The Innocent, Performed Live on Stage

The Innocent: A Tale of Injustice in Words and Music is being performed live at the cornerHOUSE arts centre for Folk at the cornerHOUSE.

The folk opera created by singer-songwriter Mick Ryan and composer Steven Faux tells the historical story of Thomas Helliker (1784–1803), widely known as the Trowbridge Martyr. Helliker was a young apprentice shearman working in the Wiltshire wool industry at a time of severe industrial unrest caused by the introduction of machinery.

When a woollen mill was burned down in 1802, Helliker was falsely accused. Despite having an alibi and maintaining his innocence, he was convicted of arson and hanged in Salisbury on his 19th birthday.

The piece blends spoken word, traditional folk music, and song to explore themes of industrialisation and injustice.

It starts at 7.45pm, and the bar’s open from 7pm.

Tickets £20 in advance via https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/FolkthecornerHOUSE

More info at: http://www.folkatthecornerhouse.co.uk