A powerful and emotive play written by a survivor of a mother and baby institution returns to the Market Place Theatre, Armagh on February 17, following its sell-out tour in 2024.
The Marian Hotel is a moving drama based on the real-life experiences of writer Caitriona Cunningham, who gave birth to her daughter while in the Marianvale home in Newry.
The play, which sold out 14 venues including the Market Place Theatre in November, 2024, received huge public and critical acclaim, with standing ovations at every venue.
Among the new cast members is Armagh actress Emma Mulligan, who plays Sarah, a tough, independent young woman sent to the home after becoming pregnant.
This new tour, produced by Derry-based theatre company Sole Purpose Productions, opens at Liverpool’s Unity Theatre on February 6, before visiting further venues in Letterkenny, Armagh, Limavady, and Derry-Londonderry.
Patricia Byrne, Artistic Director of Sole Purpose Productions and director of the play, said:
“The play is a searing portrayal of a dark time in Irish history. Victims suffer ongoing trauma related to abuse in the institutions, reflecting the legacy of a deep culture of shame about unmarried mothers in Irish society.”
Professor Phil Scraton, member of the Truth Recovery Design Panel set up to investigate the institutions, said:
“I have seen The Marian Hotel in Newry, Derry and Belfast and each time was moved by the excellence of Caitríona’s writing, Patricia’s direction and the cast’s brilliant performance. It has taken the hidden realities of mother and baby institutions, Magdalene Laundries and workhouses to a wider audience. This tour will give more people the opportunity to find out the truth of what happened.”
Set in 1979 against the backdrop of the Troubles, the play follows 19-year-old Kitty from Derry, who enters the home after becoming pregnant. She meets other young women in similar situations, and together they form a bond as they endure the strict regime and rigid discipline of the institution.
Despite the Spartan conditions, poor food and hard work in the laundry, the women find humour in adversity — sarcastically dubbing the institution ‘The Marian Hotel.’
The play aims to dispel shame and address the trauma faced by young women in a brutal system that forced many unmarried mothers to give up their babies.
Caitriona Cunningham, the writer, said: “I hope that audiences will get a sense of how things were for unmarried pregnant women, how ‘given up’ for adoption should have been termed ‘taken for adoption’. These institutions are part of our recent history, the effects they have had on our society still reverberate today.”
“Many women and their children were never reunited, for some it is too late but I hope that this play will help to open up discussions and that ultimately there will be no more shame,” she added.
Sole Purpose Productions, a theatre company known for developing new writing from marginalised voices, has supported the play from its inception, with funding from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Commissioning Programme in 2023.
Patricia Lavery, Head of Community Arts and Education at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said:
“The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is proud to support Sole Purpose Productions and this second tour of The Marian Hotel, thanks to The National Lottery players. This production demonstrates the power of the arts in shining a light on and creating discussion around important societal issues, helping to promote understanding, compassion and healing. Congratulations to all involved.”
The production has also received £10,160 from Arts Council England through its National Lottery-funded Project Grants programme. The project is further supported by Culture Ireland and generous donations from the public.
Patricia Byrne added: “We are truly grateful to the funders and all those who donated to make this tour possible. It is a testament to the play, to the impact it has had on the community of survivors, and to how it has resonated with the Irish public and Irish diaspora.”
For more information on how to book tickets for The Marian Hotel, and to learn more about Sole Purpose’s creative work with survivors of mother and baby institutions, visit www.solepurpose.org.
