The Dark Lady at Lunchbox Theatre

"Write me a woman who fights for what she wants."

For more than 400 years, mystery has enshrouded the identity of Shakespeare’s “Dark Lady” as depicted in his sonnets, believed by many to be England’s first female published poet-musician, Emilia Bassano. Bassano was also trilingual, mixed race, and a force to be reckoned with. The Dark Lady brings 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. The Dark Lady helps us understand and challenge our love of Shakespeare through Bassano's lens.

New to the world of playwriting, Jessica B. Hill has been one of the Stratford Festival’s new generation of leading ladies for 7 seasons. In The Dark Lady, she has woven in countless Shakespearean references and even some of his text while also creating characters that feel completely relatable and contemporary for today’s audiences. Lunchbox Theatre is proud to co-produce the second-ever production of this new Canadian play with The Shakespeare Company.