Troupe returning to splendid Leamington allotment patch with story of a radical life

A roving theatre company is returning to an idyllic allotment patch in Leamington Spa with the story of a radical MP who has been largely forgotten despite her formidable achievements.

Mikron are making their 12th visit to bountiful St Mary’s Allotments on Sunday, August 25 with the tale of Jennie Lee in an outdoor staging that falls in their sixth decade of touring.

The Scottish politician lived an extraordinary life which included becoming Westminster’s youngest MP — at an age that, as a woman in 1929, she couldn’t vote herself.

Her life remains a footnote in history, yet she was the first Minister of the Arts and the founder of the Open University whose work has inspired and enabled many.

The multi-award winning theatre company, who tour to venues ranging from lifeboat stations to front rooms, will cast ‘stylish and funny’ Lee into the light on their 2024 odyssey, during which they are travelling by van and their trusty vintage narrowboat, the Tyseley.

The outdoor, ‘pay what you feel’ show will include original songs and integrated audio description amid St Mary’s summery setting.

“Jennie was clever, erudite, stylish and funny – stubborn and sharp too,” said Mikron playwright Lindsay Rodden.

“I wish I had known her. Putting her on the stage is the next best thing.

‘I could have written three plays about her remarkable life.”