Marge & Jules
"Sin spins a false story. Love is the true story."
In a world where sin and punishment govern their lives, two remarkable women discover different ways of living their faith. Interpreting the Bible is a dangerous thing to do — especially for a woman — but Margery and Julian find silence harder still. Filled with her conviction that God is love, not a voice of punishment, Julian shows Margery how to lift the weight of guilt from off her shoulders. In return, Margery reminds Julian what it is to have an earthly existence.
The first autobiography in the English language was written by mother of fourteen, Margery Kempe, who couldn’t read. Dame Julian, the renowned anchoress of Norwich, penned writings on mysticism and mercy that have dazzled spiritualists for centuries. Marge & Jules resurrects the historic moment where — as writings record — Margery met Julian. As spiritual enlightenment meets the darker stories of life in the Middle Ages, these women confess all; talking faith, life, after-life, semantics, erotics and the mysteries of the Man they love.
cast & crew:
Sarah Anson: JULIAN OF NORWICH
Máirín O'Hagan: MARGERY KEMPE
Directed by Andrew Brock
previous performances
June 2019
Somerville College Chapel, Oxford
March 2019
Worcester College, Oxford
a special performance as part of the symposium:
in medias res
Convention, Conclusion, and the Performance of the Text, c. 1050-1500
February 2019
University College Chapel, Oxford
April 2018
Margery Kempe Conference
University College Chapel, Oxford
November 2017
St John the Baptist City Parish Church, Cardiff
May 2017
Birkbeck, School of Arts, London
Post-show Q&A with Prof. Anthony Bale
March 2017
Queen Mary University of London
October 2016
King's College Chapel, London
Post-show panel with Dr. Sarah Salih & Dr. Sarah Law
November 2016
Unitarian Meeting House, Bury St Edmunds
March 2016
University of Geneva, Switzerland
Post-show Q&A with Prof. Elisabeth Dutton
March 2016
Café du Soleil, Canterbury
In association with METh & Early English
Drama and Performance Network
February 2015
VAULT Festival, The Vaults, Waterloo,
London
