Music by David Nield. Book and lyrics by Jeremy James Taylor and Frank Whately.
A stark and moving account of child deprivation in London in the
1850s which won the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Award, The Ragged Child is about the plight of
the poor and destitute, mirrored in the tragic lives of Joe Cooper and his sister Annie.
We see Lord Shaftesbury fighting for the education of the poor in the House of Lords, and, from an inauspicious beginning, the `Ragged Schools' are founded with Lord Shaftesbury as President - but it is too late for Joe and Annie. This show is an ideal vehicle for school projects involving the music, drama and history departments.
Minimum cast (can be expanded): 13 female, 23 male, chorus
Instrumentation: Pit Band: (can be replaced by 1 keyboard player): clarinet db. bass clarinet, 2 horns, 2 percussion, piano db. harmonium, bass. Stage Band: flute, clarinet, cornet, trombone, percussion, violin
Recording: Compact Disc
Study Guide: A Study Guide for classroom use is available from Josef Weinberger