Synopsis: War Bride of Mormon County is the tale of an underdog, outsider mother fighting to save her daughter, and ultimately herself, from an abusive patriarchy and community where alternate facts are a way of life. Trudy Thompson’s seemingly bucolic life explodes when her seven-year-old daughter, Eliza, reveals a devastating secret.

Trudy is a convert to the Mormon religion and immigrant to rural Utah, USA, circa 1980s. She is from Manchester, England, where she met a Mormon missionary who became her husband. Trudy now lives among his ultra-devout Mormon family, where she is decidedly an outsider. Not only must she fight to save her daughter, but also her marriage and her very self in an environment where everyone around her suddenly seems willing and able to bend the truth and find alternative facts.

Background/relevance. Inspired by actual events, War Bride of Mormon County is a driving, intense drama that has the audience rooting for Trudy from the get-go. It’s a story and topic that continue to ring loud and clear today. The audience is similar to those who appreciate Doubt, How I Learned to Drive, and TV’s Handmaid’s Tale. It’s also for the broad, curious audience who are attracted by the behind-the-scenes lives of Mormons, which includes viewers of the recent hit Hugh Grant film Heretic, TV’s Big Love and Under the Banner of Heaven, and even the musical The Book of Mormon.

This play sits at the crossroads of the immigrant ethos: is someplace else the land of milk and honey? It also opens questions around patriarchal infallibility and religious freedom—God told me to do it, so it's not a crime, which in today’s environment are as relevant as ever. The piece challenges perceptions--especially related to one of the world’s most curiosity-inducing religious sects. But ultimately it is a story of an accidental hero: a woman who rises to the occasion, responding radically to her unexpected situation.

Cast size: seven adults. Composition: three adult females, one of whom must be able to speak in a Mancunian (Manchester, England) accent; one of whom is Latina and should be able to use a slight Mexican-Spanish accent, and one standard American. Four adult males, all speaking standard American.

Production considerations: 2-hours~ including intermission. Multiple settings which, depending on production budget, can be fully executed or more-simply realized.

Development History

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND November 2024: Workshop and Industry Reading (equiv. NYC 29-hour reading), HOME, ; all-equity. Directed by Hannah Tyrrell-Pinder, cast (as shown): Paddy Stafford (Jared), Lucas Cheong Smith (Ammon), Russell Richardson (Ezekiel), Lauren Nicole Mayes (Trudy), Chris Hoyle (Nephi), Samantha Siddall (Ruth), Afrika Fuentes (Guerra).