“Who Is Molly Leigh?”
Research and Development Project
A weekend of creative workshops, singing and performance of…
“Who Is Molly Leigh?”
At: B arts, 72 Hartshill Road, Stoke on Trent, ST4 7RB
On: Friday 10th, Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th May 2024.
Access:
The workshops are suitable for those aged 16+
The singing/choir for this project is suitable for women, non-binary and trans people.
Workshops and performances are fully accessible by anyone using a wheelchair.
The audience are standing throughout, however if you need any further assistance or information please contact Kath on 07544814720 or
All workshops are free. Refreshments and lunch are provided. We can help participants with travel expenses.
Who Is Molly Leigh?
Who Is Molly Leigh is a brand new musical between B arts and musician Francesca Le Lohe and lyric writer Gareth Mattey, that will be tested by participants across the weekend of 10/11/12 May 2024 at B arts in Stoke.
After a successful Arts Council Project Grant, Francesca, Gareth and B arts have been awarded funding to test out creating an interactive musical about the local legend of accused Burslem witch Molly Leigh. As well as exploring Molly’s story, the project will explore women's stories, stories of difference and social exclusion.
Across the weekend participants are invited to join a community choir led by local choir leader Mary Keith, take part in story sharing, creative writing and poetry workshops (with British writer and activist Jasmine Gardosi), and be involved in acting in, and creating the set for the test show at the end of the weekend at B arts with a team of local creatives.
Through music & storytelling, in the workshops – which will take place at B arts base, 72 Hartshill Road, Stoke, ST4 7RB - we will explore local history from the perspective of women and those excluded by society for being ‘different’. Over 3 days, participants recruited from community groups affiliated with B arts and LQBTQ+ partner organisations will discuss the project’s themes in facilitated sessions.
Songs and scenes created by Francesca & Gareth will be workshopped and tested out by local actors and the choir, and then performed to an invited audience on the Sunday afternoon at 4pm. A community choir of women, non-binary and trans people will represent Burslem born Molly Leigh.
Audiences will choose their own route through the B arts building, listening to 3 local performers (Evangeline Grace Cooper, Cynthia Coady and Dan Stubbs) tell us about Molly from different viewpoints, before being surrounded by the Molly chorus.
For full workshop programme visit - https://www.b-arts.org.uk/who-is-molly-leigh
What to expect from B arts
You will receive a warm welcome with accessible facilities.
Our on site café Bread in Common will be provide light refreshments, lunch and hot & cold drinks across the R&D weekend. If you would like to participate in the full weekend but need some assistance with travel expenses please contact kath.stanway@b-arts.org.uk or text/call 07544814720
Community groups
If you represent a community group and would like to be involved or know more please contact kath.stanway@b-arts.org.uk or text/call 07544814720
B arts
B arts is an artist led arts and educational charity set up in 1985 to provide access to the arts for those who faced barriers to engagement. B arts has been based in North Staffordshire for all of that time and has worked all over the world. We co-create moments of fun, surprise, delight and joy empowering local people to find their own creativity.
B arts is an Arts Council England NPO and is supported by a range of trusts, organisations, partners and funders including The Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, The Paul Hamlyn Foundation, the Tudor Trust and Stoke on Trent City Council.
PRESS RELEASE ENDS
Notes for the Editor
A note from Composer Francesca Le Lohe
What struck me when first reading about Molly Leigh is that everything we ‘know’ about her has been shaped by the perspective of others. There is no firsthand account from Molly and everything which has become legend has been informed by superstition, sexist and ableist attitudes and the male religious leader’s sermons. Women’s stories and histories have often been overlooked, belittled or told through the lens of others (predominantly men), but in recent years, there has been a notable cultural shift in the arts & humanities to re-address the narratives of prominent female figures. I want to extend this approach to local stories through this project; I want to create a piece which encourages people to see things from Molly’s perspective, the perspective of the othered. It will be a feminist re-telling which creates space for audiences to form their own interpretations from a broader picture than the narrow story which has been told till now. I feel this reappraisal of our collective histories is a necessary step in fostering empathy and respect, and part of understanding the development of issues still present in today’s society, such as derogatory attitudes towards women, LGBTQIA+ people and people with disabilities. Without ever being ‘preachy’, I want to highlight these issues and promote reflection and discussion through creating a welcoming, fun artistic experience which I feel the combination of music and immersive storytelling can achieve.
A note from Librettist Gareth Mattey
Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about witches and witch hunts – about people who sit outside the norm, about whom lies and poisonous fictions spread like wildfire, and against whom the threat of violence ever hangs. It resonated deeply with me as a queer person, living through a time in the UK where this kind of dangerous ‘othering’ is returning in full force, and being used against LGBTQIA+ people, online and in person. The greatest victory we have against such attacks is living a good life, despite what they might say about us. This is what drew me to Molly Leigh and her story. She does not succumb to the gossip and slander, she surpasses it. This is what I’m excited to dramatize in collaboration with Francesca and B-Arts – to invite an audience inside a world populated with interesting fictions and half-truths before revealing Molly Leigh as a kind of queer pioneer. Not only was Molly Leigh an ‘queer’ person, but any queer person today could find themselves in Molly Leigh’s shoes. This would be furthered by an LGBTQIA+ inclusive approach to casting and performance, to make clear the parallels that sadly remain between Molly Leigh’s time and our own. However, Molly’s life was not cut short – there is no tragic ending here but an open invitation; to learn more about a curiosity of local history in a new way, to have fun with the game-like structures such an immersive performance can offer, to listen anew to new music in new contexts, to reflect on the damage gossip and slander can have, and to see the world from Molly Leigh’s perspective. It is a perspective that feels wholly queer to me, and it is one I cannot wait to delve into further for this project.
A note from Creative Producer Kath Stanway
B arts are really looking forward to welcoming new participants, artists, singers and working with a professional team we have not worked with before. We look forward to welcoming our community and participant groups in May, to ambitiously workshop a brand new musical in our industrial space. We are also looking forward to welcoming Evangeline Grace Cooper as one of our emerging actors on the project.
Having worked with us previously, Evangeline said “On my first day in the rehearsal room, I was able to see how accessible the job was going to be physically and as a working actor on the project with a disability. I felt accepted within the process and not judged due to my disability, which is so refreshing when working professionally.”
We work regularly with participants and community members from all different backgrounds. A couple of years ago Ryan Sanderson joined us on a work placement from Staffordshire University and said “from the moment that I started there was an all-encompassing atmosphere of being welcome, everybody was happy to meet me – they also made it exceedingly clear that any ideas I might have were valid and that they are open to hearing them which made me feel comfortable expressing myself to them when I did later on.”