Buncrana mother and daughter bring their play on John Newton on Irish tour

A new play written and produced by a mother and daughter from Buncrana on the life of John Newton, who wrote the words to the hymn Amazing Grace,  is embarking on a nationwide tour.

Forever Mine is being brought on tour by Ruth and Susie Garvey-Williams after years of research into the story of John Newton and Amazing Grace, which has become one of the world’s best-loved hymns and one of the most-recorded songs of all time. 

Susie has produced the play and also plays the part of Newton's wife Polly in the ten-date tour which comes to St Augustine's Church, Derry on March 31 before it finishes in St Mary's Hall, Buncrana on April 1. Her mother Ruth is directing the play.

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the first performance of Amazing Grace in Olney, England, which was written by John Newton when he was the local minister. 

Newton turned to Christianity later in his life after a career as a slave trader. He became an ally of William Wilberforce, the leader of the campaign to abolish the African slave trade. Forever Mine explores his love for God and his love for Polly, his nickname for his wife Mary.

The play is based on letters, diaries and historical writings. Amazing Grace’s connection to Inishowen is based on Newton’s ship taking shelter in Buncrana after a storm.

The event caused him to vow to change his ways after he thought he would lose his life. However, it would take another six years before he left the slave trade after being forced to retire for health reasons. He would then go on to become a clergyman.

While telling the story of his life, the play “does not shy away from the hard truth,” Susie says.

“John Newton wasn’t always a great guy at all and he was a slave trader. So we don’t make him out to be better than he was. But he did repent in his life.

"What we are staying in the play is that all of us have those things we put in our lives that we can be blinded to for a long time, and why does it take human beings so long to see what is so obvious to us in hindsight? We are being truthful because I think it is better to be truthful in a play .”

Susie, who moved to Buncrana when she was 13 and later spent a decade away training and working in drama, has recently moved back to the town.

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The play has been in the making for three years and much of it is based on Newton’s own writings. 

“It has been a long time coming, a long time working on it.  There’s been a lot of research. Most of the play is actually based on verbatim [material] from journals, writings, diaries, letters and speeches. It is as historically accurate as possible.”

The cast of professional actors for the play has been assembled from an open call across Ireland and the UK and it also has an original musical score. 

Susie produced a play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year but this is the first tour she had undertaken as a producer.

“It has taken a lot of work, three years in the making and the last three months have been about producing it and getting it on the road.”

As well as Buncrana and Derry, the tour - which starts on March 22 - takes in Kildare, Cork, Longford, Sligo, Cavan, Dublin, Banbridge and Donemana. For more information go to: http://www.amazinggrace.ie/forever-mine.html