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Girton College Fire Brigade, 1901 (image via Science Museum) Who were our five main characters in real life? Did Girton College students really create their own Fire Brigade? Which discoveries from our research have made it into the show? What shapes our approach to writing a musical based on real people and events from history?…
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Girton College Fire Brigade, 1880. Hertha is on the left, holding a bucket. (image via Physics World) Towards the end of the October term of 1878, two Girton students watched a haystack burn to the ground in a nearby field. Together, they wondered what terrible price would be paid by the College and its students…
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One of the central driving forces behind our version of the show’s main character, Hertha, is her powerful sense of justice. She has to do the right thing, whatever the cost. First she feels compelled to form a Fire Brigade, then later in the show she starts a campaign for women at Cambridge to be…
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Fighting fires, smashing the patriarchy and studying hard for a degree they won’t even earn. Our intrepid band of firefighters were a busy gang. But amongst all their studies and drills, they also found time for fun – and one of the many activities they enjoyed was singing. Many of the fire brigade were members…
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Our characters decide to start their own fire brigade – but, how do you do that? Nowadays, the answer would be simple (youtube), but in the late 19th century information was harder to come by. The real Hertha Ayrton solved this problem by going to an expert – Captain Eyre Massey Shaw. Born in Cork,…
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Some exciting news from Fire Brigade HQ! We’ve been awarded a generous grant by the Institute of Physics Public Engagement team. Their support means we can run a series of free “Family Physics Singalong” workshops during the summer of 2026. The workshops will sit alongside our very first concert performances of the show, at three…
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Ethel’s own microscope, held at the Lawrence Room, Girton College’s Museum. For updates on future performances, subscribe to our mailing list or follow us on Instagram and Facebook Earlier this year I was asked to write an article for The Linnean Society’s membership magazine, after spending time in their fascinating archives researching one of our…
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Hertha Ayrton Year, aka 2026, has started strong. After months of form-filling, extended arguments with helpdesks, and support from many and various techie types, we have finally convinced Google Maps to put Hertha Ayrton on the map! This mission started last year, when we realised that Hertha’s blue plaque was incorrectly named on Google Maps.…
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Today, we handed in a full first draft of “The Cambridge First All-Ladies Fire Brigade” to the Musical Theatre undergraduates at The University of Lincoln, and their brilliant programme leader and director Clare Chandler. Cue epic celebrations! Before they start workshopping it, and we start rewriting it… This seems like a good day to throw…
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The Cambridge First All-Ladies Fire Brigade 