London playwright’s return to Playbox

Mairin O’Hagan grew up in Kenilworth and was a frequent performer with Playbox Theatre, also acting at the Belgrade in Coventry and the Talisman in Kenilworth.

Her latest work is called Marge and Jules, and is visiting the Dream Factory Shelley Avenue before it tours Europe.

The play is about Margery Kempe, the first autobiographer in the English language, and Julian of Norwich, the anchorite and theologian.

Mairin said: “Marge and Jules is a heart-warming, thought provoking and, at times, funny production which explores the meeting between two significant medieval figures.

“It is based on the texts that they both wrote, but we have updated them to be interesting and accessible to modern audiences. The play looks at lots of their different ideas about faith - some of them are strikingly medieval, and some are very modern, warm and loving - but it also sheds light on the real lives of these historical women.

“We had a run in London in February, and the feedback we were most pleased with was that vicars and atheists both came to see it, and both said they really enjoyed the story, and could relate to the characters. We were thrilled with that – it is a hard balance to strike!”

And returning to Playbox is likely to be a meaningful experience for Mairin.

She said: “I am really excited to come back to Playbox, where I had so much fun for many years, and learnt a great deal.

“My mother, Dr Jill O’Hagan, who still lives in Kenilworth, made the wonderful costumes, and has been busy putting up flyers and posters around Warwickshire. “It would be lovely to have a good local audience, as the first stop in our European tour.”

Two performances of the play take place tomorrow (Saturday), one at 4pm and the other at 7pm. Standard tickets cost £7.

Call 01926 419555 or visit www.playboxtheatre.com/ to book or for more information.