the South Atlantic.

Although she wrote the play some years ago, Jenny continues to be inspired by Kathleen, saying: "Even when she was feeling down she still had resilience and strength. If I ever feel a bit low I just think of her and how she dealt with things."

A Father For My Son is at The Wharf in Tavistock on March 18 at 7.30pm (box office 01822 611166) and The Flavel in Dartmouth on March 27 at 7.30pm (box office 01803 839530).