Drama at the library

Story and photography by Shuna Beckett

Most of us have heard of Florence Nightingale. Perhaps fewer of us have heard of Mary Seacole, the Jamaican-born nurse who travelled alone and risked her life to help soldiers during the Crimean War.

‘The Yellow Doctress’, written by Burngreave Library’s Marcia Layne and performed by Hidden Gems Productions at Sorby House on 14th March, tells the lesser-known story of the benevolent and brave actions of Mary Seacole, nee Grant.

The roles of both Seacole and Milly, a Jamaican nurse who travels to England a century later and encounters similar discrimination, were wonderfully portrayed by Linda Hargreaves, who has appeared in television dramas and sitcoms.

Marcia Layne, winner of a recent Burngreave New Year’s Honours Award for her commitment to the library, has written several award-winning plays which have been performed at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and for BBC Radio, among other locations. She is currently writing ‘By Any Means’, a play about Malcolm X; ‘Mango Season’, a novel for her MA in Writing; and ‘Blood’, a new play for Hidden Gems.

‘The Yellow Doctress’ raised funds for International Women’s Day.