Real stories of family and friendships in one of Liverpool’s strongest communities will come to life on stage at Liverpool’s Royal Court Studio on 13th & 14th March.
Sweet Mother is an oral history project created and directed by Nwoko Arts artistic director Maria Paul. The play tells the previously unrecorded stories of white women who fell in love with black men and raised their families in Liverpool 8 between the 1950s and 1980s. A time which is well recorded for unrest in the area.
Today Nwoko Arts begin rehearsals for the play which will be devised from verbatim interviews and can reveal the cast as Margaret Connell, Amanda George and Lisa McMahon.
Margaret Connell was Artistic Director at Liverpool’s Lantern Theatre where she directed all in house productions including the critically acclaimed Broken Biscuits. Margaret last appeared on stage in Skirmishes which was performed at the Lantern Theatre.
Amanda George found her love for the stage at the young age of 6, she went on to study acting professionally and performed in several productions at Liverpool’s Unity Theatre before pursuing a successful Theatre in Education career.
Lisa McMahon recently appeared in Those Two Weeks at the Unity Theatre and as Violet in the North West tour of Ball of Fire. Lisa also has a number of television credits with appearances in Hollyoaks and Moving On.
To create the piece Nwoko Arts Artistic Director, Maria interviewed dozens of women from the Liverpool 8 community. Sweet Mother tells the stories of four of these women.
The women in focus are Joan Caddick, Marie Chicken, Josie Burger and Vera McRae.
The women shared their experiences of raising families in 1950s to the 1980s Toxteth; the play looks at the previously untold stories of white women who fell in love with, married and raised families with black men in the Liverpool 8 community during a time of racial unrest.
Sweet Mother is celebration of the strength and resilience of these women and the many more like them. Their stories will be told for the first time by Nwoko Arts who are dedicated to telling the story of this unheard community.
The women have lived incredible lives and have an archive of shared memories and stories that could translate to the silver screen. Blending movement, music and song with a slice of scouse humour, the play highlights the challenges these women faced, while also looking and the unforgettable bonds created in being a member of their community.
Do not miss this piece of Liverpool history on stage.
Tickets for Sweet Mother at The Royal Court Studio on the 13th and 14th March are on sale now from the venue’s Box office and are priced £10 and £12.