“I wanted to write this play because Mary Ann’s story is not just history. It’s a call to action”
A powerful new play celebrating one of Belfast’s “most remarkable yet overlooked figures” will take to the stage this October.
My Name Is Mary Ann McCracken will be performed by Andersonstown Community Theatre at Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich on October 24 and 25.
Andersonstown Community Theatre is an intergenerational project formed in the 1990s, which works to combat issues including social isolation through theatre.
Written and directed by Marnie O’Doherty, this production has provided an opportunity for members to explore local history in a creative and collaborative way, thanks to funding from The Honourable The Irish Society.
A description of the show reads: “The play tells the extraordinary story of Mary Ann McCracken, abolitionist, social reformer and tireless champion of the poor, whose quiet determination shaped Belfast’s history far beyond the shadow of her famous brother, the United Irishman Henry Joy McCracken.
“Combining historical fact with evocative storytelling, My Name Is Mary Ann McCracken brings audiences into the heart of revolutionary Belfast, following Mary Ann’s fight for justice, equality and human dignity at a time when women’s voices were so often silenced.”
Writer Marnie O’Doherty said: “Mary Ann McCracken is a name that deserves to be spoken in the same breath as Ireland’s greatest social reformers, yet so many people still don’t know who she was.
“She was brave, principled and decades ahead of her time, a woman who stood up to injustice whether it came from campaigning against slave trading in Belfast’s docks or the poverty in its streets.
“I wanted to write this play because Mary Ann’s story is not just history. It’s a call to action. She shows us how one person, without wealth or official power, can make real, lasting change simply by refusing to accept that things must stay as they are.
“I hope audiences leave the theatre inspired by her courage and reminded that ordinary people, especially women whose voices were so often pushed aside, have always shaped the world in ways we’re only just beginning to fully acknowledge.”
Performances by Andersonstown Community Theatre will take place at Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 October – for tickets and further information see here
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