This two-hander play takes us through the history of the last 100 years in a shop in a Lancashire town. This funny, poignant and heart-warming story will resonate with all ages and will make you think about what the next 100 years will hold for us. Miss Nobodies, was inspired by outreach done online and in the community of Great Harwood alongside research into local history and prominent figures of Lancashire. One such person is Ethel Carnie Holdsworth. A writer that worked in the mills in the early part of the last century. She is sited as the first working class, female novelist in the UK and parts of her poetry are used throughout the play to punctuate the story. The themes of the show cover social responsibility, civic duty and local pride, whilst touching on female solidarity, life choices and loneliness. The show mixes poetry, storytelling and music, to tell the story of a local shop spanning 100 years from 1919 to present day. Telling of the women that have made up the shop’s history, whilst also showing how the lives of women have changed over the last century.
About Ruth
A socially engaged writer, a northern poet, a musical comedian, a performance artist and dyslexic academic, Ruth has made it her job to find the weird and the funny in all walks of life.
From Blackpool, and inspired by sense of place, Ruth has created touring theatre shows and performance pieces for many years.
Over the years she has appeared on many prestigious stages such as Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the National Theatre, The Royal Exchange Theatre and more recently with her show ‘Love Letters from Blackpool’, the Blackpool Grand Theatre. Something she dreamed about as a child after watching comedy shows there during the summer season.
Stand-up comedy has been a part of her career for over ten years and during that time she has performed at many festivals, venues and travelled all over the world. To Italy, Germany and the Netherlands performing and working with some great artists.
Her writing has also travelled to festivals in Australia and Europe.