30,000 women wash away their sins in Irish convent. A musical – based on a true story – by Wanne Synnave and Sam Verhoeven.
Brief content
“Magdalene” is set in 20th-century Ireland, where disobedient girls, so-called ‘fallen women’ were dumped in convents, where they had to wash for days, in terrible conditions. In those convents, a reign of terror was exercised by Sisters. The last convent did not close until 1996.
In the musical, we follow the story of three girls sent by their parents to one such Magdalene laundry. Rose, Sarah and Emma are placed with the Sisters of Charity for three different reasons. What follows is a sketch of what life was like in such a laundry, and that picture is not exactly rosy.
The Irish government did not officially apologise to the girls until 2013, and launched an investigation into the abuses in the laundries. However, many of the findings from this investigation proved to be neither subjective nor accurate, as the government itself was involved in the scandal.
“Magdalena” premiered in Antwerp in April 2018. A completely reworked version premieres in April 2024.
The press on “Magdalena”
“A wonderful piece that is not unlikely to enter the ranks of classics.”
MUSICALVIBES
“This musical grabs you by the throat.”
MUSICALSITES
“Tear-jerker that gets under your skin”.
MUSICALNIEUWS
Performances
2018 – World premiere at the Zuiderpershuis in Antwerp, The Singing Factory (B)
2024 – Premiere reworked version at De Blikfabriek in Antwerp, The Singing Factory (B)
Creatives
| Screenplay & lyrics: | Wanne Synnave |
| Music: | Sam Verhoeven |
| Arrangements: | Thomas Vanhauwaert |
| Original director: | Rudi Giron |
| Original Producer: | The Singing Factory |
Cast – 5 women, 3 men, youth and adult ensemble
Rose
Emma
Sarah
Sister Margaret
Albert Walsh
Aeden
Alice
Daniel
Youth ensemble (minimum 8 girls and 6 boys)
Adult ensemble (minimum 4 women and 2 men)
Orchestra (7 musicians)
Reed (clarinet, bass clarinet, alto saxophone)
Keyboard I
Keyboard II
Guitar
Bass guitar, double bass
Drums, percussion
Violin
Playing time
Act I – 60 minutes
Act II – 50 minutes
Translations
No translations available
Additional material
Integral image capture (2018)
Rights
On request – minimum 11% of gross receipts for the original Dutch-language version
Additional fee per performance for use of the script, vocal score and arrangement.
More info
Request info via licensing@iskariot.be
Requests
Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg
THE SINGING FACTORY – https://www.singingfactory.be/contact/
Worldwide, except Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg
SCENIOUS – https://www.scenious.art
