Goodbye Jolene

The World Premiere of GOODBYE JOLENE took place on Thursday July 6th 2023 @TOM - The Old Market .  Country meets choral in a play about literacy, lockdown and the love of music.

We’d been dreaming and planning this new play for so long and had so many set backs that I could actually now write another play about that! But here we are in 2024 with our sixth production and our first contemporary piece, a play with songs in which Country Music meets the Early Music of William Byrd and Thomas Tallis. Too many people in the UK believe that classical music is above and beyond them – too highbrow - and so we’d really love our audiences to leave the theatre, with big smiles on their faces, having enjoyed all the music in the play - including the three original songs, written by Chris Barnes who plays Norman. A story about the healing power of music and a shout out for the one in seven people in the UK who confront their literacy demons everyday

Goodbye Jolene is unashamedly a woman’s piece but we think our new play will resonate with anyone who’s ever felt isolated or lonely and also anyone who….. loves music

A dyslexic woman, aged 60, who’s been working as a carer, finally realises, after months of lockdown hell, that she can now face anything, even her demons of literacy. It turns out that Niamh’s first reading challenge will be the words and chords in her {unread} Country Music Songbook ; her friend, Deodora, a nurse at the care home, has only gone and entered her for The Country Music Festival in Blackpool

Country Music has been Niamh’s joy and Dolly Parton, the songteller with the rags to riches story, is her hero. But Niamh now needs help desperately and so she asks Norman, the local choir master, to coach her……he’s posh: she’s not. A rocky alliance ensues.

 This is the story of a woman, who with grit and courage, resolves to grab a bigger life before it’s too late; a journey of transformation, inspired by Dolly Parton’s own narrative and her Imagination Library.  
And here’s our first review:
 http://fringereview.co.uk/review/brighton-year-round/2023/goodbye-jolene/
Audience Feedback
We went to see 'Goodbye Jolene' at the Studio, Chelmsford yesterday (8 September) and were blown away by the production. It is an absolute gem - storytelling at its very best, so moving and thought-provoking. Definitely one of the most memorable pieces of theatre we've seen for a long time. We loved the use of technology to expand the story.. We hope that you will come back to Chelmsford in the future All good wishes for your future work and thank you again for such a memorable production. Margaret & Peter Watchorn

Huge congratulations to you and Chris for such stunning performances in Goodbye Jolene. I was enraptured from start to finish - such delicate integrity, full of heart - ready brek for the soul!  - just had to let you know. Hope the tour goes well.A real class act, Siobhan, on so many levels. Brilliant! Carole Bremson in Brighton

“Lovely work, lovely show and what a lovely audience” Michael Mears, actor

“ A thoroughly brilliant evening” Damian Evans, photographer

 Message: Goodbye jolene
A friend and I bought tickets to see Goodbye Jolene at Norden Farm Centre for the Arts on 22 July. We just wanted to write to say how much we enjoyed the play and that we spent most of the drive home talking and thinking about it. It was quite multi-layered in its various messages. We found the filmed linking pieces an inventive way of moving the storyline forward. The opening with rehearsals on Zoom resonated with me because I am in an amateur choir and our Musical Director set up remote rehearsals for us during the lockdown periods. I certainly experienced some of the same humorous challenges navigating the unknown Zoom as it then was! I think it was great to see two mature actors be at the forefront for what I recall was a 1.5 hrs 2 hander with no interval. The play certainly made the audience think about various issues including disability (dyslexia), the perceived snobbish of a classical music and the lack of opportunities for women of a certain age and class. Well done to all involved and I wish you success with the rest of your tour.\
Sally Halfacre

Cast and Creatives
Writer Siobhán Nicholas
Norman Chris Barnes
Niamh Siobhán Nicholas
Director Sian Webber & David Fielder
Designer: Ellen Cairns
Filmmakers: Eve Marie Johnson, Mark Collicott
Niamh’s Band {The Angels}: Andy Newell (guitar) Billy Stallybrass (harmonica)
John Allwood {who appears on film}: John Ramm
Deodora {who appears on film}: Joe Ramm
Taxi Driver {Niamh’s pal}: Vince from VIP Travel
Singing Coach Mary Hammond
Dramaturgy Chris Hannan
We should also mention Norman’s choir - Voces Septem - who appear on zoom {Julia Lynne, Diane Sherlock, Andrew Branch, John Caddie, Colin Morgan, Malcolm Rennie, Jack Lynn}

The Future
We completed our Autumn Tour 2023 and are now planning 2024. Watch the side panel on this page for more dates