Podcast: Taking a Trip To Cornwall

Lou Corben and Kate Webster on new play Morveren

This week our guests are director Lou Corben and writer Kate Webster. The pair are currently working on a new play Morveren, which is coming to Baron’s Court Theatre in January.

Morveren is centred around a hidden coastal village where women make the rules and no one has to shout to be heard. It’s also a damn difficult word to pronounce, especially when none of us could quite agree on how it’s actually meant to be pronounced!

We chat about the play, how music and sound will play such an important part, why Baron’s Court Theatre is a venue that is certainly on the up right now, and how the director/ writer relationship works in rehearsals.

Morveren

Baron’s Court Theatre

17 – 28 January 2023

The siren’s song is calling Keren’s name to come home – will she choose her career or her community?

​Morveren (Cornish, noun): sea maiden, mermaid 

Ambitious banker Keren is determined to make her mark. In a male-dominated industry, she’s learned that the way to get ahead is to speak loudly, strut your stuff, and sell sell sell. But the siren’s song is calling her name, drawing her back to her roots.

​Meanwhile, Keren’s grandmother Morwen knows it’s time to pass down her wisdom, knowledge and place in her grieving community. Inheriting the village’s leadership was never part of Keren’s plan, but her daughter, mermaid-obsessed Ellie, loves it here. 

​Drawing on Cornish mythology, Morveren is centred around a hidden coastal village where women make the rules and no one has to shout to be heard. Using theatrical magic and a digital choir to imagine an alternative way of living, Morveren is a celebration of community and a coming of age for three generations of women.

​Marvellous Machine Theatre Company presents Morveren by Kate Webster, directed by Lou Corben. Featuring new music and arrangements by Becki Jayne Reed, with the voices of London City Voices and Oxford Community Choir. 

Further information and bookings here.