The stories of two women from Manx history whose lives ended in punishment and tragedy will be brought to the stage in a new theatre production in Peel next month.

Drogh Vraane, meaning ‘Bad Women’ in Manx, has been created by Peel-based theatre company Sollan and will combine English-language drama, Manx-language songs and traditional Hollantide Fair customs.

The production examines the lives of Ann Thompson and Catherine Kinrade, exploring how their stories have been shaped by historical judgements and how they might be viewed today.

Thompson was sentenced to seven years’ transportation to Botany Bay in 1833 after being convicted of stealing 37 yards of lace edging.

However, she never reached her destination. The transport ship Amphitrite ran aground off the French coast, where Thompson and nearly all the female convicts aboard drowned after the captain refused to let them leave the vessel.

Kinrade was reportedly keel-hauled for behaviour described at the time as ‘immoral’. Her story provides the inspiration for Forgiven, an English-language play written by Sollan director Aalin Clague.

The play follows two literary friends attempting to piece together Kinrade’s story while struggling to distinguish historical fact from the conflicting interpretations that have emerged over time.

Clague said the production grew from her interest in women whose lives had been forgotten or remembered largely through the judgements made about them.

‘I wanted to explore what these stories might tell us when viewed from a modern perspective.’

The production will also revive elements of the traditional Hollantide Fair, historically associated with the annual hiring season, when women and girls sought work for the coming year.

During the interval, audiences can experience the fair’s music, customs and social traditions at a ‘Sollan-tide Fair’, complete with what the company calls ‘jough and skeet’, meaning drink and gossip.

Sollan director Cori Philips said the intention was to take the theatrical experience beyond the stage, helping audiences understand the world in which the women lived.

The second half of Drogh Vraane will feature a new Manx-language folk musical based on Thompson’s story, combining original songs written by Clague with 19th-century newspaper commentary and imaginative choreography.

Traditional Manx folk tunes, performed by local musicians, will also feature throughout the production.

A film of Oolee, a song featured in the musical’s courtroom scene, has been created by Manx filmmaker and artist Zoe Tweedy. It was produced with support from a Treisht26 grant celebrating Blein ny Gaelgey - Year of the Manx Language.

Although the musical will be performed in Manx, Sollan Theatre director Nicola Tooms said audiences would not need to understand the language to follow the story, with spoken English and programme notes helping explain the action.

Sollan was established in Peel in 2026 by Clague, Tooms and Philips to develop and showcase original work by Manx writers, performers, musicians and artists.

Drogh Vraane will be staged at Peel Centenary Centre on Saturday, 14 November. Doors open at 7.30pm, and tickets cost £15.

Tickets are available online at etickets.im/event/1055.