Casting and EP announced for new Scottish folk musical A MOTHER’S SONG ahead of world premiere

The major new folk musical A Mother’s Song will have its world premiere at Macrobert Arts Centre in Stirling from 23 - 26 February 2023.

Co-created by award-winning Scottish composer Finn Anderson (creator of the smash-hit musical Islander, which enjoyed runs in London and off-Broadway) and award-winning director Tania Azevedo (&Juliet, But I’m A Cheerleader), A Mother’s Song: A New Folk Musical is an ambitious new transatlantic musical that spans centuries and continents. Moving from 17th century Stirling to 21st century New York City, timely themes of identity, motherhood, and choice collide in a bold and life-affirming story which follows three remarkable women at different moments in history, and traces the incredible journey of Scottish folk music across the Atlantic. 

Sarah comes from a long line of Scots-Irish ballad singers in the Appalachian mountains. She has severed ties with both her family and the folk traditions of her childhood, and is ready to start afresh with her girlfriend Alix in modern day New York. Whilst moving into their new Brooklyn apartment, Sarah is forced to sort through a box left to her by her late Aunt Betty. Within Betty’s box is tireless research into the family’s ballad-singing tradition - specifically the stories of two women, both on the verge of motherhood, who carried songs on their journeys from 17th century Scotland and 18th century Ulster. In Stirling in 1609, Cait and her minister husband are trying for their first child which causes Cait to feel a rage and fear that she struggles to name, whilst amongst the Scots Ulster community of the 1700s, fiery teenager Jean finds herself pregnant after a brief fling with a sailor and faces a risky decision that may take her to the ends of the earth. 

Sarah becomes obsessed with the choices and challenges these women faced, and their stories bring to the surface Sarah’s own desires to start a family. As the ghosts of Sarah’s ancestors begin to take over the apartment, Sarah moves towards life-changing decisions of her own. 

Co-creator Finn Anderson said: “Over the five years spent developing this show, I’ve become fascinated by the migration of Scottish ballads and folk music, and the stories wrapped up in the journey of these songs. Music is a portal to learning about how people have travelled over time, and how different cultures have impacted one another. With this show, we wanted to highlight the lasting impact Scottish music has had around the world, and also to weave traditional songs together in a contemporary story, to bring a fresh perspective to some of the ballads.”

Co-creator Tania Azevedo said: “When we started writing this show in 2018, we wanted to tell a story about what we carry forward from those who came before us. Through the journey of the songs, the show explores motherhood and how the idea of choice is a relatively recent privilege, which hasn’t necessarily been afforded to all our ancestors. In the four years since we began developing this show, the issue of women’s agency over their bodies has become increasingly pressing. It feels like a key time to be telling this story.”

The show reunites Finn with his two Islander lead actors, as The Stage Award nominee Bethany Tennick stars as Sarah and Olivier Award nominee Kirsty Findlay stars as Cait. They are joined by Melanie Bell (The Girl Who, Noisemaker at The Other Palace) as Aunt Betty, Blythe Jandoo (Sunshine on Leith, Pitlochry Festival Theatre) as Jean/Morna, Tinashe Warikandwa (The Steamie, Dundee Rep) as Alix/Shona and Craig Hunter (Local Hero, Chichester Festival Theatre) as Ronan/Jamie/Emmet.

A Mother’s Song: A New Folk Musical features a score of brand-new songs alongside new arrangements of traditional Scottish and Appalachian ballads (including ‘The Four Marys’, ‘Let No Man Steal Your Thyme’ and ‘Say Darlin’ Say’). With musical direction and live piano by Shonagh Murray (who has recently worked on the blockbusting Six the Musical), the show features an all-female live band starring Laura Wilkie on fiddle, Signy Jakobsdottir on percussion and Jenny Clifford on guitar. 

‘Sarah’s Song’ from the show will be released digitally as a single on 6 January and an EP of new music from the show will be released digitally on 27 January. 

Both Finn and Tania add: “After five years of development, we are over the moon to be sharing the first professional production of A Mother’s Song in February, working with a world-class group of actors, musicians and artists.” 

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