Ouida
Lynn Whitehead breathes vivid life into this extraordinary woman and one of Bury's most remarkable daughters!
Location
Unitarian Meeting House, Churchgate Street, Bury St Edmunds IP33 1RH
Telephone
- Date
- 9th October 2026
- Time
- 8:00pm - 9:00pm
About this event
She wore diamonds to breakfast, kept a hundred dogs, and declared that a little scandal is an excellent thing. Ouida - born Maria Louise Ramé in Bury St Edmunds in 1839 - became one of the most famous and scandalous novelists of the Victorian age, adored by millions and mocked by critics who were too stuffy to appreciate her genius.
In this captivating one-woman performance, Lynn Whitehead breathes vivid life into this extraordinary woman: her passions, her feuds, her heartbreaks and her triumphs. A perfect blend of theatre, biography and literary history - and a long-overdue celebration of one of Bury's most remarkable daughters.
Format: One-Woman Play
Themes: Performance, Adults, Local Interest, History
Lynn Whitehead
Lynn is a Tour Guide, speaker and drama facilitator living in Bury St Edmunds. She has worked for Theatre Royal, New Wolsey, Eastern Angles and Suffolk Artlink getting community groups acting, writing and singing. She is slightly less eccentric than Ouida, whose life and works she’ll be presenting at the festival!
Tickets
£10 standard
£5 concessions
Free U18s
Share this venue
About the Venue
Bury St Edmunds' finest building
The Meeting House was built in 1711 for its Presbyterian congregation, and is a fine example of the English Baroque style in its softer, more provincial manner. Fully restored between 1975 and 1991, the Grade 1 listed building is now one of Bury St Edmunds' most elegant venues.
The facade to Churchgate Street is one of the jewels of the town, with its gauged and rubbed brickwork in two tones of red, and excellent proportions.
Superb Acoustics
The warm wood floor, good height, and human scale combine to provide a clear and sympathetic sound for a variety of public uses. After all, it was built to ensure commanding solo performances!
A highly adaptable space
The interior is a classic example of a nonconformist meeting house of the period. The central open space is dominated by a fine two-tiered pulpit and surrounded on three sides by galleries containing the original box pews.
Serving Bury St Edmunds
The Meeting House is currently owned by Unitarian Trustees, and managed by the House Committee which includes representatives of the Community. The aim is to ensure wide and appropriate public use of the building for many years to come.
The House Committee is a committee of the Unitarian Trustees, an excepted charity
