One of Britain’s most notorious true crime stories is coming to the Crown Wharf Theatre in Stone this September, but this is not a conventional murder mystery.
Stone Revellers will stage Beth Flintoff’s acclaimed play The Ballad of Maria Marten from Wednesday 9 to Saturday 12 September, telling the story behind the infamous Red Barn Murder while putting Maria herself, rather than her killer, firmly at its centre.
It is a story with all the ingredients of a classic crime drama. A young woman disappears in rural Suffolk. Her body is eventually discovered beneath the floor of a barn. A nationwide manhunt follows.
But The Ballad of Maria Marten is interested in something more than how Maria died.
The woman behind the murder
The real Maria Marten was killed in 1827, and the Red Barn Murder became a national sensation. Her story inspired books, plays and films, but playwright Beth Flintoff set out to reclaim Maria from the gruesome retellings that followed her death.
The result is a play which explores Maria’s life, relationships and friendships before the murder, using storytelling, music and movement.
Flintoff said
“This is not a play about violence. It’s a play about the people that experience it; it’s a play about love.”
It is an approach that has won considerable praise. Earlier professional productions of the play received four star reviews from The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Times and The Stage, with the production also touring to theatres across the country, including the New Vic in Stoke on Trent in 2020.
Now Stone Revellers are taking on the story at Crown Wharf Theatre.
Six women take to the stage
The Stone production features a six strong female cast, with Katie Boyle playing Maria Marten.
She is joined by Jen MacEachen, Emma Wilson, Charl Andrews, Hannah Adams and Tamsin Brown, with Kath Stanway directing and producing the show.
Rehearsal photographs give a first glimpse of the cast in costume, with the production using ensemble performance, music and movement to tell Maria’s story.
For anyone whose interest is sparked by true crime, historical drama or simply seeing something a little different on a local stage, this is likely to be one of the more unusual productions on Stone’s theatre calendar this year.
When and where to see it
The Ballad of Maria Marten runs at Crown Wharf Theatre in Stone from Wednesday 9 to Saturday 12 September 2026, with performances beginning at 7.30pm each evening.
Tickets cost £16 for adults and £14 for concessions. The production is recommended for ages 14 and over, and tickets can be booked through the Crown Wharf Theatre website.
Because of its subject matter, the theatre lists content warnings including references to murder, domestic violence, coercive control, infant death, abortion, injury and arson.
The production runs for just four nights, giving Stone audiences the chance to see a very different telling of a story that has fascinated people for almost 200 years.
