Miss Bebb with Birmingham Law Society
Celebrity Play Reading
Birmingham Law Society and the University of Birmingham formed a partnership with the Kalisher Trust in order to mount a production of ‘The Dissapearance of Miss Bebb’ in the Great Hall at Birmingham University in October 2018. See below for the cast list.
Alongside this event St Hilda’s College Oxford donated a number of items from their archive illustrating the life and career of Miss Bebb for an exhibition in the Great Hall.
Conference
Prior to the evening performance, The Trust organised a conference for students and the public about ‘Women in the law’. We were extremely grateful for the contributions from the following speakers:
Lord Judge – Key Note Speech: ‘Why study law?’
Professor Rosemary Auchmuty – Uncovering feminist legal history
Professor Katharine Cockin – A pageant of Great Women
Linden Ife – Experience at the Bar; Corporate Law
Lucie French – Reflections on the contemporary experience as a barrister returning to (and juggling) modern working practice.
Julia Goodman – Utilising your ‘You Brand’
Diane Samuels – Writing ‘Feminine Theatre’ for today
Alex Giles – The challenge of telling ‘Bebb v Law Society’ on stage
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MISS BEBB
Cast
Foley Artist, Pianist, Newspaper Boy David Osmond
Miss Gwyneth Bebb (later Mrs Thomson) Laura Main
Mrs Louisa Marion Bebb, Gwyneth’s mother Julia Goodman
Rev’d Bebb, Gwyneth’s Father Joe Harmston
Mr Henry Jeffries, suitor (later husband) to Louise Bebb David Perks
Miss Louise Bebb (later Mrs Jeffries) Freya Carroll
Miss Karin Costello (later Mrs Stephens) Rina Mahoney
Miss Nancy Nettlefold Hannah Blaikie
Miss Maud Ingram (later Mrs Crofts) Honeysuckle Weeks
Miss Rosemary Crofts, Maud’s daughter Jessica Terry
Mr (later Lord) Stanley Buckmaster KC Martin Shaw
Mr Justice Joyce Igor Judge
Miss Chrystal MacMillan Eileen Schofield
Mr (later Major) Hills MP Mark Farelly
Mr Thomas Thomson, a country solicitor David Osmond
Lord Birkenhead, supporter to the cause David Perks
Lord Halsbury, opposer of the cause Anthony Hughes
Lord Finlay, Chair of The Law Society & later, Lord Chief Justice Joe Harmston
Court Clerk/Usher/Doctor/Official/ Scientist Henry Silk
Ticket Collector/Reporter/Woman in Factory Charlotte Smith
Mrs Evans/Reporter Charlotte Cory
Factory manager/Reg David Perks
Directed by Joe Harmston
Music arranged and played by David Osmond
With thanks to sound recording from Distributed Sound and Lighting Ltd, Beatrice Harmston for photography, and the numerous supporters whose quiet but vital aid makes this event possible.
The Disappearance of Miss Bebb with Birmingham Law Soc
Date: 21 October 2018
Location: Great Hall. University of Birmingham
Gallery of images:
