Marie Jones facts for kids
Sarah Marie Jones, born in 1951, is a talented actress and writer from Belfast, Northern Ireland. She started her career as an actress. Later, she became a successful playwright, writing many plays. Her plays have been shown in famous theaters like Broadway in New York City, and all over Ireland. She was also awarded an OBE, which is a special honor in the UK.
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Starting Her Theatre Journey
Founding Charabanc Theatre
In 1983, Sarah Jones helped create the Charabanc Theatre Company. This was an all-women group that traveled around performing plays. They started the company because there were not many acting roles for women at the time. The group worked together to write their own original plays.
First Big Hit Play
Charabanc's first play was called Lay Up Your Ends. It was about a strike by mill girls in the early 1900s. This play was very popular right away. Sarah Jones stayed with Charabanc until 1990.
Creating DubbelJoint Theatre
After leaving Charabanc, Sarah Jones co-founded another theater group in 1991. This new group was called DubbelJoint.
Famous Plays and Shows
Plays for Replay Theatre
Sarah Jones wrote five plays for the Replay Theatre Company. One of these was Under Napoleon’s Nose (1988).
Stones in His Pockets
One of her most famous plays is Stones in His Pockets. This play is about a Hollywood film crew making a movie in a small Irish village. It shows how this event affects the people in the community. The play was performed on Broadway and received great reviews.
Other Stage and TV Works
Sarah Jones has written many other plays for both the stage and television. Some of these include Tribes (1990) and The Hamster Wheel (1991). She also wrote Fighting the Shadows (1992) and Wingnut and the Sprog (1994).
A Night in November
Another well-known play is A Night in November (1994). This play is about a period of conflict in Northern Ireland known as The Troubles. It was performed in London's West End and in New York City off-Broadway.
Recent Musicals
More recently, she wrote the story for a new musical called The Chosen Room. This musical was performed in Belfast in August 2008 by Youth Music Theatre UK. She then wrote the second part of this musical, which was performed again in 2009.
Other Notable Plays
Her other plays include Women On The Verge Of HRT, Now You’re Talkin’, and Weddin’s Weeins and Wakes.
Fly Me To The Moon
In 2012, her play Fly Me To The Moon was performed in New York and Belfast. This play tells the story of Davy, an 84-year-old fan of Frank Sinatra, and his two helpers, Francis and Loretta.
Dear Arabella
In 2018, the Lyric Theatre, Belfast celebrated its 50th anniversary. As part of this celebration, they premiered Sarah Jones's play Dear Arabella. This play features three monologues, which are long speeches given by one character.
Acting in Films
Sarah Jones is also known for her acting roles in movies. She played the character of Sarah Conlon in the film In the Name of the Father. She also appeared in the movies Closing the Ring and Philomena.
Awards and Recognition
Sarah Jones has received several important awards for her work:
- In 2001, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy for Stones in His Pockets.
- She received the John Hewitt Award for her amazing contribution to culture and arts in Northern Ireland.
- In 1999, she won the Irish Times/ESB Theatre Award for Best Production.
- She was awarded the OBE in 2002.
- In 2006, she received an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from the University of Ulster.
Personal Life
Sarah Jones is married to Ian McElhinney, who is also an actor from Northern Ireland. They live in Belfast and have three sons.
