Publicity photograph by Paul McGuigan
‘human and very funny’, ‘thoroughly enjoyable’, ‘Cannon’s performance is vivid and engaging’ (The Scotsman)
1668. Mrs Alice Thornton – widow, mother, and daughter of the late Lord Deputy of Ireland – begs your presence at a defence of her life, including her many miraculous deliverances from death … and a dreadful scandal.
Based on the handwritten notebooks of Alice Thornton (1626-1707) – including two recently rediscovered manuscripts – this one-woman theatre/storytelling performance reflects on one woman’s life and experiences across the span of the seventeenth century, against the turbulent backdrop of civil war, plague, the Great Fire of London … and the treacherous world of North Yorkshire society. The play contains themes of bereavement and infant loss.
The Remarkable Deliverances of Alice Thornton was written and is performed by Debbie Cannon, directed by Flavia D’Avila of Fronteiras Theatre Lab, with dramaturgy by Jen McGregor. It is based on the research of Dr Cordelia Beattie, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Edinburgh, with whom the concept of the show was developed.
It was first performed at the Scottish Storytelling Centre on 14 and 16 November 2019 as part of the Being Human Festival. The performance on 14 November was live-streamed by Channel 7a.
You can read more about Dr Beattie’s ongoing research on Alice Thornton here and the development of the play for the Being Human Festival here.
We were delighted that the play was reviewed by The Scotsman.
We were lucky to have the production photographed by Jane Hobson.
Debbie Cannon 