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Rouse Ye Women

Rouse Ye Women (Townsend Theatre Productions)

Rouse Ye Women
The Story of Mary Macarthur and the Women Chainmakers of Cradley Heath
Neil Gore

Townsend Theatre Productions (CD, UK, 2020)

Townsend Theatre Productions and History West Midlands present the songs from the hugely successful touring theatre production of Rouse Ye Women, a new folk opera by Neil Gore with original songs by John Kirkpatrick and directed by Louise Townshend.

The stirring production and songs reveal the inspirational story of the women chainmakers of Cradley Heath and the fight against sweated labour. In 1910, they began a successful ten-week strike, led by the charismatic union organiser and campaigner Mary Macarthur, to more than double their earnings and establish the principle of a national minimum wage.

Recorded at Ebb-Tone Studios, Sheffield, and Godel Studios, Huby, Harrogate;
Produced and mixed by Al Scott and Tom Henthorn;
Songwriter and musical director: John Kirkpatrick

Cast

Bryony Purdue: vocals – Mary Macarthur;
Rowan Godel: vocals – Bird;
Neil Gore: vocals, guitar, ukulele – Fogger

Tracks

  1. The Outworker’s Song (3.27)
  2. The Fogger (2.02)
  3. Mary Macarthur (4.56)
  4. A Bundle of Sticks (4.35)
  5. Trades Board Act (3.25)
  6. Act on the Square (4.53)
  7. Rouse Ye Women (3.43)
  8. Fundraising (4.41)
  9. The Workers’ Institute (3.00)
  10. Singing Bird (3.55)

All songs written by John Kirkpatrick except
Track 6 Alfred Lee, arr. John Kirkpatrick