After sell-out seasons at London’s West End and Shakepeare’s Globe, Emilia is set to open on the New Zealand stage next month.
Giving voice to the incredible life of Emily Bassano, one of history’s unsung feminist heroes, the show has been praised by critics as “a firecracker of a play”.
Emilia will feature an all-female cast, led by award-winning director Miriama McDowell. “I was so excited to read the script, that demands “boldness” when casting, to choose diversity and cast women of colour – something that I’m passionate about,” says McDowell. “As a Māori woman I want my children to see people that look like them on stage and on screen. It validates their own existence in the world. I also want to see the diversity of our country reflected in the stories we tell.”
As the first country outside of the UK to gain rights to the show, the Pop-up Globe production will give New Zealand audiences the rare opportunity to see the show before the rest of the world.
Emily Bassano was a poet, writer and teacher who was thought of as a muse for Shakespeare and thus, relegated to the footnotes of history. Emilia promises to show her as more than a muse for men, but as a subsersive, feminist spirit whose story is finally being told.
Emilia will sign-off Pop-up Globe’s farewell season from 4 – 22 March.
