Why a Booktrail?
2000s: A story about reckoning with the past, finding the courage to change the present – and asking what comes next.
The Wardrobe Department
What you need to know before your trail
Mairéad works all hours in a run-down West End theatre’s wardrobe department, her whole existence made up of threads and needles, running errands to mend shoes, fixing broken zips and handwashing underwear. She must also do her best to avoid groping hands backstage and the terrible bullying of the show’s producer.
But, despite her skill and growing experience, half of Mairéad remains in her windy, hedge-filled home in Ireland, and the life she abandoned there. In noughties London, she has the potential to be somebody completely new – why, then, does she feel so stuck? Between the bustling side streets of Soho, and the wet grass of Leitrim and Donegal, Mairéad is caught, running from the girl she was but unable to reveal the woman she’d hoped to become.
Travel Guide
London and Ireland
There are lots of Irish locations here but the main one is the fictional theatre in London.
“Theatreland”, London’s main theatre district, contains approximately 40 venues and is located in and near the heart of the West End of London. It is traditionally defined by the Strand to the south, Oxford Street to the north, Regent Street to the west, and Kingsway to the east.
However, a few other nearby theatres are also considered “West End” despite being outside the area. Prominent theatre streets include Drury Lane, Shaftesbury Avenue and the Strand.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: The Wardrobe Department
Destination/Location: London Author: Elaine Garvey Departure: 2000s
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