Maz O’Connor: Women Make Music
The development of new musical ‘The Wife of Michael Cleary’
Maz O’Connor is a singer and songwriter based in London. Inspired by her folk roots, she writes story-songs, characterised by poetic, thoughtful lyrics and the merging of acoustic and contemporary sounds. She has released 4 albums, and been called by ‘a highly-individual singer-songwriter’ by The Observer and ‘a real find’ by Drowned in Sound. ‘The Wife of Michael Cleary’ is her first piece of musical theatre, and is inspired by the true story of the dressmaker Bridget Cleary. Bridget lived in Co. Tipperary and was a talented, headstrong, creative and independent woman. In 1895, she was killed by her husband and family because they believed her to be a fairy changeling. The musical brings together traditional Irish and musical theatre styles, and explores how superstition, religion and patriarchy all conspire together to enable violence against women.