Renee Maurice - The Writer of Seacliff: Demise of Ward 5 Photo: Supplied
In 1942, 37 women died in a fire at Seacliff Mental Hospital just north of Dunedin. Until the Ballantynes fire in Christchurch a few years later, it was New Zealand's worst fire disaster. Playwright (and New Zealand’s Got Talent winner) Renee Maurice came across the story when she was 15, and after doing a lot of research, including talking to the victim's families, has turned the story into a musical: Seacliff: Demise of Ward 5.
