WHAT IS HAPPENING?

War Bride of Mormon County is moving toward its Equity professional debut in spring, 2026, with a launch at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester, England—a country renowned for launching great works of theatre, and a region deeply ingrained in Mormon heritage.

Note: Additional FAQs are at the bottom of this page.

WHAT IS IT EXACTLY?

War Bride is a contemporary tragedy—a cautionary tale—with a touching, hopeful ending. It features 7 adult actors, including two powerhouse roles for women of different ages.

It is also an evening’s entertainment with touching and humorous moments. Set in 1990s rural Utah, War Bride speaks to modern audiences about power, belief, and survival.

The audience skews female, resonating as data indicates that some 80% of US women have been exposed to sexual abuse/violence in their life.

Ruth confronts her father, Stake Patriarch Ezekiel,
for the first time in her life.

Be part of something powerful —
and urgently needed.

I invite you to help bring this bold new theatrical work to life as it makes its professional stage debut. Your support right now can help launch a story that challenges, heals, and resonates far
beyond the stage.

This is your opportunity to say:
I helped ignite a piece of living, unforgettable art.

The brothers: Jared, Nephi, and Ammon, pray for guidance in
handling this “family situation.”

WHY IS THIS PLAY ESSENTIAL NOW?

As we pass through this age of intense, frequent scrutiny of institutional abuse, War Bride puts a human face on the cost of silence—and the courage it takes to break it.

It is also timely as the Mormon religion continues to spark great curiosity outside of Utah, both in private conversation and in media presentation. The success of several TV Mormon and other thematically-adjacent TV series, films, and stage productions confirm this, including:

• Secret Lives of Mormon Wives

• Under the Banner of Heaven

• Big Love

• Heretic (Hugh Grant)

• The Book of Mormon musical

• The Handmaid’s Tale

• Doubt

• How I Learned to Drive.

Cast of Nov. 2024 Manchester Equity workshop reading.

L to R: Paddy Stafford (Jared), Lucas Smith (Ammon), Russell Richardson (Ezekiel)
Lauren Mayes (Trudy), Chris Hoyle (Nephi), Samantha Siddall (Ruth)
Afrika Fuentes (Officer Guerra).

Q: Why are you launching this show in the UK and not the US?

A: Professional (Equity) development of the show is simply more affordable in the UK, allowing us to offer the two major female roles to “star name” actors, and know we can pay them. This helps with ticket sales, as well as improving the odds for top-tier reviews.

Q. Will it come to the US?

A: With your help, we will be able to spread the word to artistic directors at professional theatre companies in key US cities. With it’s UK pedigree and enhancement money raised through your help, the piece will already have credibility.

Q. Why would I give money to a show I won’t get to see…I’m not likely to travel to England for the debut production.

A. There are many reasons people give money to the arts. Ultimately, in this case, you will be supporting a new story diving into deep, intense material regarding female empowerment and exposure of chronic abuse within one of the world’s most curiousity-inducing religions that desperately needs to be seen.
And don’t discount coming to Manchester…it’s a really fab city in a very special country that celebrates and elevates theatre and storytelling in an epic way.

Q. How can a show cost so much to produce?

A. This is a common question for folks coming into supporting theatre for the first time, and if you’re in Utah, it’s an even bigger question. The answer is that in a true professional production, paying Equity actors, professional directors (including the rehearsal period) and designers, renting the venue, marketing the show, paying legal and accounting and stage management…it simply adds up. The quality of show we will mount in Manchester is estimated to cost nearly triple to mount in New York for an Off-Broadway run.

Q. Is this show anti-Mormon?

A. No. But some Mormons may feel it is. Ultimately it is now a show about “the” Mormons, rather about a Mormon family. At the scope of the grandfather’s sins are revealed, son Ammon repeatedly says “this is not what we/Mormons believe.”

Q. Who will star in the show in the UK?

A. My Manchester team and I have a list of “name” actors we plan to offer the script—the level of “star” who will help draw attention to the show, which helps attract the most-important reviewers, plus aids with audience attraction. As for the names: we will not release names until we have contracts with the actors. With material this meaty, we hope to attract name actors for the roles of Trudy and Ruth, characters—and thus actors—of two different generations.

Q. Why did you have to write it about Mormons. Are you trying to make them look bad?

A. One of the keys to successful writing is to “write what you know.” I was raised Mormon. I know how the culture works. I know people behave. I know the language, the nuances, the goods (there are many) and the bads (there are many). While the problems this story illuminates are present in many other religions and societal groups, this is the one I know how to write about. I did not write this story to prosecute the LDS Church, I wrote it to give voice to people in many religions and groups, who share threads of a common story that is endlessly swept under the rug, and to bring such stories into the light, and allow people to see that they are not alone and can find solutions and solace.

Q. You say this story is inspired by true events. What are they?

A. They are numerous—no one event has informed this entire play. Some are based on stories shared by friends and colleagues of happenings in their own communities, others based on recent news stories published by the Associated Press, and similar.

This play is entirely a work of fiction. Any similarities to actual persons is unintentional.