Podcasts

Podcast: Free Spirits and Corsets 

Claire Parker on The Vegan Tigress

Not heard of Mary De Morgan? Don’t worry, we have to admit most of us here at ET hadn’t either, but that’s all about to change as we chat to Claire Parker about her show The Vegan Tigress.

Mary De Morgan was a writer, a woman of independent means, a socialist and an activist. She wrote several volumes of fairy tales, tearing up the rule book on expected outcomes for boys, girls and happy ever afters.

The Vegan Tigress tells the story of De Morgan through one of her own fairytales, reimagining the moment a formidable ghost from Mary’s past forces her to re-evaluate her own story as she finds herself on the cusp of a life-changing journey. Lily Middleton chats to Claire about the show and why she wanted to write a show about De Morgan.

The Vegan Tigress plays at Bread and Roses Theatre from 18 February to 1 March. Further information and tickets available ⁠here⁠.

The Vegan Tigress

Bread and Roses Theatre

18 February – 1March

A 19th century feminist fairytale writer accidentally summons a ghost. The spirit is the highly-offended mother of the lover the writer spurned years before. The opposing worlds of free spirits and corsets collide… 

Claire Parker’s new play shines a light on Mary De Morgan, a writer, a woman of independent means, a socialist and an activist. Mary wrote several volumes of fairy tales, tearing up the rule book on expected outcomes for boys, girls and happy ever afters.

She grew up amongst artists and activists in a circle of free-thinking Pre-Raphaelites and was well acquainted with the families of William Morris, Edward Burne-Jones, Rudyard Kipling and the Rossettis and would frequently read her stories to their children.

The play celebrates the art and act of storytelling. One of De Morgan’s fantastical tales is woven into this witty reimagining of the moment a formidable ghost from Mary’s past forces her to re-evaluate her own story as she finds herself on the cusp of a life-changing journey.

Presented by LynchPin Theatre. 

Tickets available here.

Lily Middleton

Lily is a freelance copywriter, content creator, and marketer, working with arts and culture clients across the UK. When not working, she can be found in a theatre or obsessively crafting. Her love of theatre began with musicals as a child, Starlight Express at the Apollo Victoria being her earliest memory of being completely entranced. She studied music at university and during this time worked on a few shows in the pit with her violin, notably Love Story (which made her cry more and more with each performance) and Calamity Jane (where the gunshot effects never failed to make her jump). But it was when working at Battersea Arts Centre at the start of her career that her eyes were opened to the breadth of theatre and the impact it can have. This solidified a life-long love of theatre, whether in the back of a pub, a disused warehouse or in the heart of the West End.

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