Who is Emilia?: Performing Feminist Histories

Emilia Bassano is a mystery woman of literary and dramatic history. Was she only the ‘Dark Lady’ of Shakespeare’s sonnets, or a revolutionary poet in her own right? And why was her story erased from history? 

More than 400 years ago, Emilia Bassano was one of the first women in England to professionally publish her poetry. However, it wasn’t until 1973 that her existence was uncovered by Oxford historian A. L. Rowse, who questioned whether Bassano was Shakespeare’s mistress, the ‘Dark Lady’ of his sonnets. Now, playwright Morgan Lloyd Malcolm interrogates this idea further with her play Emilia – what if Bassano was the real writer behind some of Shakespeare’s most famous words? Arriving in Melbourne with a cast of 13 incredible women and non-binary performers, Lloyd Malcolm’s play celebrates all voices through the trailblazing story of a woman who refused to take no for an answer. To coincide with this Australian premiere production, the Wheeler Centre joins Arts Centre Melbourne for a collaborative event featuring Emilia director Petra Kalive, actor and theatre maker Candy Bowers, and Top Acts 2022 performer Rufaro Zimbudzi, hosted by critic and writer Alison Croggon. Following an electrifying performance from Zimbudzi, the panel will reflect on Emilia Bassano’s story as a launching point for a broader discussion about critically revisiting history and recentring women and gender diverse perspectives in contemporary storytelling.

Photo of Manali Datar, Cessalee Stovall and Lisa Maza in Emilia, by Pia Johnson.

Presented in partnership with Arts Centre Melbourne.