The Dark lady

PREVIEW July 6th | OPENING NIGHT July 8th | CLOSING NIGHT July 23rd

“Write me a woman who fights for what she wants.”

Emilia Bassano, known as the possible woman behind the Dark Lady of Shakespeare’s sonnets, was actually one of England’s first female published poets. She was also trilingual, mixed race, and a force to be reckoned with. The Dark Lady collides these two poets together as they wrestle with artistic collaboration, ambition, envy and love. An entanglement that will profoundly shape both their lives and their work. Jessica B. Hill’s first play, The Dark Lady, helps us understand and challenge our love of Shakespeare through Bassano’s lens.

MORE ABOUT THE VENUE

The John Rayner Community Stage is located in the Des Nedhe Group Community Events Area between our Festival Bar and Box Office. The stage will be housed in our covered Hex-Tent, with audience seating. We encourage the audience to arrive early to choose their seats — decide how close or far you want to be from the action! Tickets are required for admission, but seating is first-come, first-serve.

PAY-WHAT-YOU-CHOOSE

All performances of The Dark Lady will be a Pay-What-You-Choose general admission to increase accessibility. Tickets can be booked ahead of time for a variety of prices by contacting the box office directly ([email protected] or calling at 306652-9100 starting June 19th). There are no limits on any price level, and if you feel like paying more or less at the door or over the phone, you are more than welcome to do that!

ALSO ON THIS SUMMER

Looking for other shows in our festival? Make sure you check out As You Like It and The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo + Juliet.

COOL OFF THIS SUMMER WITH THIS COOL FACT –

The Dark Lady is an original play written by Canadian artist, actor, playwright, and scholar Jessica B. Hill, who is originally from Montreal. Focused on the real-life historical figure of Emilia Bassano, The Dark Lady deals with themes of love, art, and the role of feminism and supporting female voices in English literature.

For more cool facts on The Dark Lady, read more here!