HOPEfull Conversations with Kari Eckert

Episode 56 - The Gardening Club

Episode Summary

My guest today is Bella Write, co-writer & producer of The Gardening Club, a new pop rock musical that debuts in London this coming Thursday. Bella was the winner of Robbie’s Hope’s Hall of Personal Expression in 2020 as a junior in high school.

Episode Notes

Bella is an actress, musician, composer, musical director and producer from Missoula, Montana, now based in Liverpool, England. After completing her high school diploma from the Interlochen Arts Academy, she moved abroad to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, where she founded and fronted her alternative rock band. She has played shows with her band across venues in Liverpool, such as the BBC-hosted night at The Cavern Club, Rough Trade, and The Jacaranda. Wright also has three successful single releases, one with over 100K streams.

In 2022, Wright co-wrote and composed the book, music and lyrics to a new feminist rock musical, called The Gardening Club, with Carleigh McRitchie. This story that debuted onstage with three sold-out shows in Liverpool March 2024, and went on to a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2024, of which she performed in the cast. The Gardening Club has been named by Playbill as Top 20 Shows to See at Edinburgh Fringe, out of 4,000.

A timely tale about life’s bitter pills, The Gardening Club is set in 1960s Georgia, where six girls scheme to illegally distribute the birth control pill with their gardening club as a cover up. The pop-rock soundtrack showcases themes of pleasure, self-discovery, and the power of female friendships.

Read more about The Gardening Club in Playbill at https://playbill.com/article/the-history-of-the-birth-control-pill-blossoms-at-the-edinburgh-festival-fringe

Follow Bella at: https://maestramusic.org/profile/bella-wright/

For additional resources visit us at: https://robbies-hope.com