Shrouds & Stays: The Ballad of Jane Wright

A family, a ship, a monkey, a sugar bowl, a storm…

On 10 March 1891, the merchant ship Bay of Panama wrecks on the coast of Cornwall near Nare Head, during the worst blizzard in 200 years. A daring rescue ensues and about half of the crew are saved. 130 years later, Catherine discovers that Captain David Wright and wife Jane (the only woman aboard) were her great-great grandparents. It is a story she is compelled to share through narrative, original songs, recitations and movement.

Here is an ancestral tale of seafaring days gone by, of family ties, love and loss, forces of nature, inner courage and continuum - themes which will resonate in Cornwall, as they do in Catherine’s island province of Newfoundland, Canada.

"Waves ripple, ebb and flow

Names in a bible, from long ago

Family history lost in time

First a whisper, now in rhyme"

This solo performance will be at Kresen Kernow on Thursday 15 May, 7-9pm.  Tickets are free if booked online, with optional cash donations on the door.

Catherine received support from ArtsNL for the creation of this project.

About Catherine Wright:  

Catherine Wright is a storyteller, multi-arts practitioner and arts educator who divides her time between St John’s and Port Kirwan, Newfoundland.

A versatile performer who brings warmth and passion to her storytelling, Catherine has presented a broad range of stories (folk and fairy tales, personal narratives, ballads, hybrid shows) at festivals, schools, theatres, galleries, outdoor venues and online, in her over 30 years of performance experience. Her background in dance is apparent in her storytelling style, and she often interweaves songs and recitations into many of her performances.

Shrouds & Stays: The Ballad of Jane Wright is Catherine’s newest show, a true shipwreck story of family, love, loss and continuum. Funded by ArtsNL, the show was launched in 2024 with further performances scheduled in rural community venues in Newfoundland and Cornwall in 2025.

Catherine is past president of St John’s Storytelling and current provincial representative for Storytellers of Canada (SC-CC).