Fossil Mary

“ . . these learned men have sucked my brains . . “ (Mary Anning)

Meet Mary Anning, pioneering palaeontologist and the world’s greatest fossil hunter. Born in Lyme Regis in 1799 and known as ‘the lightning girl’ after surviving a lightning strike as a baby, Mary found her first dinosaur fossil at the age of 12. Her incredible discoveries revolutionised the way people thought about the evolution of life on earth but because she was a poor, working class woman she was spurned and patronised by the men of science who took the credit for her extraordinary work. However, in 2010 The Royal Society recognised her as one of the 10 most influential female scientists and her finds, now attributed to her, can be seen in museums around the world. She’s even made it to Mars ! NASA named one of their drilling sites after her as, like Mary, it revealed details of an ancient environment.

Ignored in her time, celebrated in ours, this new play finally gives Mary the spotlight she deserves !