A new play about founder of Save the Children Eglantyne Jebb is to be staged at Buxton Fringe before heading to Edinburgh.
In May 1919, challenging the British Government’s lack of response to a devastating famine in post-war Europe, Eglantyne Jebb and her sister Dorothy founded Save the Children. Four years later, she drafted the Rights of the Child which evolved into the current United Nations Convention.
Eglantyne writer and performer Anne Chamberlain said, “I felt compelled to share Eglantyne’s inspiring story by creating a piece of theatre. Eglantyne was brave, visionary and unconventional. Sadly, many of Eglantyne’s humanitarian concerns are extremely relevant today—the devastation of Syria, the refugee crisis, famines.
“As well as Eglantyne’s heroic moments, the play explores her struggles, disappointments, vulnerabilities and heartbreaks which draw her closer to our lives, our frailties and our humanity. Eglantyne is one of the most influential women of the 20th century yet one of the least known.”
K C Kelly directs Eglantyne which is on at the Old Clubhouse, Underground Venues, Buxton on Wednesday 11 July at 5:30PM and Thursday 12 and Wednesday 18 July at 2:30PM.