Mercury Musical Developments would like to invite MMD members to Cecil Sharp House on Friday 5^th April at 4pm for the sharing of our second progress lab of the MTI Stiles + Drewe Mentorship recipient – The Wife of Michael Cleary. Actors and creative team will be working on a selection of the material for two days and on Friday we are welcoming a small group of invited guests to watch what the creatives have been working on. George Stiles and Anthony Drewe will be hosting the session, and we would love for some of our MMD members to come along to watch and offer up feedback after the sharing.

The MTI Stiles + Drewe Mentorship Award
Writer: Maz O’Connor
Director: Tinuke Craig
Musical Director: Mark Aspinall
Date: Friday 5^th April 2024, 4pm-5pm
Location: Cecil Sharp House – Trefusis Hall
Cast: Simone Collins, Faoileann Cunningham, Stephen Hogan, Gary Lilburn, Corinne Martin, Ben Morris, Shane O’Riordan, Brendan O’Rourke, Ciaran Owens

The Wife of Michael Cleary is a new folk musical inspired by the true story of Bridget Cleary. Bridget was a young dressmaker from Co. Tipperary, Ireland, who in 1895 was burned to death by her husband and family because they believed her to be a fairy changeling. The story was widely covered in the press in Ireland and Great Britain. It has previously served as inspiration for music and literature, but this is the first time the story has been addressed in musical theatre. The Wife of Michael Cleary explores faith, superstition and imperialism at a decisive moment in Irish history, whilst shining a light on the pressing contemporary issue of violence against women.

We hope to see you there.