Sherlock Holmes & The Man Who Believed in Fairies

Aim

We aim to bring this exciting new play about Sherlock Holmes clashing with his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to The Edinburgh Fringe.

Thank you for supporting this project. Your kind help is warmly appreciated.

I started writing about fairies some years ago. when I penned my first novel, 'The Last Changeling.' Now, every time I go to write about other subjects, the Fae drag me back - it's like I'm trapped inside the fairy circle! Along the way, I have met some fascinating people, like Dan Baines who created an infamous hoax with his 'Mummified Fairy,' and John Hyatt, the artist who photographed The Rossendale Fairies. I even stayed the night at Pat Noone's farm in Galway, Ireland - a place so infested with fairies, that some guests have fled in the middle of the night! 

Sherlock Holmes & The Man Who Believed in Fairies is a play that was written, developed and refined over the last year; bringing it to the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the next goal. Maybe you can help ...

Background

Having written a book about the Cottingley case, (where two girls claimed to have seen and photographed fairies), and also an article for The Fortean Times, I have found two little-known, further photographs, plus evidence that’s been hiding in plain sight for over a hundred years. 

If you think the Cottingley Fairies was just a straightforward hoax, think again.

The Play

In Sherlock Holmes & The Man Who Believed in Fairies, it’s Holmes who uncovers the trail of clues. His motive? Appalled by the way his name is inextricably linked with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s, he's exasperated by Doyle’s willingness to believe in the supernatural when he, Holmes stands as a bastion of logic, reason, and cold deduction. 

To spite Doyle, Holmes seeks to best him by exposing the fairy fraudsters. 

Holmes has one further reason to distrust Doyle for he believes it is he, not Moriarty, who masterminded the near-fatal attempt upon his life at The Reichenbach Falls…

Although it’s a cerebral piece, it’s also a crowd-pleaser by way of both the characters and the subject matter. Edinburgh was where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born and where he studied under Professor Bell, who was the alleged template for Holmes’ astonishing powers of deduction. It would be fitting to bring Doyle home.

The Project

This is an ambitious production, the four-strong, professional cast will be selected over the next three months, the venue confirmed, and accommodation booked. The aim is for a three-week run at one of the larger venues. The cost will be a tad shy of £23,000.

My initial aim is to raise enough to secure the venue and rehearsal space. Any donation will be of tremendous help in getting this story and its hidden secrets out into the wider world.

I am lucky enough to have talented friends working with me  - Dan Baines, (of the infamous 'mummified fairy' hoax), will be creating some of the props... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_fairy_hoax  

... and Paul Birchall, (ex-M People), has written the haunting theme music for the show... 

If you'd like to see an example of my writing being performed, here's a piece commissioned by GALWAD, a Welsh project set in the very near future and screened on Sky Arts last October. 

In 2052, after a weird electrical storm, various characters find they can contact people back in 2022.  I created Huw and wrote his monologue. Over an occasionally glitchy connection, Huw, (played by Owen 'Game of Thrones' Teale), is trying to contact - and talk some sense into - his younger self... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TDXLEfQ98k

In her monologue “Huw” Fiona crafts a world that is deeply introspective yet boldly futuristic. With every line, she pushes the boundaries of  imagination and tugs at the heartstrings, revealing the universal yearnings that transcend time and technology. Her contribution to 'Galwad' is testament to her unparalleled storytelling prowess. Jamie Jones, Director 'Huw' for GALWAD

Further Testimonials:

An original and fascinating insight into the world of two geniuses born from the same mind. Fiona Maher weaves together a world of logic and fantasy, faith and truth, in a battle that drives itself into the heart of what we believe versus the cold light of day. A detective story that proves that fairies are far from elementary.

Emyr John: Creative Engagement Consultant, Theatr Clwyd

Sherlock Holmes & The Man Who Believed in Fairies is a fine, elegantly-written and fascinating addition to the canon of Sherlock Holmes adventures not by Conan Doyle himself. 

The writing captures, with fleet-footed wit, the expected Holmesian characters and patterns of speech; but, as the plot develops, and the narrative speeds up, the play also becomes something deeper: a collision between detective and creator, between different worlds and opposing philosophies.

Fiona Maher’s accomplished and thought-provoking drama poses the question: is Holmes, the debunker and sceptic, hell-bent on exposing what he regards as a hoax perpetrated by trickery at Cottingley, really, in the end, wiser than his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who views spiritualism and the existence of fairies as beautiful truths that the human heart must cherish and learn from?   

Andrew Rissik: Playwright/Ex-Theatre Critic for The Independent    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Rissik

Fiona Maher is a one-off force! She is a geyser of astonishing ideas, creative ambition, terrific drive and inspiring projects. I commend her work absolutely.    Horatio Clare: Writer/Broadcaster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horatio_Clare

This project successfully funded on 26th November 2023