Be My Baby

A Lyric Theatre Production touring to schools.

Director: Anna Newell
Designer: Niall Rea

Cast:
 Roisin Gallagher
 Susan Crothers
 Julie Maxwell
 Cat Barter
 Sharon Coade
 Libby Smith

Be My Baby was first staged to unanimous acclaim by London's Soho Theatre in 1998 and has had several productions since then. Set in a Mother and Baby Home in 1964 in the north of England, Be My Baby follows the fortunes of Mary Adams, aged 19, unmarried and 7 months pregnant. Set against a backdrop of the social attitudes of the 1960s, this beautifully touching piece, punctuated by the music of the day, movingly transports us back to the dawn of the sexual revolution. As the girls sing along to the romantic fantasies of 60's hits by artists such as the Ronettes, Dusty Springfield and the Shangri-Las, their aching optimism is set starkly against their personal tragedy.

"Has the heartstring-tugging potency of a pop classic". - The Independent

The Lyric Theatre is offering schools the opportunity to not only be part of the show’s Irish premiere but also to experience a unique show & workshop package that juxtaposes a historical piece, about a time where these particular young women had no voice, with a workshop where the young women who have been watching the show quite literally find their voice as they join the cast in joyful acapella harmony singing.

The production can also provide a catalyst and focus for further discussion in the classroom both in terms of the social and historical context it operates within and their relevance to today’s very different issues and context and also in terms of practical Drama. Because of the nature of the show and the workshop, it is suitable for all secondary school age-groups.

There will be one public performance in Queens Drama Centre on Saturday 17 January. To book for this performance, contact clare@lyrictheatre.co.uk.

Touring to schools around Northern Ireland in the period from 19 to 30 January 2009.

• Ashfield Girls' High School, Belfast
• Rainey Endowed School, Magherafelt
• St Michaels Grammar/ St Marys, Lurgan
• Drumragh Integrated College/Sacred Heart, Omagh
• Cambridge House Grammar School, Ballymena
• Loreto College, Coleraine
• Aquinas Grammar School, Belfast
• Our Lady of Mercy Girls’ School, Belfast
• Assumption Grammar School, Belfast
• Our Lady's Grammar School, Newry