The story of a miner’s daughter, pioneer and political firecracker from Fife is to be told in a new play.
Born to humble beginnings in Lochgelly in 1904, Jennie Lee went on to become the first ever Minister for the Arts and a founder of the Open University.
Dundee-based independent theatre company Knights Theatre is developing a new play about her life and plan to perform a rehearsed reading later this month.
Jennie Lee: Tomorrow is a New Day will go ahead at 7pm on Thursday October 22.
Due to the current Covid-19 restrictions, it will be presented digitally and remotely – and in the spirit of the Open University which Lee was so passionate about.
Artistic director Matthew Knights said his subject came from a working class background to achieve great things.
“I worked in Fife Council for a while and in 2018 I met Kevin Sayer (the council’s area services manager) and others around Lochgelly and Cowdenbeath who were already involved with work to remember her locally,” he explained.
“I saw two things about the story really, one that it would have a deep resonance with people in Fife who remembered her and also that a lot of people don’t know a lot about her.
“Like a lot of working class history it is neglected and could also appeal to a new generation.”
With no regular funding support for the project has come from the people of Fife as well as ONFife and The Open University in Scotland.
The team are applying to Creative Scotland for further development funding to create a final draft in 2021 with the aim to then seek production in 2022/2023.
The hope is that it can be performed in Fife as well as potentially going further afield.
Lee, who died in 1988, was an MP before she was old enough to vote.
She caused uproar in parliament during her first speech, in which she accused Winston Churchill of “corruption and incompetence”, and was quickly known as a Labour rebel who protested the introduction of prescription and dental charges.
After becoming the first UK Minister for the Arts, and arguably the most influential, Lee was in her 60s when she produced the White Paper that outlined the plans for what would become The Open University, which was supported enthusiastically by Prime Minister Harold Wilson and called “blithering nonsense” by other MPs.
Development of the play began back in April 2019 with a special workshop in Lee’s native Lochgelly, and tickets for the forthcoming reading are available by donation via Eventbrite.
All donations will directly contribute to the future production of the play and help support artists in what are incredibly challenging times for the sector as a whole.
Tickets are available from https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/jennie-lee-tomorrow-is-a-new-day-rehearsed-reading-tickets-122682890829.
