Theatr Clwyd today announces the cast for their new production of Celebrated Virgins: A Story of the Ladies of Llangollen, created by Katie Elin-Salt and Eleri B. Jones.
This inspiring new play, based on the remarkable true sapphic love story of Lady Eleanor Butler and Miss Sarah Ponsonby, opens at Theatr Mix – Theatr Clwyd’s temporary theatre village – on 24 May, with previews from 20 May, and runs until 4 June.
Celebrated Virgins stars Victoria John as Eleanor, Heather Agyepong as Sarah, Seán Carlsen as William and Emma Pallant as Lady Betty/Mary.
Katie Elin-Salt and Eleri Jones said: “We are thrilled to finally be able to bring this important and historic story to the stage, nearly 250 years after it started. We are so grateful to Theatr Clwyd, The Carne Trust, and to Tamara Harvey, for supporting us and giving us the platform to help these women reclaim their life story for a modern audience.”
Celebrated Virgins follows the story of Miss Sarah Ponsonby and Lady Eleanor Butler, two women raised in the upper echelons of 18th century Irish society who met when their worlds collided at Miss Parkes School for Girls, forming an unbreakable bond. Following this, they were forced to leave their homes and cast out by society. Taking up residence in Llangollen they became minor celebrities, forced to witness their own lives written about by those who could never understand. Now, they are back, ready to take back the story that’s rightfully theirs – on their own terms.
