7 June 2023, JW3, 2.30pm and 7.30pm
Diane Samuels, Waltz With Me
Inspired by pioneering 19th century educator Cornelia Connelly, mother, nun and possible saint, the play explores the dynamics of marriage, nature of personal sacrifice for a greater cause, the impact of faith and human ability to transform adversity into deeper understanding and generosity of action.
Join Diane Samuels (author of award-winning play Kindertransport) for this full reading with professional cast, featuring classical, sacred and folk music, directed by acclaimed theatre director Joe Harmston to celebrate the book launch and publication by Renard Press of the playscript.
Company includes actors Danny Sapani, Lizzy Watts, Imogen Slaughter, Ken Christiansen, Patrick Dineen and Matilda Rowe; David Osmond (pianist/composer), Alice Barron (violinist), Hannah Blaikie (flautist), Laura Forrest Hay (music consultant) and Ghislaine Kenyon (research consultant).
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Waltz With MeDiane Samuels
When Maggie Byrne attends the retirement dinner of her old music teacher at the convent school she attended, she discovers she has more in common with the founding nun, Cornelia Connelly, than she previously realised. As events in Maggie’s world progress and relationships break down, Cornelia’s remarkable life waltzes and weaves through Maggie’s, bringing them together through their shared love for music.
Inspired by true stories of the nineteenth-century educational pioneer and reverend mother Cornelia Connelly and an ex-student of one of the schools she founded, Waltz With Me paints a moving picture of the challenges of marriage and motherhood, the calling of vocation, the nature of personal sacrifice for a greater cause and the impact of faith, infusing live waltz, sacred and folk music through the unfolding drama.