Season
1976-77
Play
The Bard of Prescott Street: A Musical (1977)
Run Dates
September 1, 1977–September 30, 1977
Header image features: Mary Walsh (left), Ron Hynes. Photo by Kent Barrett.
The Bard of Prescott Street program page. Courtesy of Archives & Special Collections at Memorial University Libraries.
Playwright
Director
Cast
- Jane Dingle Various Characters
- Bryan Hennessey Performer & Bass
- Ron Hynes Johnny Burke
- Robert Joy Archbishop Howley/Escaped Convict Phil Brady/Various Characters
- Janet Michael Various Characters
- David Ross Various Characters
- Mary Walsh Annie Burke/Various Characters
Crew
- Paul Mercer Research Advisor
- Lynn Lunde Costume Designer
- Michael Kearney Set Designer
- Derek Butt Lighting Technician
Description
The story of Johnny Burke, a musician who lived on Prescott Street and sold his ballads on street-corners to make his income. Very little of his work has survived, but his song, The Kelligrews Soiree, is still widely known.
Unlike previous Mummer’s Troupe shows, The Bard of Prescott Street had a huge set built in the auditorium that transported the audience to downtown with painted backdrops, wooden sidewalks, and streetlamps. The play also featured a scene taken from Burke’s staging of The Geisha, where the chorus is instead dressed as Topsail fishermen and are fanning themselves with salt cod.
Production type
- Mummers Troupe Production
