Ottilie Brings Irish Blues Legend To Barn Theatre Cirencester
Ottilie Casting Announced For Barn Theatre Cirencester Run
A Built By Barn Production In Association With Rathmore Productions
Written By Richard Clements
Directed By Matthew McElhinney
Performed By Jolene O’Hara
Barn Theatre, Cirencester
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CEO and Artistic Director Iwan Lewis, Executive Director and Producer Liam McMullan and the whole Barn Theatre team are delighted to announce casting for Ottilie, a Built by Barn production in association with Rathmore Productions. Richard Clements’ Ottilie is directed by Matthew McElhinney and performed by Jolene O’Hara. The show opens on Saturday 21 March and runs until Sunday 19 April, with a national press performance on Tuesday 24 March.
Ottilie will be the first Barn Supported Production since the Barn Theatre launched the scheme in late 2025. The production arrives in Cirencester after first being staged in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and will be performed at the Barn Theatre in association with the original producers, Rathmore Productions.
Ottilie will be on general sale from Saturday 20 December.
The godmother of British blues began life in a terrace in Northern Ireland, a little girl who felt like an outsider. When the blues music drifted across from the American GIs up the road, Ottilie became obsessed, having finally found her tribe.
From teaching herself songs from sheet music and gigging in Belfast, she went on to play the Royal Festival Hall and tour the UK and USA with the Chris Barber Band, accompanying legends including Muddy Waters and Sonny Boy Williamson.
Dubbed “the greatest singer to emerge this side of the Atlantic”, Ottilie was an immense presence and talent in the 1960s music scene. So why has her name faded from history? What happened to this iconic voice?
Audiences are invited to immerse themselves in the music and atmosphere of the post-war jazz scene and discover the legacy of this forgotten talent. Performed by Jolene O’Hara, Ottilie is at times funny, at others poignant, but always intriguing.
Ottilie is performed by Jolene O’Hara, whose credits include Wiper at Work, Dear Ireland and The Abbey Theatre, Dublin, Ottilie at the Grand Opera House Belfast 2025, and Good Vibrations at the Irish Arts Centre in New York and the Lyric Theatre, Belfast. She is a main vocalist for Lush! Classical at The SSE Arena and Belsonic Belfast with The Ulster Orchestra, and one half of the singing duo O’Hara with her sister Philippa. Jolene also provides vocals on Van Morrison’s Remembering Now, Orangefield Live and Moving On Skiffle albums and performs as part of his live band line-up.
Written by Richard Clements, this Built by Barn production in association with Rathmore Productions is directed by Matthew McElhinney, who returns to the Barn Theatre after directing Stones In His Pockets in 2024. The full creative team will be announced soon.
Executive Director and Producer Liam McMullan said, “It’s a privilege to be bringing Ottilie to the Barn Theatre, all the way from my hometown of Belfast. It’s a joy to be working again with director Matthew McElhinney and to be showcasing Richard Clements’ brilliant writing. We’re particularly excited that Jolene O’Hara will be reprising her role as Ottilie Patterson. Her performance is nothing short of extraordinary. It’s electric, heartfelt and utterly unforgettable.”
The Barn Theatre is located in the heart of Cirencester, Gloucestershire.
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19 December 2025
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