Scottish Saints on Stage

On this day in 2012, AGAP Theatre premiered “The Martyrdom of Saint John Ogilvie” by Stephen Callaghan at the University of Glasgow Memorial Chapel.  The play was a huge success and toured extensively across the Archdiocese of Glasgow and beyond.  The opening night was attended by artist Peter Howson whose artwork of the subject hangs in St Andrews Cathedral and by Sir James MacMillan, whose music featured in the production.  

The success of the play was such that the Jesuit community at St Aloysius, Garnethill invited AGAP to revise the production for the 400^th anniversary of Ogilvie’s death in 2015.  This version opened at the Brian Cox Studio Theatre at Scottish Youth Theatre and a national tour followed, which took the play as far as the Saint’s birthplace in Keith in the Highlands of Scotland. The original version featured a prologue and epilogue which was replaced in 2015.  The 2012 version featured the character of a teenager viewing Howson’s painting and asking questions of a mysterious passerby who, at the end of the play turns out to be Venerable Margaret Sinclair.  

Four years later, AGAP would tell her story at the Edinburgh Fringe with “The Margaret Sinclair Story” written by Stephen Callaghan and performed by Maryfrances Jennow.  The performances took place in a packed St Patrick’s Church, Cowgate, where the remains of Venerable Margaret Sinclair are interred. The Scotsman reported that “The response of the audience lining the pews…is undeniable.  For many it is an emotional experience to see their saint brought to life before their eyes.” This year, on the 100^th Anniversary of her death, AGAP theatre will tour Glasgow and surrounding areas with “The Margaret Sinclair Story”, and will bring it to the Edinburgh Fringe in August.  

The play will be performed at C Venues Aurora, beside the Church of the Sacred Heart where Margaret Sinclair attended Spiritual Direction with her confessor, Fr Thomas Agius SJ.  This time, the part will be played by Rachel Callaghan, a living relative of Venerable Margaret Sinclair.  The Cause for Margaret Sinclair continues to be considered by the Catholic Church and her story was highlighted by Bishop John Keenan, President of the Bishops Conference of Scotland as an example for the Jubilee Year of Hope. Dates and times of performances are available at www.agap.org.uk