“Bath playwright Gill Kirk’s latest play is hitting all the right notes in the arts world: a comedy to cheer us in leaner times, about and starring “older” women, cocking a snook at economics and art worlds alike, and of course, it has the ultimate “must-have” for any modern play: an invisible troll.
“At Bristol’s Alma Tavern Theatre from 20-31 March, Away With The Fairies is staged by Bristol theatre company Broohas with up-and-coming director Eleanor Fogg. Meg Whelan, Jasmine Darke and Kirsty Cox take centre-stage, alongside the troll.
“Gill was inspired by the lack of credible roles for women over the age of 30, as well as her love of Orkney, where part of the play is set. There’s even a nod to Jimmy Stewart’s classic film, Harvey, which also stars a mischievous mythological creature.
“The play brings together a Nobel winning economist, hiding on an Orkney island, a middle-aged Soho sculptor, scraping away at something she’s long forgotten, and her thoughtful and taken-for-granted daughter, Barbara, an accountant. When Isobel decides to commission a sculpture, their lives- and that of their supernatural friend – intertwine, causing each of them to question what they believe in.
Gill Kirk, scriptwriter 